Teaser Trailer Analysis . .

I think that we will be basing our teaser trailer on Psychological horror, the main features of this type of horror rely on the characters fears, guilt and beliefs. They play on these with eerie sound affects, relevant music and the emotional instability of the characters. They are not like the usual 'horror' films that depend on blood and gore that 'slasher' films are based on but focus on the paranormal or the 'unseen' fears and play on the audiences emotions.

I will now analise 3 different psychological horror teaser trailers -


The Omen



Although this is a longer teaser trailer than the ones I had previously looking at I think the simplicity of it is very effective as it challenges the conventions of a teaser trailer because it is not full of fast flashing images. In the trailer the little boy who we assume is the main character is wearing all red - which can be seen as romance but when paired with the eerie swing sound only and the dark lighting it is obvious there is something sinister about his character and the red more than likely symbolises danger. The dog at the beginning - rottweiler - is often percieved as a visious guard dog and the audience are left wondering what or who the dog is guarding. The camera is pretty simple on this teaser trailer but really leads the audiences eye around what they feel is most important e.g; the young boy, the dog, the deserted playground, the swing. I think the swing and deserted play ground are important parts of the teaser trailer as they show you that something is not right with the little boy but him being on the swing gives him a sense of innocence. The young boys face is in black and white and he often smurks suggesting he is a dark character and the smurk shows he is up to no good.

The Strangers



I think 'The Strangers' may follow the conventions of usual teaser trailers in ways as it contains the fast moving images, but then in does challenge it in others because opens the trailer like a documentary with a rhetorical question, drawing the audience in. It is unconvential for a horror trailer - but this would be the psychological element of the film, there to confuse the audience. The way the beginning of the trailer contrasts to the faster part of the trailer shows that the film may be different paces and as it doesn't give that much of the story line away just gives images of key shots from the film, I think it makes the viewer want to see more. How the images of houses at the begining change from bright and happy looking neighbour hoods to more sadistic looking images with crosses through the houses it suggests to the audience that what happens in the film is planned. Unlike a lot of other teaser trailers there isn't a voice over giving information on the film, I think that having lack of speech adds a sense of mystery to the film, especially with this trailer because the main bits of speech are "you're gonna die" and screams. Linking to this is the fact that the trailer doesn't really give you much information about the acutall film like a theatrical trailer would - all we find out is the name of the film, 'based on true events' and the name of the two main actors - showing that the trailer is probably made before the date of realise has been decided.