The Analysis of Paranormal Activity And A Haunted House Every movie has its own uniqueness. A movie can be misinterpreted if the viewer doesn’t take the time analyze it and its intentions. Both of the movies A Haunted House and Paranormal Activity are examples of this. While both of the movies could be misinterpreted, both of the movies did a good job with portraying different rhetorical situations that stood them apart from other films within their genres. A Haunted House engaged its viewers by using comedy and mocking various horror films. A Haunted House used the idea of a “found footage” film which is commonly used by various popular horror films. Some of the horror films that demonstrate the use of “found footage” films are Paranormal …show more content…
Paranormal Activity is known for its “found footage” film. Paranormal Activity isn’t the only film in its genre to use this idea, but it still managed to stick out. Paranormal Activity is about a couple who moves into a new home only to be disturbed by a demon who eventually possesses the woman. The director, Oren Peli, intended to attract an audience of at least 18 years of age who enjoys horror and “found footage” films. The audience would’ve expected a film that contains, suspense, mystery, or horror. Oren Peli wanted the audience to try to figure out why everything is happening in the film as well as occasionally jump. The director did a good job with this. Using the basic elements of style, the director was able to startle the audience as well as keep them focused on each scene as they try to figure out why everything is happening. An example of this would be on the scene at the end where the boyfriend goes downstairs because he hears screaming. The film has sounds playing, but the audience can only see upstairs because that’s where the camera was. After a few seconds of trying to figure out what happened, the boyfriend is thrown into the camera and the audience more than likely jumped (Dir. Oren Peli, 2007). In order to get high ratings, the goal of keeping the audience jumping and interested in the film has to be met. The film ended up performing well as it high ratings and several sequels. To understand the film the audience has to understand the plot and certain points within the film. The film is the usual idea of a family moving into a haunted home, but it offers a twist since it is told through video cameras that the family set up throughout their home. This makes the film scarier since this gives the illusion that the film is real. In general, “found footage” films are arguably scarier. As the film goes on, certain events and points are easier to understand. An
Analysis of the Opening Sequences of John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) and Wes Craven’s Scream (1996)
Halloween is rife with psychological scares that affect its audience greatly. “Symbolism, dreamlike imagery, emotional rather than rational logic” are present in Psychoanalytic criticism. Siskel and Ebert talked about how the movie makes you feel as if you are the protagonist, scared for your life and feeling every bit of suspense (Siskel and Ebert). The movie is purely fueled by emotional responses to what is happening to the characters and focuses itself purely on how the audience will respond. In the clip shown, the main protagonist talks about how she killed the killer but he is shown alive. The movie is not concerned with the logic; otherwise, the killer would have at least been slowed down by the injuries he sustained. Siskel and Ebert laud the movie on its set up of scenes, score, character development, and use of lighting to make the audience feel the terror the characters undergo.
Film scholars around the world agree that all genres of film are part of the “genre cycle”. This cycle contains four different stages that a specific genre goes through. These stages are: primitive, classic, revisionist, and parody. Each stage that the genre goes through brings something different to that genre’s meaning and what the audience expects. I believe that looking at the horror genre will be the most beneficial since it has clearly gone through each stage.
The Exorcist is a wonderfully crafted horror film that has withstood the test of time, as some even now cannot listen to "Tubular Bells" (my fiancé's father) without having flashbacks. Even though it was made almost half a century ago, people will still cower and groan with the movie; this is how it is still a household name to this day. I enjoy this movie tremendously and believe it to be a monumental achievement of the horror genre. My opinions of this movie are vast as this is another one of my favorite movies.
Horror movies are one of the most fascinating genres of film that exists. They are unrealistic but at the same time, they are also realistic. This realism that they contain is what draws people’s interest towards them because viewers are able to associate aspects of their own lives with the film. Every horror movie, no matter how farfetched the theme or plot may be, contains an element that people can relate to. This element may not be observable to a conscious mind, but to an unconscious mind, it brings back memories of something that has been repressed earlier in our lives (Wood, 197). This recollection of suppressed memories is how horror films create a sense of fear and it is literally what Robin Wood means when he talks about “the return
Modern day horror films are very different from the first horror films which date back to the late nineteenth century, but the goal of shocking the audience is still the same. Over the course of its existence, the horror industry has had to innovate new ways to keep its viewers on the edge of their seats. Horror films are frightening films created solely to ignite anxiety and panic within the viewers. Dread and alarm summon deep fears by captivating the audience with a shocking, terrifying, and unpredictable finale that leaves the viewer stunned. (Horror Films)
To begin with, some people would say they enjoy a horror movie that gets them scared out of their wits. They go see these movies once a month on average, for fun, each time choosing a newer sequel like “Final Destination” or “The evil Dead”. King says “When we pay our four or five bucks and seat ourselves at tenth-row center in a theater showing a horror movie we are daring the nightmare” (405). As a writer of best-sel...
