‘THE HILLS RUN RED’- TRAILER ANALYSIS

• ‘The Hills Run Red’ is a good trailer to analyse because they use a mask within their narrative. This is something that as a group we are planning to incorporate in our Horror Film. By looking at the trailer of this film, I can see in what way they used the mask and also both its effect in the film and on the audience.

• There is a three act structure to the trailer. This is effective as it allows us as an audience to not only really understand the narrative, but also to see how Todrov’s idea of the equilibrium is disrupted.

FIRST ACT

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• As you can see in image number 1 we are introduced to the location and to the characters. However, before we see this image we hear non-diegetic music of what appears to sound like a child’s nursery rhyme. This already makes the trailer conform to the horror genre because it makes the audience feel unsettled and apprehensive for what they are about to see. It straight away sets the tone that it’s genre is horror and it the sound is creepy and uncomfortable.

• The aerial establishing long shot allows us to see how isolated the setting is and if anything was to go wrong, there would most likely be no one near by to help. This further stresses the horror tone as we are fearful for the characters as they only have each other for protection.

• The narrator’s voiceover is Introduced where the man says ‘Four friends are searching for a horror film that’s been missing for 20 years’. This is ironic as we as an audience are watching a horror film and similarly the characters in the film are searching for one. This allows the audience to feel apart of the film.

• We see a close up of a reel of film (image 2) suggesting that this is what there looking for or trying to find.

• The costume the four characters are wearing are everyday normal clothing. This allows the audience to be able to relate with the characters and see them as typically normal innocent people, just like themselves.

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• The trailer is then disrupted by a sequence/montage of different moving images. An example is shown above in image 3. This is combined with a voiceover of a girl screaming. This creates a fearful atmosphere within the audience as we are unaware as to why this montage is being shown and what it’s representing.

• The only knowledge we can gather from it is that the girl is in great danger from the man with a chainsaw. This conforms to the horror genre, as typically horror films revolve around some form of danger.

• The fact the sequence is in black and white makes us question whether this was something that happened in the past in the woods the four people are currently in. This makes us feel frightened for the characters.

• The creepy children’s nursery rhyme stops playing while we see this montage, however it continues to play afterwards. The effect of this is that we feel trapped in the danger being shown to us. It also takes away the innocence that children have and replaces it with a sinister feel.

• The shot then fades to black. This makes the audience experience panic.

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• There is a voiceover used when we visually see shot number 4. One of the character’s says the dialogue ‘No movie just vanishes without a trace’. The fact that we are hearing this dialogue and the shot used is as if it’s the camera the character is holding, involves the audience even further in the fear being created. Moreover, it creates a sense of entrapment.

• The duration of shot number 4 is very short as it quickly disrupted by shot number 5. The fact that we see another short black and white sequence allows us to really get a feel of the horror genre and see the typical horror conventions.

• The trailer seems very quick and jumpy as once again shot number 5 is not shown for a long duration because shot number 6 cuts in. This makes us as an audience feel frightened as it suggests the camera they are using has broken. We feel threatened as to what is about to be shown after this fuzzy screen. This feeling is also strengthened by the fact the children’s nursery rhyme is still playing in the background.

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• Shot number 7 is then shown to the audience. It is a shallow focus shot of someone’s hand grabbing the tree. This suggests that the other four characters are being watched by something or someone. It allows the trailer to conform to the horror genre as it creates a sense of the unknown and this makes the audience feel frightful as not knowing something typically makes a person feel anxious and nervous.

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• As you can see in shot number 8, the audience feel slightly more relaxed as they are in the comfort of characters. We hear the man say that he’s heard that the movie they are looking for ‘is the scariest thing they’ve ever seen’. This makes the audience feel concerned and distressed as it makes them worry that the movie the characters are looking for, has been hidden in the middle of nowhere for a reason.

• The fact the non-diegetic children’s nursery rhyme is still repeating the same creepy tune makes the audience feel on edge as its remained a consistent sinister sound throughout the trailer.

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SECOND ACT

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• Another black and white montage of quick moving images is shown, an example of what we see is shown in image number 9. Once again, the children’s nursery rhyme tune stops playing. This highlights the conventions of a horror film as it makes the audience feel nervous as to what lies in the woods that the characters are in. It also raises questions like ‘Why do we keep seeing a montage of violent black and white moving images?’. Typically lots of horror films incorporate violence and aggression as it highlights feelings of danger and alert.

• As shown in image 9, we see someone wearing a mask as if to hide their real identity. This creates an uncomfortable tone as the audience are yet to see the villains and the danger, as so far all they have seen is a hand of someone and then these quick moving images of violence. This highlights the horror genre, as many horrors never want to give too much away as it allows the audience to feel excited and frightened at the same time, which is the aim for most horrors.

