Year released : 2012
Genre of trailer : Mystery thriller
Your mark (after viewing) : 10/10
What
happened in the trailer?
We are told that a family were murdered as the camera is showing us a house. 9 months later we see another family move to this same house. Whilst moving some boxes, the father finds some 8mm home movies in the attic from the family who had previously lived there. He watches them and forms the idea that it has something to do with a serial murder from the 60’s to which he later finds out are all linked by a symbol of a pagan deity who consumes the souls of children. We then see this pagan character in their swimming pool and the father then sees the figure in the woodland at the back of their house. The young girl in the family paints a picture on a wall of a little girl who used to live there. The father then finds his son in a cardboard box screaming as though he is possessed. Due to these terrifying events, the father then burns all the old home movies and orders his wife to get the kids and all get out of there. However they seem to be trapped in their own home as we see more paranormal affairs unfold including a group of dead-looking children sitting in the attic where the pagan deity then jumps straight in front of the camera to finish the trailer.
We are told that a family were murdered as the camera is showing us a house. 9 months later we see another family move to this same house. Whilst moving some boxes, the father finds some 8mm home movies in the attic from the family who had previously lived there. He watches them and forms the idea that it has something to do with a serial murder from the 60’s to which he later finds out are all linked by a symbol of a pagan deity who consumes the souls of children. We then see this pagan character in their swimming pool and the father then sees the figure in the woodland at the back of their house. The young girl in the family paints a picture on a wall of a little girl who used to live there. The father then finds his son in a cardboard box screaming as though he is possessed. Due to these terrifying events, the father then burns all the old home movies and orders his wife to get the kids and all get out of there. However they seem to be trapped in their own home as we see more paranormal affairs unfold including a group of dead-looking children sitting in the attic where the pagan deity then jumps straight in front of the camera to finish the trailer.
Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?
There
are many good jump scenes in this trailer. For example, at 1:23 when the father
hold up the picture of the woodland with the pagan character lurking in it,
then takes it down to reveal the killer standing in the exact same place. There
is a sudden burst of sound which makes the audience jump. They then make an
association between the scary sound and the pagan killer. The trailer sets the
narrative well and also distinguishes a well recognisable serial killer. It establishes
the plot well through good use of inter-title. The font is capitalised and easy
to read and fits well against the background used and the genre of the trailer.
There are some effective transitions used from shot to another such as the
flickering images at 1:48. This almost acts a flashback as we quickly see the
young girl who used to live in the house playing on their swing in the garden. This
adds a different technique of moving from one shot to another, other than a
fade or a straight cut.
Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?
I have given this trailer a 10 out of
10 so there are no major aspects that I can complain about. However some may
say that children dying is too much of a sensitive subject but, for me, this
just feeds into the typical horror themes. I can see how, contextually, British
audiences may be unsettled by this due to the happenings of family deaths. For
example, the case of the Philpott’s in 2012 who burnt their house down in Derby
with their 6 children in it. From my standpoint, though, the director has
appealed to its target audience so if some viewers are put off by the main
subject then they have a choice not to watch it.
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