2nd Personal Film Review- Insidious

FILM TITLE: Insidious
YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 2010
GENRE/GENRES: Supernatural Horror
DIRECTOR: James Wan

Brief Plot Outline
The film begins with the Lambert family happily enjoying their new house and making it into a home. The family consists of Renai, Josh, Dalton, Foster and Cali.  While the eldest son Dalton is exploring the attic, he slips and falls from a ladder. The next morning, it is believed that he has fallen into a coma but the doctor says that he has never seen anything like it and can’t explain what has happened to the child. Three months later, Dalton has not reacted to any treatment and so he is taken home. The return of Dalton seems to cause supernatural activity around the house, terrifying the mother Renai. After she is attacked by some kind of paranormal being, she pleads to her husband that they move house and he agrees. However, at the new house these events still occur and the family still seem to be haunted. Josh’s mother reveals that she knows of someone who can help and so they decide to call paranormal investigators. The paranormal investigator called Elise searches around the house and comes to the conclusion that it is not the house that it haunted, it is the boy. She believes that his spirit has entered another world called ‘the Further’ and is lost and can’t find his way home and a number of entities are trying to steal Dalton’s body so that they can live again. At first, Josh dismisses this and sends the investigators away but soon realises he needs to save his son. Josh’s mother reveals that when Josh was a child, he experienced the same thing and visited the other world himself. Elise helped Josh at this time and so knows how to deal with it, and says the only way for Dalton to be saved is for Josh to enter the other world and bring him back. Josh does this with success but it is implied at the end that Josh was possessed by an entity while he was away from his body. The film fits Todorov’s narrative theory right up until the end, where it merges the new equilibrium of the restored happy family with another possible disruption.

Which two scenes impressed you the most? Why?

The scene which impressed me the most was when one of the paranormal investigators was taking pictures of where he thought an entity was and it was shot from the point of view of the camera so as he was taking each image which was a different colour. The screen would turn black to show the shutter effect and on one of the photographs he captured and there was an entity in the background. I really liked this scene because the build-up that was created when he was taking the pictures was very intense and I found that I was on the edge of my seat waiting for something to happen. Also, I really liked the fact that we were restricted to the point of view of the camera which adds tension and suspense to the scene as well as making us feel a part of the experience.
     Another scene which impressed me was when Elise was communicating with the other world and was talking to Dalton, and the demon possessed the boy and started attacking the characters. While this was happening, there was strobe lighting being created from the cameras around the room which added to the panic within the scene. I particularly enjoyed this scene because it was so unexpected and it felt like you were there in the room with the characters. I really liked how the scene was filmed and how they used fast paced editing to create the manic mood. It was filmed so well that even though it was mostly an action sequence, the tension and suspense was still present as we have no idea or indication as to what will happen next.

How has watching this film helped you understand this genre of filmmaking? Which features on the genre checklist did you spot in the film? When? How?
Watching this film has helped me to understand the making of horror films because it has shown me how important editing is in this genre, and how you need to use tense music and sound effects in order to create fear. You also need collision cutting to make the audience jump. Almost every single jump scare has a loud, dramatic sound effect edited into the scene which makes you jump more than a poorly edited scene would. I have realised that if I wanted to make my horror film a film with jump-scares in; I would have to be very careful but successful with editing otherwise it will not have the same effect.
     While watching this film, I noticed a number of the features from the genre checklist that were included. The characters were not the typical expectations and the only one that was obvious was the male hero, which would be the father as he saves his family from the entities. However, with a supernatural horror you don’t need the characters to fit the expectations in order for the film to work because that isn’t what the focus is on.
     The film was set in an enclosed creepy location which fits the mise-en-scene conventions. The house that the family moved into was an old, Victorian-style suburban house and had a creepy and mysterious mood to it. When Josh was in the other world, the house was filled with smoke and different lighting which made it seem more enclosed and creepy.

