Trailer Analyis-The Devil Inside

The genre of the movie can be established at the start of the trailer when a 911 call is heard. We hear ‘three people are dead’ followed by ‘I killed them’ which indicates that this trailer is promoting a horror movie. The trailer then goes on to tell the narrative of the movie, and we soon find out that there is exorcism involved in this movie, which then gives us a hint that this movie is based around supernatural forces and possessions. There are multiple shots of priests and fathers that we see, which indicates a religious element to the movie, which adds to the supernatural sub genre, and are typical within exorcism based movies. A pan establishing shot is then shown of a city like area, and a large church is in sight of this shot, which again is a typical location for this sub genre. As the trailer moves on, we begin to see iconography of a possession movie, such as crucifixes. We see one on the door and then we see them carved all over the antagonists arm. This shows that this supernatural movie is based around a religious theme and there is a force of evil going against these religious views, because the crucifixes are upside down.

The narrative of the trailer is conventional for most other trailers because it starts as an equilibrium and then it is disrupted. The trailer begins with a 911 emergency call which sets the mood and atmosphere of the trailer, and we discover that three people have been killed which indicates the horror genre. The trailer then goes on to show the main character, Isabella, explaining the circumstances of her mother and she is trying to get help. In this explanation we soon realise that her mother killed people during an exorcism which shows the audience that this movie is a supernatural movie and involved demonic forces. Whilst Isabella is telling the story, we see flashes of a news report to do with the murders, and a picture of the mother, and we now know who the antagonist is. The trailer goes on to explain that the mother is in a mental hospital in Rome which explain to us why she has travelled to Rome, and indicates that she is attempting to save her mother. We then get a hint to what may happen during the movie when she says “is it in my genes? Am I going to flip out one day?” The trailer has now shown the reunited mother and daughter in the mental hospital, and this could be an indication as to where the disruption is going to take place. A conversation between Isabella and Maria takes place, but this shows us that her mother is very disorientated and dazed, which allows us to see that there is something not right about her. The solution to her problems then begin by her witnessing a real exorcism, and this part of the trailer includes disturbing imagery, which will encourage audiences to watch the movie because they will want to know what happens after this exorcism. During the exorcism shown, we see the girl levitate which then shows us it is obviously a supernatural based film. A fast montage then features in the trailer, based around the main exorcism on the mother. This fast montage includes the effects of characters in the film, such as the priest, who also becomes possessed, and footage during the exorcism. This fast montage gets the adrenaline of the audience pumping because it is fast, jumpy, loud and almost exciting, and will intrigue the audience to watch the whole movie. After the fast montage, a final jumpy moment is added just before the film title is shown, and this is used to calm the person watching down, and then frighten them one last time by using loud non diegetic sounds. 

