Trailer Analysis - The Devil Inside

I have chosen to analyse the devil inside trailer since many of our inspirations came from the movie. The techniques and elements used in this trailer make it effective in a way in which it draws in the audience and makes them want to watch the movie.

The trailer starts off with straps and an over voice of a police phone call, automatically this connotes that something bad is going to occur. From the start of the trailer, codes and conventions of the horror genre are triggered so that signals to the audience that it is a horror movie and carries on throughout the trailer. We can firstly say that the over voice of Maria taking on the phone and says “I Killed Them”, triggering the fact that someone has died, terrifies the audience and hints to them it’s a horror movie. Ranges of iconography appear within this trailer such as crosses, freaky drawing, deep scars, demonic symbols and religious aspects. The Mise-en-scene of horror tend to be located in dark, dull area’s which symbolizes fear since we cannot see what happens in the dark and throughout this trailer we see this type of locations such as the underground possessed scene and where the exorcism of Maria happens. We have a range of characters such as the antagonist that is the typical final girl, brunette hair and seems rather intelligent by the way she is dressed and the way she is presented. The protagonist looking rough and like she’s not in this world, by the way she is presented it tells us that she is possessed. A priest is usually a sign that tells the target audience that something demonic is happening and so it’s a supernatural movie.  The technical sides to this trailer which have been added such as the big bangs, the eerie music, the dark dim lighting effects and the sharp cuts all indicate to the audience that it is a horror. All these features make sure it appeals to the target audience by repeating the codes and conventions from other horror movies as for they would expect to see elements which give them frights and thrills.

Horror movies usually do not use well known characters in supernatural horror movies, this is because it will kill the vibe that the movie is real and then it fails to scare the target audience. This trailer did not include any writers, directors or actors to lure the characters in but instead they used effective straps that caused the target audience to go and watch it. Saying things like “No soul is safe” and “Coming Soon” makes the target audience really anxious to go and see it when it comes out. When the straps appear, they tend to have a skin like colour which links with Maria’s arms and scars of crosses which is seen in the trailer. By using this effect, it contrasts well with the dark lighting of the trailer and also makes it clear for the straps to be read as it is slightly lighter. The first strap appears at the beginning of this movie but it has been disguised in a way in which it has been copied from a police computer. The straps that relate to the narrative starts towards the end of the trailer, this is done so it shows the audience the whole narrative and gets them more excited to know when it is coming out. Even though they are not so detailed, the little small sentences like “no soul is safe” has words that strike out and terrify the audience by what it is revealing. The word SAFE is usually a word comforts us; the added NO gives us the hint that we should feel vulnerable and worried that it could happen to us.

The narrative which is used in this trailer follows the typical conventional process. Starting off with the equilibrium where the emergency call happens, this scene hints to us that already something bad has occurred and sets the mood that there is a quick disruption. The disruption is then explained by the protagonist explaining the story to a couple of religious people and other sources that could help us understand the plot of the story.  To make us realise who Isabella is talking about and to hint to us who the antagonist is, we see flashbacks of news reports and pictures that leads us on the path to know it is a supernatural movie that involves exorcisms. The story is then being explained when we see Isabella strolling through Rome looking for a mental home, clearly this indicates to the audience that she is looking for her mother. Reaching the metal home we see Isabella walking with the doctor and he explains to Isabella that her mother is still not 100% stable and mentions to her that there is a panic button on the wall IF anything was to happen. This automatically triggers the audience to feel uncomfortable and think that she is in a small room, with only her mother and no one is there to help, a way in which she is trapped. We see the same person in the pictures from the flashback that indicates that Isabella is with the antagonist, her mother, Maria. She looks very disturbed and she is focusing on something in the corner of the room, making the audience think that there is something in the room with them. Maria then tells Isabella to come closer to her, and screams right in her face. This is where the audience are told that there is a disturbance happening. Isabella then goes to find help by watching real exorcisms to help her mother get healed. We are then shown an underground basement setting of a young female that is possessed. Having the young female looking disorientated makes a link back with Maria since she had the same facial features and reactions to things. Once we see this, the narrative then speeds up as the repair of healing her mother is shown. We she shots of Maria getting treated scientifically and religiously through an exorcism, by having this feature it makes the audience more anxious and intrigued to go see the movie, the sounds added and the fast montage also adds effects and signals to us that something wrong is going to happen. So that the whole narrative isn’t given a way, we see a small amount of the repair which leaves the audience on edge since they don’t know what is going to happen, we see shots of Maria going crazy and the priest getting affected by the exorcism that is happening which keeps the audience on edge. The narrative is then slowed back down, gone quiet to leave us thinking that is the end, then a short outbreak which is known as a sting is added to give the audience a quick fight and leaves them wanting to watch the movie.