     Throughout the film, low key lighting was definitely a feature and not many ceiling lights were used. More often than not, the only light source was the lamps placed around the house. This created a very mysterious mood in the house which not only made the atmosphere more intense, but created a sinister mood compared to if it was well lit.
     The music used in this film was parallel and fit with the genre. An example of this was in the opening credits. While the camera was panning around the house and establishing the setting, chilling music was playing which foreshadows that the unnerving events occur in this house.
     Quick montage sequences were used when the entities attacked the characters in the scene after Elise was communicating with the other world and made the scene more powerful and gripping. It makes the audience feel like part of the experience in the sense that you can’t quite piece together everything that is happening because so much is going on.
     When Josh was walking into the other world, a slow montage was used and the scene was slowed down as well as being edited together with the sound of a heartbeat which resulted in an anticipating and tense scene which was the beginning of Josh’s journey to find his son.
     Collision cutting was used quite a lot in this film and was used extremely effectively. All of the jump scares were effective due to the fact that they went so drastically from quiet to loud. The loud, dramatic, deep sounds were added to the surprise of seeing something appear in the room to create a very shocking jump scare. An example of effective collision cutting in this film is when Renai could hear a whisper from the baby monitor and all of a sudden the voice shouted and shrieked which was followed by a theatrical loud sound effect.
     Close ups were frequently used to portray the emotion of the characters and how they were feeling about the different events in the film. My personal favourite close up is when the father is attempting to travel to the other world and the camera is close to his face and you can see how focused and determined he is to find and save his son which to me was a very powerful moment in the film. It also showed the connection between the father and son and also showed how Josh was determined to stop the entities as he had experienced similar events in his childhood.
     Expressionist angles were used to show power between the characters in this film. My favourite example of this was when Elise was looking at the demon on the ceiling and describing it to her colleague. The camera angle was a high angle and it implied that the demon had substantial power over Elise because there was little she could do to stop him from possessing the child.

     The main theme of this film was the threat to self and family, which was shown by the fact that the rare ability to travel to other worlds had become a danger to the family involved. This not only puts the travellers themselves at risk but also puts the family in the firing line of the entities.
     The ending to this film was both unhappy and open, because Elise was killed by the presumably possessed Josh and Renai found the camera and saw the evidence of this. A hand was then placed on her shoulder and the voice of Josh is heard before Renai turns and gasps. This leaves room for a sequel to be made, which it was three years later, but also is an unhappy ending.
     The only conventional ideology that was used in this film was sadism because the demon that was trying to possess Dalton wanted to be alive for one reason only which was to cause pain and harm to others.

Which aspects of the film would you like to INCLUDE in your own trailer? Why?
Aspects of the film that I would like to include in my trailer are the jump scares because they were so dominant in this film and every single one made me jump and I found that this impressed me. I would like to use this in my trailer because I feel that collision cutting is the most effective technique to create jump scares and I enjoy the tension and trying to anticipate what is going to happen.

Which aspects of the film would you like to AVOID in your own trailer? Why?
I feel like this film went a little off track with the ‘other world’ storyline and I started to lose interest as I thought it was a bit unrealistic. I would like to keep the storyline more unique, original and unexpected. I don’t want to get carried away with the events of what will happen in my horror trailer and I’d like to avoid clichés.

What was the best aspect/more enjoyable moment in the film? Why? Can you recreate this in your own film? How?

The best aspect of Insidious in my opinion was the jump scares, and I felt that they were extremely effective. This was achieved by collision cutting which I feel is the most suitable and effective way to scare the audience. This would be easy to recreate in my own horror film trailer as long as I edit loud sound effects on top of the jump scare following silence. I know I’ll have to make sure I timed everything perfectly so that it works well.