• Shot 10 is then introduced. It is a long duration shot which is effective as it makes the audience feel very apprehensive as to what could be shown. Moreover because the shot is one from the camera the character is holding, makes the audience feel anxious as they are not seeing the character himself so they do not feel safe or protected. Furthermore, they can’t be sure to know what is going on around the character, for example behind them, because there could be someone waiting to harm them.

• The fact that the children’s song has now stopped playing alerts the audience that the danger is close by. It creates a foreboding atmosphere as in place of the children’s song is suspenseful, eerie non-diegetic music.

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HOW DO WE KNOW THIS IS THE SECOND ACT?

• The trailer allows us to see that it has moved on to the second act as the children’s song stops playing. This alerts the audience that the danger is close by. It creates a foreboding atmosphere as in place of the children’s song is suspenseful, eerie non-diegetic music.

• The fact that there has been a change in track is a clue to the the second act starting. Also, the trailer starts to get a bit more tense for the audience as we see a character go out alone, due to hearing an unsettling noise.

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• A character has now been shown to be confronted by the danger. This moves the trailer on to the second act because the danger is no longer something that just us as an audience know about, but now the characters do to.

• We see and hear someone punching the character to the floor. The sound of the punch has been amplified to create an alarming feel in the audience. Due to the shot still being the one of the camera, we as an audience fall to the ground along with the character. This makes the audience feel fearful and it stresses their fright towards the danger as its almost as if we too have been confronted by the danger.

• Text is then shown (image 12) saying that the same producers that made ‘Gothika’ and ‘Thir13en Ghosts’ have made this film. This makes the audience even more intrigued to see it as if they have seen any of the previous films mentioned, it will drive them to want to see this specific one. Gothika made a Worldwide Box Office profit of $78,280,896, meaning it was a successful film so it most likely had a large viewing audience, so by mentioning that the producers of Gothika are the same producers of this film is a clever thing to do in gathering a large audience. !!

• Combined with this is a non-diegetic sound of one of the female characters crying for help and sounding desperate to be released from wherever she. This makes the audience feel incredibly anxious as by not seeing a visual image of where the cry for help is coming from, it creates a sense of enigma.

• This then moves to a long duration fade to black where we hear the same female voice say ‘You don’t have to do this’ which makes the audience feel fearful for her safety and question who she is talking to and what she means by them not having to do something to her. This allows the trailer to conform to the typical conventions of a horror genre as throughout horrors many questions are usually raised within the audience, however this keeps the fright and excitement in them continuing.

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THIRD ACT

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• A montage of quick moving images is then shown to the viewers. All are very violent and tormenting situations. This is combined with a switch in track to allow the audience to acknowledge that the trailer is in the third act now. The track is fast paced and has a quick beat to it as if to suggest that time is running out . It creates feels of anticipation.

• An example of a shot used in the quick montage is shown above (image 17). The audience get a better view of the dangerous character and see that they are wearing a baby face mask. This is not only ironic, as babies are usually associated with innocence and love, but it also presents the character as incredibly creepy and threatening. They are also wearing a red coat which communicates to the audience emotions of terror and fear.

• We hear a voiceover of one of the female characters whispering ‘They’re watching’. This makes the audience feel anxious as its as if she is talking to them. It also heightens feelings of the unknown and mystery.

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• Images 18, 19 and 20 are shots also from the montage. As the montage goes on, the pace picks up and becomes even quicker whilst the duration of each shot becomes shorter. This makes the levels of fear and fright rise to its highest point in the audience. This is typically something that horror trailers do, as by doing so it intrigues the audience into wanting to go and see the film. Therefore, when making our horror trailer, we will take this into consideration.

• Image 18 of the female’s eyes is the shortest duration shot throughout all of the montage. This creates an intense and creepy feeling within the audience viewers as it makes them feel as if they are included and also being watched.

• The fact that the prop used by the dangerous masked person is an axe connotes a perception of violence and anger. It also makes the audience think that the four original characters have no hope is survival.

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• The name of the film is then shown. The background colour is a dark and colour shade of black. This creates an uninviting feel to the audience. Moreover there is a dark red surrounding the text itself, this creates a haunting and disturbing feeling.

• The text appears to be a worn out white colour. It is as if the innocent pure colour of white has been disrupted by something dangerous and so therefore is not the same, this could be perceived to be symbolic of the characters in the film.

• Lastly the text first appears on the screen fuzzy and slightly unclear. It is also at a slightly slanted angle and slowly turns so that it is straight. This creates an eerie and foreboding atmosphere within the audience.