Throughout the trailer, we experience a range of Mise-en-scenes and settings which of course play a big role on the horror codes and conventions. One of the main feature and element that runs through this trailer is the religious theme. From the beginning of the trailer we see a range of cross’, priests and one of the biggest churches in Rome. The typical settings that appear are narrow, small, claustrophobic rooms that are very dark and old fashioned with bricked walls. They are either very light such as the hospital to reflect the mood and atmosphere of the trailer. Majority of the scenes are dark and have that dirty look to it which adds more of a horror effect to the movie, by using plain, dull colours, it just enhances that fearful look. The setting of this movie is done in the winter season which just adds more of an effect since everyone will want to warm up in dark colours, the day gets shorter and the night comes around quicker. Reflecting this element to the rest of the movie affects the audience as for it said it will be realised in January where the days would still be dark and dim leaving them scared after they watch the movie. The body language which has been used in this trailer varies throughout the trailer. The antagonist has a stunned look which gives us the hint that she is gazing at something which we cannot see, this leads to us thinking she communicating to the demonic possession. Her body language gives us the hint that she wants to be left alone and seems lifeless since she is all to herself, it’s like she has given up on life and she doesn’t want anyone to contact her. The antagonists costume is old fashioned, dull, long gown with a dark blue cardigan added on top. It looks like she has been wearing it for quite a while, this creates an edgy look and makes her look tacky, this amplifies the idea that something is wrong with her because a normal person would tend to take care of themselves. Her hair is big, messy and plain which again represents a metal “look”, generally known that big, untamed hair is a sign of a careless person. The makeup that has been used for the antagonist is very light but they have added dark circles, a light ghostly face and deep lined wrinkles this adds more of a disoriented look. Added scars in signs off crosses that have been added on the antagonists which is quite ironic since she is the possessed one. The protagonist has been given the role of confidence which is presented in the way she is dressed, the way she acts and the way she reacts to her mother’s condition. Isabella wears smart clothing especially shirts to the extent were it looks slightly masculine but has a fitted look to show off her femininity.  Her hair is plain black, slightly wavy, down but pushed of her face to show off her natural beauty since she doesn’t wear much makeup. Her character follows the generally codes and conventions for the protagonist which is known as the “Final Girl”. Isabella’s body language is presented in a way which shows us she is not afraid to face an exorcism and she will go through anything to get her mother healed.  She goes out in the ordinary and witnesses wild and horrific things like the young girl cracking her bones which is a sign of bravery. Elements like the hospital operation room, the church, the disoriented possessed young girl, the haunting pictures all add effect to create a horror mood. All these elements used boosts the audiences fear as there are a lot of codes and conventions used and followed in the supernatural sub genre which creates an understanding.   It creates the mood of fear since we don’t know if we could be next since innocent people are getting harmed from one mother.

