Horror Trailers

We looked at a few Horror film trailers, for example, Psycho (1960) and The Shining (1980).


Psycho (1960)

This trailer is very long, but i think it builds up tension this way because you keep expecting for something to jump out or something. It is not very fast paced like more recent film trailers like 'The Hills Have Eyes' (2006).
Mise-en-scene: Old sinister house, a typical characteristic of the horror genre.
Sound: Happy music, going against the conventions of a horror film.
Cinematography: Basically tracking the old man through the house. Although this does not follow the conventions of a typical horror, it is still effective due to the fact that you expect something to happen all the time. There is a twist at the end when he opens the shower curtains and the lady screams. It is effective because it is what the audience have been waiting for to happen but you and it leaves them in suspense because it is the end of the trailer, making them want to see the film.
Editing: Very slow-paced editing, rejecting the typical conventions of fast-paced editing.

The Shining (1980)

This trailer is short but effective because it doesn't give anything away from the film. There is just one shot of some doors with red blood coming through and creepy music. It is simple but the fact that nothing happens makes the trailer more scary because you almost expect something to jump out at you the whole time.
Mise-en-scene: empty room with red doors, with red blood streaming through.
Sound: Creepy music that gets louder, building up tension.
Cinematography: One straightforward shot, rejecting the conventions of horror films having shots from different angles in order to build up tension.
Editing: Hardly any editing except for the fading to black at the end.