Horror films are designed to frighten the audience and engage them in their worst fears, while captivating and entertaining at the same time. Horror films often center on the darker side of life, on what is forbidden and strange. These films play with society’s fears, its nightmare’s and vulnerability, the terror of the unknown, the fear of death, the loss of identity, and the fear of sexuality. Horror films are generally set in spooky old mansions, fog-ridden areas, or dark locales with unknown human, supernatural or grotesque creatures lurking about. These creatures can range from vampires, madmen, devils, unfriendly ghosts, monsters, mad scientists, demons, zombies, evil spirits, satanic villains, the possessed, werewolves and freaks to the unseen and even the mere presence of evil.
The producer was aiming to create mystery and fear. The dark of the night and the description of the house as feeling dead in the protagonist’s narration sets a suspenseful scene filled with fear and tension. The young girl is followed by the camera as she explores the mansion. When entering the room suspected to be that of her aunts the camera leaves her side to pan around the room. The darkness doesn’t reveal everything but one becomes aware of a search. The revelation of little secrets leaves the viewer with many questions. The room is familiar to the protagonist as she finds items symbolic to her and familiar photographs. This familiarity however does not retract from suspicions that something sinister has been hidden. The producer has successfully captivated the viewer. The protagonist is being followed throughout the scene and has thus allowed for the viewer to bond with them. They are engaging with the audience through narration and have in return enticed the viewer to follow them along their journey. One feels nervous for the young girl however through tension in the scene one does not want them to discontinue the journey as too many questions have been left unanswered. One has been drawn into the world of which the protagonist dwells and is intrigued as to how the drama is
...The supernatural is a topic that many people are interested in and by and using the technology to enhance films by adding amazing computer graphics makes it incredibly hard to dislike. The supernatural is able to transform in many ways with the technology society had today, if the public does not like what they see they easily change it to the audiences liking. The ability technology has to transform the supernatural into what the audience wants is how they keep drawing in individuals to the supernatural.
1. When watchers experience a horror movie they are usually in a theater or the comfort of their own homes. Although the killings can be a bit frightening the viewer’s know that that what they are seeing is not at all real.
People flock to horror movies each year. Usually to be scared. Another is to solve the question of Who done it? Unfortunately, a lot of these horror movies fail to scare people or make the killer so obvious the audience gets bored. Occasionally, there are a few horror movies that stick out. Scream, directed by Wes Craven, is one of them. Wes Craven is always toying with the viewer's fears. Always finding ways to scare the audience at every turn. He also plays with the viewer's head, and has them second guessing themselves. How does he do it? Well, as one of the characters in the movie exclaims, "There's a formula to it. A very simple formula. Everybody's a suspect!" This paper will discuss how Craven uses sound, camera shots, and mise en scene
Almost everyone has a favorite genre of film, but how everyone defines their favorite genre can differ greatly. Horror is one of the genres where its definition can be perceived differently by many people. Like all other genres, horror does have rules and traditions that must be included in order for a film to be considered a horror film. These rules and traditions include a protagonist, an antagonist, an escape or escape attempt of some sort, and very influential audio and visual effects.
Would you rather be horrified beyond repair or thrilled to the point of no return? In horror, the main purpose is to invoke fear and dread into the audience in the most unrealistic way. Horror movies involve supernatural entities such as ghosts, vampires, teleportation, and being completely immortal. As thriller films are grounded in realism and involve more suspense, mystery, and a sense of panic. Though both genres will frighten the audience, it will happen in two different ways. Whether the horror thrills or the thriller horrifies, a scare is always incorporated.
Some of these qualities of the movie are quite charming; like the period hairstyles, or the style of the roleplaying and standards by Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston to play the Perron parents. Other claims of truthiness, though, are way less enjoyable. There are, of course, actual photos and the newspaper clippings that play over the end credits. And then, at the other side of the film, before we even get to our so called haunted house, we have scenes of the Warren’s (ghost hunters or demonic explorers) working other cases, and answering questions to interested humans in lecture halls to answer their ...