Camera shots, movements and angles have been used effectively in this trailer to enhance the meaning of the scene and narrative of the trailer. It firstly starts off with a shot of Maria at a medium close up that cuts between all the people who she is communicating with. This is done to show the audience, who is involved, who is the main person and who will be helping Isabella out. Cuts are used to connect the scenes together at a fast pace. This type of camera shot and movement runs thought out the trailer to enhance a feature or a scene and so it causes the audience to focus on what is going on. We have a picture of Maria which is then zoomed into her face but mainly her eyes draw us attention, again this is a way to show that she is dark and has some type of evilness in her even when she looked “normal”. An establishing zoom out shot of a very big church in Rome just exaggerates the religious theme that runs through the trailer tells us where Isabella is going to see her mother and where the exorcism is going to take place. The way in which the camera moves about makes it easier for the target audience to understand what is going on because it moves in a way in which its telling a story itself by the editing and motion of the camera like the tracking or quick fades and cuts. We are then faced with a back medium long shot where Isabella and the doctor are talking, straight in the middle we see the cross which again shows the religious theme of this movie. It tells us that this is an area in which the power of Christ is needed. This shot is used to show us the setting and location of where Maria is. Over the shoulder shots are used to show us that Maria and Isabella are talking and show us that they are communicating in a way which is very awkward since they are not that close to each other, this tells us that Isabella is scared but still brave to be right in front of her. When Isabella walks into the room, a high angle shot is used and a black and white effect is added, a high angle shot is used to make the audience feel like someone is watching them and after we see a shot of Maria looking up, this hints to us that a demonic person is with us in the room creating a haunting feeling.  We see close-ups of the scars on Marias arm and lips which just shoes us more detail of what they are, from far we would think it was drawings but then we realise it was scars. The close-up of her face shows us the drained outlook, her discoloured skin.  These are all repeated constantly through the trailer to create a link and a constant flow.  Towards the end of the trailer the camera cuts and movements speed up as the montage and the storyline of the trailer gets faster and more intense. A long shot is used effectively to show us the disoriented young girl in the position that she is in, we see every part of her features and body and the way it is shaped, this shot shows us a bit of the room and the bed that she is on, it explains to us that she is in a bad condition in a shadowy place.  Extreme close-ups are again used on Maria’s eyeball and face to show us how badly affected she is and how drained she looks from this whole possession during the exorcism. We then quickly cut to a low angle shot looking up at Maria when she floats, this is to show us how high she actually went up and gives us the impression that this demonic possession is really strong which sends fear to the audience. Flashes of shots are then used to create a memorable part that doesn’t give away a lot of the scene. Time-lapse is a really creative effect to show how time passes by, we see an establishing shot that uses a time lapse at night to show how long this exorcism is. It adds more tension to the scene and of course to the audience. Shaky camera and hand held point of view shots are used to create the mood that we are with them in that scene which just makes the audience feel part of the scene and keeps them on edge. The final camera shot is in black and white  with a night vision look which then we see a possessed female girl coming at us and shocks the audience, it happens in a real quick shot which leaves us scared and anxious to go watch this movie.

Non diegetic sound plays one of the biggest parts in any horror movie scene. Non diegetic sounds always improvises any trailer and the action that is happening at that certain time. The non diegetic sound starts after the phone call with the police after a “bam” of sound. Slow piano music is used at first underneath the diegetic sound of the character Isabella talking. It suddenly stops and a fuzz sound comes along when the image of Maria is on screen. It then goes quiet again with a real low piano music in the background where again Isabella is describing the situation of what she has to do and what she is going to do. At the moment the pace of the non diegetic sound is very slow and quiet since no action is going on. It slowly picks up tempo as she is talking to the doctor when they are walking down the hall way. Eerie sounds gets louder as an important diegetic sound is said by the doctor “there is a panic button on the wall” this is a way to complement the scene and to enhance the tension. Non diegetic sounds then goes silent when Isabella and Maria talk for the first time, Maria then repeats “connect the cuts” several times then shows Isabella the scars this is done so we can focus on what is going on, it makes us think nothing is going to happen but then Maria tells Isabella to come closer, looking really innocent and loving then comes out with a really effective scream that will shock the audience since it was all sudden. The next shot begins and action music occurs whilst the helper is telling Isabella how to help her mother, it gets faster as the story line builds up which again makes it more intriguing and effective. Whenever a scary scene appears or before we hear like a suck in of an eerie sounds which makes a boring scene efficient. At the exorcism of the young girl the sound on scene (diegetic) is enhanced when the girl cracks her bones, this sends shivers to the audience. The non diegetic sound then again stops whilst the priest is explaining that it is a mix between science and religion. Maria then says “Isabella” which is her daughter’s name in a way in which sounds quite demonic, Isabella then says “she said my name” which of course freaks the audience out, then a stab of sound appears of bangs and eerie music appears and this is when Maria is lifted of the bed and screams her heart out as if the demon is trying to come out of her. At this stage of the trailer, the non diegetic sounds spends up due to the fact that the scenes is getting more intense and more terrifying. It all goes quiet and a heartbeat starts beeping, this reflects the audience heartbeat since it mentally effects then and so their hearts start to race. A sudden outburst of Maria screaming scares the audience as for it comes out the random when the priest is talking quietly and this point the non diegetic eerie sound lowers down but is still at a fast tempo. Contrapuntal sounds then starts as diegetic music which Maria starts to sing, this is something that Isabella could relate to, as for it could be a song that Maria used to sing to Isabella, this highlights the scene well and effects the audience well as for that nursery rhyme is common and known to them. The nursery rhyme then continues as horrific scenes happen and her voice gets more echoed out. Again non diegetic sound is then enhanced as a stab of action happens; it reflects what’s going on in the scene. All the action and tension is built up from all this music and dialogue then again it goes silent for the last time. At this point Isabella says to her mother “let my mother go”, Maria then replies saying “you’ll burn” in a deep demonic voice which tells the audience that it’s there with them. A stab of bangs and eerie music once again pops up and then a loop of music that started off at the beginning is then repeated with Maria saying connect the cuts when her cuts appear in the straps. This overall gives an understanding to the audience that the silent scenes are where something intense and important is going to happen, it puts the audience in a comfort zone then shocks then with the unexpected stab of sound which excites them. This makes the trailer very successful.

