Sinister Trailer Review

Sinister Trailer Review

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Conventions of a Horror Trailer

Conventions of a Horror Film

Lighting: The lighting in both the trailers I looked at was low key when the trailers progressed and more scary scenes were uncovered. The low key lighting makes it scarier for the audience because they can’t see who or what is lingering in the shadows and keeps them engaged whilst they look for it. At the start, when the mood is lighter, a high key lighting is used which usually signifies that it isn’t going to stay like that for long and helps the audience sympathise with the victims because they’re about to come into danger. It also allows the audience to relate with the characters when the trailers show their everyday lives at the beginning because they can feel empathy because it might be similar to their own situation and anything could change for them too.

Isolation: I found that isolation was a key convention in both the trailers too. The house in ‘The Woman in Black’ was surrounded by water showing that there was no way for the protagonist to escape. He was also in the house alone creating a sense of vulnerability, making it easier for the audience to sympathise. In ‘Insidious’ the monster seemed to be around when the characters were alone, for example when it was standing next to the child sleeping or speaking down the baby monitor to the Mum. The characters aren’t strong when they are on their own, connoting the power of the bad presence in both the films.

Children: The theme of childhood and innocence ran through both of the trailers I looked at, making it a convention of some horror films. They used children to show a loss of innocence from the scary things happening and it is easier for the audience to sympathise and become attached to children because they are vulnerable and innocent. It also creates an eerie atmosphere to the trailers when the toys are playing by themselves because it’s showing something bad has happened but the audience don’t quite know what.

Sound: Both the trailers use tense music which gets faster and louder when montages of scary parts of the film are shown. After these montages the music cuts out and there is often some form of dialogue warning the people that there is danger. It makes people listen to the dialogue because it’s surprisingly peaceful after the tense montages. The fast paced music also portrays shows that the film is horror because it represents how people will be feeling when they are watching it. They will be on edge on those parts so the sound is tense as well to make them feel how they might feel if they watch the film.

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.