Insidious Trailer Review

At the beginning it says the name of the film, followed by other famous films made by the same company. This makes people more inclined to watch because if they have already seen those films and enjoyed them they’ll have high expectations for this film too. There is a dark black background which makes the white writing stand out. There is a loud ticking of a timer whilst clips of a happy family are shown which gives the effect that I is waiting for something bad to happen to them. Low key lighting is used to make it more eerie and there are shadows so you don’t know who is there. This is a key element for a horror film because the victims don’t know who is there or what it is.

 There is a childlike theme throughout and they use props such as a rocking chair, toys and a baby monitor to show this. The use of children in this horror film makes the audience more sympathetic and involved because the children are innocent and the family will be split up. The woman listens to the baby monitor and a deep voice comes down it. She drops it and there is a montage of her running to the baby’s room and then the baby crying. Then there is a voice over of the Mum saying ‘I went into Dalton’s room. There was something there with him.’ When she says this, a clip of the child sleeping is shown and a figure with a big hand next to him. This gives an insight to the sort of thing that is in the house and will make the audience want to watch the film to find out what else it does and if the children survive it.

 A quick montage is shown of the adults running to the child’s room and shouting his name. It makes the audience wonder what has happened to him and if he’s alright, making them want to see the film. 

All throughout the trailer the name of the film comes up, subliminally making the audience remember the name to watch it. The montage gets really quick and flashes on the screen with different scary bits and screams and then it stops and shows a calm dark corridor in the house. To show the film is jumpy after that another quick montage flashes on with the name ‘insidious’ at various intervals. Sometimes they cut the rest of the word out leaving just ‘is’. Towards the end of the trailer the lighting gets significantly darker and the music a lot tenser.




 Images of different scary things flash onto the screen in a montage with screaming and at the end the face of a devil behind the dad. It then goes quiet and shows a calm hallway in the house with a ticking clock at the end. This gives the audience time to react to what they have seen and think about it.    The lady then says ‘It’s not the house that’s haunted. It’s your son.’ and another montage of scary sections of the film flashes on with high pitched music which portrays tension and fear. The name of the film and when it is out is shown at the end to remind the audience of the name and make them remember it.