The way in which the style and speed of editing is used builds tension and excitement to the audience is by connecting correctly to what is on the screen at the particular moment. The use of quick cuts, short stabbing sounds and the fades to black adds tension which causes the audience to be on edge. The speed of editing starts of really slow and basic which doesn’t scare us. As the trailer goes on the editing gets faster and picks up the pace so that if reflects what’s going on in the scene.  To make this trailer feel more dark and demonic, they add fade to blacks at the scenes where we see the disorientated girl. This is done to make the audience want to see more and also make a smooth transaction.  At the part where the exorcism is happening, Maria rises and bends back to show that the demonic possession inside of her is taking over her body, we then see quick cuts that show us different point of views of Maria’s body and also the flashes of how quick they are allows us to see what is happening but for a real short period of time, this causes the audience to be interested in what is going on, it builds up anticipation as for they want to see the rest because not so much is given away. The speed of the editing flows well with the narrative of the movie which is a conventional process of the trailer. At the end of the movie, it all goes calm and quiet so that the audience think it is the end of the trailer and then they add a sting. A sting is sudden scene of excruciating drama and terror. By having this, it will make the audience feel they are safe but then surprise the sting. This will cause them to be interested in what is going on and would want to go and watch the movie.

The representation of this horror trailer follows the general codes and conventions of horror representations.  Supernatural movies always tend to have either a demonic young child or an older woman as the one who is possessed by a demon. This is a way of telling the audience that women and children and weak and is easier to take control as they have weaker minds. However, Isabella has been presented in a way where she is confident and is outgoing to go help her mother. We see this when she goes to her mother’s room after the doctor telling her to take precaution since her mother isn’t mentally stable yet.  Also the part where she is taken to see the real exorcism to get a better understanding of what happens, shows us that she isn’t scared of what is coming at her, this will mentally make the female audience feel braver than they already are as they get inspired to gain confidence. This flips the role against her mother but also follows the final girl conventions. The man of this trailer are presented in a way to be one with the church and priests that are strongly religious this is a way of telling the audience that in no way or form can they get annoyed because God will be protecting them. This makes them look much stronger than the girls that are presented in this movie. We also see the other men that are the ones that are educated in the possessions and know how to get rid of them. This makes the males look more dominating and stronger than the females as they seem fearless. Since Isabella is younger, it gives the representation of youth seem that the younger generation are not afraid to take risks and be rebellious which matches the general 21^st century teenage girls and boys. This trailer represents the biggest fear which this generation fears the most, “the unknown”. This is portrayed by Isabella going to find out how to heal her mother and she puts her faith in religion and science which is something the younger audience would do.

Overall, this trailer is successful as for they use a range of camera shots, sounds, special effects and cuts. Usually it’s the non diegetic sounds that add the most tension and this trailer applies it well across the whole trailer. It lures the target audience in by not giving away too much of the story narrative but gives them the most graphical scene. This automatically triggers in the audience’s brains that if the trailer is this scary, then the movie has to be much better. I for one find this trailer highly interesting and attention grabbing by the way it has been set out, the narrative starts of slow but it gets straight to the point without dragging out.  The inspirations that I would consider discussing with my group is they way of how the narrative is represented and also the effective heartbeat non diegetic sound that is used to build tension.