Research of trailers

When researching existing horror film trailers I came across the trailer for the 2010 film 'Let me in'. I used this trailer to take ideas, inspiration and identify common themes of horror film trailers to help me with my work.



A common theme which has been used in this trailer is the use of close ups. It has been used to make things intense and to make the audience feel uncomfortable. It also introduces the audience to the characters which makes the audience feel closer to them.

Another common theme I have picked up on is the use of tense music at the beginning of the clip. This techinque has been used in other horror film trailers I have looked at such as 'the exorist'. This introduces the audience to the genre of the film straight away and makes them question 'what is going to happen?' 'what is going to appear?' 'will something jump out?'. It instantly makes the audience scared and worried which is the point.

Quick paced editing has been used to show the intesity of the action and to give them an idea of the characters thought process.It will make the audience feel as if they are experiencing what the characters are too. It also makes the events seem 'scarier' than they actually are.

Things such as a dark tunnel has been shown because it looks creepy and it is obvious something is going to happen. It brings a sense of mystery and makes the audience question what will happen next.

Sound effects such as whispering have been used because it also makes it mysterious and it will make the audience feel 'on edge' because it is quite scary.

Another aspect which I have noticed has been used in other horror film trailers is the use of a blank black screen. This makes the trailer scarier because you can only hear not see. It makes the audience unsure and scared and this is how the characters are likely to be feeling too. The characters in the film will be filled with confusion and by showing the audience a blank screen it portrays these feelings to the audience too so we will be feeling the same as the characters. It makes the audience feel 'in the dark' like the characters. It also signals to the audience that something will happen soon.