The third and final scene that I am going to be analysing is from Insidious released on April 1, 2011, directed by James Wan, distributed by FilmDistrict and the studios being Alliance Films, IM Global and Stage 6 Films. It earned $97,009,150 worldwide at the box office and garnered generally positive reviews.
Key character types and stock characters:
There are four protagonists in this scene, the woman recalling a dream she had of the house, and the man and woman who are sitting at the other end of the table. We also see a young boy laying in bed, asleep with a clear antagonist standing to the side of the prop of the bed, in a flashback of the female characters dream.
We can tell that this character is the antagonist as it has non-human features such as the clawed fingers. This is conventional of the genre as supernatural beings are typically seen as the antagonists throughout the film.
Narratives and stock situations:
A key narrative that we see in the scene is good versus evil between the supernatural being and the other human, normal characters in the scene. The human protagonists in the film are clearly fearing this antagonist that the woman is recalling which shows the threat that this character has on the other characters in the film. This is typical of supernatural horrors as the supernatural beings in the film are usually the ones that are harassing the protagonists.
The flashback/dream that the woman is recalling throughout the scene looks to be set during the nighttime. This is typical stock situation that we would usually see as most supernatural horror movies are set during the night. This then means low-key lighting is used to give the scene an eery atmosphere.
Icons of supernatural horror:
The main icon used in the film is the use of the supernatural being. This immediately establishes the genre of the film as conventionally, supernatural beings are the main characters within supernatural horror films.
Low-key lighting has been used in the scene to create an eery and ominous mood. Also, as the flashback scenes are during the nighttime when it is dark, this relates to the fact that people are generally more scared when they are in the darkness as the sense of the unknown is present. Creating this tone and atmosphere is usually done in supernatural horror films to make the audience feel on edge and get a sense of the mood of the film.
The use of the red make-up used when the supernatural being appears behind the male character connotes that he is some kind of demon. This is an icon of the genre as demon like creatures are things we typically see in supernatural horror films. The colour red is also an icon of the genre as it connotes danger, a key theme that runs throughout the film.
The scene also looks to be set in a large, grand old family home. This is a typical location for a supernatural horror to take place and so fits the codes and conventions of the genre.
Themes of supernatural horror:
The key theme, as with many supernatural horror films, is the fear of the unknown. The audience and the characters within the scene are unsure on what this supernatural creature is and so this adds a sense of mystery to the scene. We are also unaware of why this being is harassing the other characters and what it wants. This sense of mystery and uncertainty surrounding the supernatural in the film puts the audience on edge as they do not know what to expect. This is typically done for most supernatural horror films as they aim to make the audience feel scared of what is going to happen next.
Score:
Throughout most of the scene, faint incidental music has been used to create a dark and ominous atmosphere and make the audience feel that eventually, something bad is going to happen. The non-diegetic incidental music starts to build up during the flashback of the dream and as the door opens and reveals the antagonist character, the music suddenly increases in volume and pace. These types of build ups in incidental music is conventional in supernatural horror films as it is used to make the audience feel on edge.
Some diegetic sound is also used to set the scene. The emphasised sound effects of the creaking doors in the flashback is something that we typically hear within the genre as it creates a spooky atmosphere and also tells us something about the old and dated interior of the house, which is also an icon of the genre.
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