Analysis of a similar film

Evil Dead (2013)

My analysis of the opening 15 minutes of the film: Evil Dead

Evil Dead was made in 2013 by director Fede Alverez , who has produced many horror films before this. This Evil Dead is a remake of the 1983 horror of the same name. As it is 30 years older than the original it was able to use more cinematography, sound and effects than the original and in my opinion making it more horrific and scary than the original.

The film immediately starts with the logos of production companies coming up. This film has been produced by:
1. Tristar (a Sony production company)
2. FilmDistrict
3. Ghost House Pictures

The first shot we see of the film is a long shot with shallow depth of field. In the shot we can see a gloomy forest with a figure limping through the fog. Through this first scene we immediately establish that it is a horror as it is set in a key horror location - the woods. In this shot we cannot tell the time of day as the trees are blocking the sunlight however I can denote from this that it is evening as there is still some sun shining through the trees but not enough to light the forest up. As the figure in the background is slightly hidden amongst the mist the audience can't see who it is, the film makers keeping its identity secret and establishing a mystery element and evoke the audience to keep watching to find out more. This forest is derelict and dead with all of the trees having no leaves and looking broken and old. This makes the forest seem eerie and connote that there is no life there, this could be foreshadowing the characters death or that the character is already dead hence the name: Evil Dead.

The next few shots track the character which turns out to be a severely injured girl, the camera goes in and out of focus every few seconds, this could be to show how the girl cant think straight and it could be portraying how weak and close to collapsing she is. This sequence involves lots of close ups and tilts up the girls body, which in all of them show blood dripping from her, this could be to show the audience the extent of her injuries and make them feel sympathy for her as she is the victim in this situation. This sequence doesn't have any music over the top just the diegetic sound of the girl heavily breathing and walking through the forest. In my opinion this makes everything more tense as it is eerily silent. A non-diegetic sound goes off at the same time as a whip pan, this is to create a jump scare. The long shot after the whip pan shows a figure in the distance, much like in the first shot which doesn't show us the persons identity. However if we compare this with the first shot we can see that the colours of the new figures silhouette is much darker than the girls was, this could connote that whatever is chasing her is evil and she is innocent.

In the next 2 minutes, the audience finds out the twist in the plot which is that the seemingly innocent girl is a witch, who is burnt at the steak by her father. This intrigues the audience as the antagonist is who they would least expect it to be and since it is only the opening of the film it urges the audience to keep watching. Non-diegetic sounds ring through this sequence. An air-raid like siren is heard and this gives the impression that something is wrong and it isn't going to end well. Using an air raid siren is significant as this is the universal sound of danger and panic.

The title of the film is shown while dramatic orchestral music (which is a horror convention) is playing in the background. After this, it jumps straight to the shot above. This is showing a forest with a road going through it, however it is upside down, this signifies that something isn't right and it could be foreshadowing that something out of the ordinary is going to happen. This shot is uncomfortable for the audience as it is unfamiliar to look at something upside down from a high angle view. Minor key non-diegetic music plays as the camera (which is presumably on a drone) tracks the cars movement from the air. This music is usually played when a sad event has happened, this connotes that a tragic event has happened.

The tracking shot from the car leads us to this house. The people are staying in a cabin in the woods, which is presumed that it is the same woods as the beginning of the film. This is clearly a suitable location for a horror film as they are isolated and alone. The drive sequence has already established how far away this is from a town and therefore they are far away from help if they need it.

This is a high angle extreme long shot, the camera is hidden behind a tree which gives the idea that somebody is watching them. This is also a great establishing shot which shows all of the characters together unlike the scenes before which shows them all individually, this is  to show the audience that there is only 5 main characters in the film. The behind the tree shot is useful in a horror film as it establishes the fact that they are not alone. This evokes a sense of fear from the audience. The colours in this scene are underexposed leaving a grey scale look to the film - this is used so at the end of the film the colours of fire and blood are brighter and stand out more ,this is to add to the goriness of the film (to make it seem like the 80's slasher film).

This is a handheld shot filming from under the floor presumably in the cellar, this shot its hand held a it is shaky and moving about, this gives the effect of somebody creeping around in the cellar, again reinforcing that they are not alone. Diegetic squeaks of the floorboards can be heard from the characters walking around upstairs, this could be suggesting that they can be heard and the person or creature hiding underneath knows that they are there.

This is the last shot in the opening 15 minutes, this shows one of the main characters (David) stood in the door way leading to outside. The position that he's stood in means that shadows are cast on half of his face. I believe that this was a film making technique as it could suggest that darkness and evil is inside the house in contrast to the light from the outside where they are safe. The position of the shadows could also be implying that David has a dark side to him, him potentially being the antagonist in the end. If you look closely the inside of the house is blurred out, this could be to add further mystery to the location, not knowing what is in the house. This is using the technique fear of the unknown and could evoke the audience to feel uncomfortable, not wanting David to go into the house.