How does the film show the influence of its “auteur” director? How does it show the director’s filmmaking style and soul? Give examples of three scenes from the movie which show their auteur style.
Insidious shows the influence of James Wan by using his well-known filmmaking style of anticipation and suspense. By looking at his other well-known films such as The Conjuring, Saw, and Dead Silence it is clear that he is a “stylist” when it comes to jump scares. He loves to create tension and build up to a moment where something pops out and scares the audience. This is proven many times in Insidious but my favourite one was when Renai hears the voice whispering through the baby monitor but then all of a sudden shouts.
     James Wan has a known trademark for old style dolls. This is clear in his other films The Conjuring which includes the creepy doll ‘Annabelle’ (now made into a 2014 film with the same name) and is most clear in his 2007 film Dead Silence which is about killer ventriloquist dolls. He does not play too much on this trademark in Insidious but he hints at it with the scene with the rocking horse moving by itself.
     When James was 14 years old, his father passed away and so he didn’t exactly have the happiest childhood. This is shown through his horror films because in many of them, children are victimised and traumatized by the events in the films and his trademark of dolls is also related to childhood and by making them terrifying, he has made a negative from a positive. An example of his childhood trauma in Insidious is the scene where Renai hears her toddler crying when Josh is investigating a strange noise, and when she goes into the nursery she sees a terrifying figure standing by the crib. This indicates that the baby has been traumatized by the entity, and also the narrative centres around a young boy who is in grave danger and at risk of being possessed by demons.
     Overall I would say that James Wan has definitely used his auteur style of filmmaking and has put elements of his soul into the film.

1st Personal Film Review- The Conjuring

FILM TITLE: The Conjuring
YEAR OF PRODUCTION: 2013
GENRE/GENRES: Supernatural Horror
DIRECTOR: James Wan

Brief Plot Outline
Set in 1951, this horror film is based on true events involving paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. A family made of the mother, father and their five daughters move into a worn down farmhouse. To begin with, everything seems to be going smoothly but paranormal events follow that cause panic within the household leading them to request the help of the paranormal investigators (The Warrens). The family and the investigators learn the history of the house and the secrets lying in the past and the female investigator notices links to a previous case which terrified her. The mother is soon possessed by the spirit witch that used to own the house (Bathsheba). After putting her own children’s lives in danger, the investigators decide they need to perform an exorcism. Eventually the mother fights off the spirit with memories of her family and Bathsheba is removed.

Which two scenes impressed you the most? Why?
The scene that most impressed me was when the characters were experiencing a few problems with the house but nothing that seriously alarmed them. In the daytime the children asked their mother to play hide and clap, but later that night, the mother hears clapping and thinking it is the children, goes to see if they are in bed and they all are asleep. She goes looking in the dark basement and a pair of ghostly hands appears beside her head and clap together. What I loved most about this scene was the tension that built up while the mother was looking. Every so often you would hear hands clap together and you would feel part of the scene. When the claps appear beside her and clap, it is terrifying and one of the jump scare moments in a horror film. What I found impressive was how nothing but the forearms and hands were in the light, so you had no idea who they belonged to. I also thought it was very effective that point of view shots were used here to add to our feeling of being there in the moment with her.

Another scene which impressed me was when the Warrens walked out of the house to take a moment outside, and you hear a slight creaking sound disturbing the silence and as Lorraine turns around to look at Ed, she sees the bottom half of a dead body wearing a dress that seems to be hanging from a tree. Ed does not notice this, and what impressed me about this scene was that the legs were not always in the shot and we could not always see them, which makes the viewer confused as to whether they are actually there or if Lorraine was imaging them. The point of view shots were important in these scene because it leaves us wondering whether or not we can believe what she is seeing. That is what I love in horror films; being confused and not knowing for sure what is happening.

How has watching this film helped you understand this genre of filmmaking? Which features on the genre checklist did you spot in the film? When? How?

Watching this film has helped me to understand that there is more to making a horror film than you would initially think. I already knew how hard it is to scare people, but I didn't realise that horror films aren’t just about scaring people with jumps, you have to think into the storyline and the characters and link them to the viewers. One technique is to make the villain seem human so that they then get more scared by what could realistically happen. Also, researching paranormal events before making a paranormal horror film seems like a great idea because not only will you gain ideas for the storyline, but you can scare people by saying ‘based on true events’ which always adds to the spookiness. In this film, they actually included images from the case this story was based on which proves that it did actually happen.
While watching this film, I noticed many things from the checklist which proves that this film conforms well to the horror film conventions. The ‘serial/psycho killer’ was the spirit of Bathsheba in this case but she was not necessarily a serial killer, the male hero would be Ed Warren (the male paranormal investigator), and the female survivor (final girl) would be the mother because she dealt with the terrible events and survived by fighting off the spirit. This film did not require the slow and fast monsters or female victim because it was much more of a psychological film than an action. There were aspects of body horror in this film like when the mother was strapped down underneath the sheet and was spitting blood, but not too much.
     The film was set in an enclosed creepy location, which is what is expected of a horror film and the fact that the house is old makes it even creepier. Low key lighting was used a lot in this film to show the difference between good and evil, as well as to create tension of being in the dark and not knowing what is happening. The music used in this film was always parallel to the film and fit in with the creepy, haunted location and was never out of place. 

For example, one of the paranormal investigators finds an old music box and opens it. Usually, this music would seem contrapuntal to a horror film but with the horror films being produced in modern society, this tune has become something to fear and the audience find it chilling. The editing in this movie was the same as in any horror; there was quick, fast paced sequences when the characters were panicking or moving around quickly, and there would also be slow editing when we were following the characters walking around the house, searching for the mysterious noise etc.   Collision cutting was used quite a bit in this film, as it is in other horror films, and was used to create jump scares and create tension. For example, one of my favourite jump scares was when the girls were looking at the wardrobe and silence filled the room when all of a sudden something flew from the top of the wardrobe into the room and screams filled the silence. The camera angles that were used in this film were effective and relevant to the content of the scene. Close ups are used the most in this film to show emotion on the character’s faces and how they are affected by the events. A powerful close up was when the investigators were talking by a tree and a dead body was suddenly hanging beside the man’s head. 

Expressionist angles are used to show authority between the characters, for example the angle on the two paranormal investigators switches between high and low various times throughout the film which shows that they are powerful in some situations but they have their weaknesses and vulnerability. The main theme used in this film is the threat to yourself and others. The mother is in danger due to the spirit and then her children are put in danger because of this, which makes up the main theme of the movie. The ending to this film is quite open in my opinion because the camera zooms in on a music box moving round and when it is at the closest it gets, the music stops and instantly after it stops the screen goes black and there is a loud sound. This to me seems like they are setting up for the music box being relevant in case a sequel is made.

Which aspects of the film would you like to INCLUDE in your own trailer? Why?
Aspects of The Conjuring which I would like to use in my own horror trailer are mainly to do with how it scares the audience. I definitely intend to use collision cutting in my trailer as I feel like this is the best way to cause jump scares, as well as fast paced sequences when the action is happening. I would also like to use a similar cinematography to this film and would like to use close ups and expressionist angles as I feel this is the best way to portray emotion. Also, the dark mise-en-scene in this trailer is perfect in my opinion and I would like to use this in my horror film trailer. In addition to taking aspects from how the film was shot and edited, I would like to use similar context ideas and a similar storyline to this film. I am really interested and intrigued by the idea of basing my film on a true story, and also I most enjoy supernatural horror films that confuse the mind slightly like this film does, and so would like to use elements of this in my trailer.

Which aspects of the film would you like to AVOID in your own trailer? Why?
One aspect I noticed while watching this film was the underwhelming use of ideologies. They don’t seem to be very obvious in this film and I would like to make my trailer more shocking and have strong themes and ideas as opposed to being solely about one particular theme. Something else I would like to avoid is how many characters there are. In The Conjuring, the family contains seven people which in my opinion is too many. On top of the family, you have the two investigators and the spirit which makes ten characters. Though some of them are not main characters, I noticed that I didn't connect as much with the minor characters and found that I didn't really recognise them individually and so wasn't too bothered about who lived and who died. I would like to avoid this in my film and make sure that the characters are all relevant and will all be remembered.

What was the best aspect/more enjoyable moment in the film? Why? Can you recreate this in your own film? How?
For me, the most enjoyable moments in the film were the mysterious events happening around the house that would build up tension, and I liked them because I felt like I was in the moment and I was experiencing similar feelings as the characters would be. I also like the use of point of view and handheld shots by James Wan because it helped to connect me to the film and made me feel as though I was there. I did enjoy what happened when they all knew what was going on but I most enjoyed the lead up to it. I feel that I would easily be able to recreate this in my own film because tension is something that is easily created using slow editing and no sound, and can be made into a jump scare easily using collision cutting. These are the most iconic conventions of the horror genre and so it would fit perfectly in my horror trailer.

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