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Mise en scene plays an important role within the trailer to add to the horror effect. The costume used throughout the trailer is very important in helping create a horror movie affect for the trailer. Near the start of the trailer we see a frame of a man is a priest outfit and the photo frames in the background are images of religious figures. This shows us as an audience that there is a religious element within this movie and this may appeal to people and it also hints at maybe a movie based around the fight between good and bad. As the narrative goes on, a frame of police taking a woman away in a police car is shown, which tells the audience that a crime has been committed, and this is the equilibrium being disrupted. An establishing shot of Rome Is used, which allows the audience to see the setting of the movie. Within this shot we see many church buildings, which shows us that the church and religion is going to be a big part of the movie, and horror movies that have religious imagery throughout tend to be related to exorcisms and some form of demonic force. The establishing shot of Rome is also very typical of a horror movie based around possession and religion, because in many movies, Rome is associated with demonic forces and faith. Once this establishing shot is shown, this becomes clear. As the trailer goes on, we get a shot of the main character walking through Rome, which shows us that maybe she is going to visit her mother, who is in a mental hospital. This shot shows the main character, Isabella, dressed in winter clothing, which is typical for a horror movie because weather patterns are generally dull in horror movies. This shot also shows us that Isabella is normal, and this could later contrast with Maria Rossi. We then move onto a shot of Isabella and a man dressed in a lab coat walking down a hallway. This hallway is completely white which connotes purity and innocence. This obviously contrasts to Maria, therefore it is almost as if Isabella is walking towards something that is not innocent, and could cause danger. This medium two shot, also includes a crucifix in the background, which again shows us that there is a religious element within this movie. Another shot in this sequence shows Isabella about to walk through doors, and the doors have crosses on them, which again adds to this religious imagery, but also makes us as an audience wander why this whole corridor is filled which religious antiques. Hair and costume becomes key when the trailer first introduces us to Maria Rossi. We get a medium close up of Maria, who is wearing a plain grey garment, with a blue knitted cardigan. The colour grey is very dull and basic, which also makes her look very plain and the cardigan she is wearing ages her a lot. The expression on her face is very dazed; she is looking up slightly with her mouth a bit open. The fact that she looks dazed, shows us as an audience that she is not completely there mentally, and there is something wrong with her. Her hair is scruffy and curly, which adds to her age and also makes her look more frightening for the audience. Make up has also been used to age the actress and make her seem worn out, which is something we plan to do for our horror movie trailer. Make up is also used to create upside crucifix cuts up Maria’s arm, which is extremely clever because this shows us that there is something that is against the Catholic faith that possesses this woman. A close up shot then shows Maria screaming, which then shows us that there is something wrong with her, and this show is followed by her having some form of fit. This body language shows us as an audience that something is making her act like this, and this is why the trailer is effective because it will encourage people to watch the movie. Further on in the trailer, we get a shot of a girl in a disturbing position, her body language is showing us that she is not normal, and this grotesque imagery will leave people wandering what will happen next. In this shot, she is also wearing white clothing, which is not clean, which almost shows us that she is tainted because of what possessed her, and the same applies for the bed. The background in this shot is an old brick wall, which gives the room a dull affect, and adds to the fact that this is a horror movie.

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Camera shots, angles and movement also show us a lot about the effect of the trailer. The first camera shot we get is of three men and a girl sitting round a table, and from this shot we see that the en are priests. This obviously indicates religious imagery, and gives a theme for the movie. The camera then moves on to a medium shot of a news reporter, which shows us that obviously something has happened. The next shot is a long shot of Maria looking directly at the camera through the back of the police car. This shot creates tension because she is almost looking directly at us as an audience, which will frighten the person watching. Further on in the trailer, a close up of a photograph is zoomed in to with the camera, zooming into the face of Maria, which tells us this going to be an important person in the trailer. The camera then pans over the city of Rome, with an establishing shot, which sets the scene of the movie. The fact that Rome is a very religious country and is typically always where possession movies are based also makes the effect of the trailer scary. A medium, low angle shot of Isabella is then shown, which makes her look more superior, and could also indicate that she is the main character and she I the one who will be the most dominant in the movie. Going on in the trailer, medium shot, that zooms into a close up is shown of Maria. This shot shows us the importance of her character, and allows us to realise there is something wrong with her because of many factors such as her facial expression. We then get a long, over the shoulder shot of Maria, and in this shot we see that she is looking up at something, and her eyes are following it, which shows us that she is very dazed, and there is obviously an issue here. A close up of Maria’s arm is shown, and this allows us to see crucifixes cut into her arm all over. This not only shows us that there is something wrong with her, but also this is a religious symbol, and therefore we now realise there is something wrong with her, and religion is key. A close up of Maria pulling her bottom lip down, revealing a crucifix carved into her lip is shown. This again shows religious elements, but also this shot is quite frightening for the audience, because her eyes are piercing. A close up is then shown of Isabella with her head in her hands, which shows that this has upset her. A high angle shot of Isabella and the priest going down stairs into what looks like a basement, and this shot looks like they are going into something they shouldn’t, the fact that the doorway they are walking into is pitch black also makes this look negative. The trailer goes on to a long shot of a very disorientated girl, who is in a very inhuman position with her body. This shot shows us as an audience that this girl is not normal and there is something possessing her, this is also very disturbing, which will strangle encourage people to go watch it. An extreme close up of the girl’s eye is then shown which is creepy because the pupil is really big, and she seems to be looking at something that is not there. A bird’s eye view of the girl levitating is then shown, which makes it clear that this is a supernatural horror movie and this girl has been possessed. We get an over the shoulder shot of the two priests, but the on in the background look demonic, as if he has now been possessed. This shot also shows the other priest in complete fear. A close up of the priest who has been possessed shows him with his eyes rolled back and they are red, which is slightly grotesque. A two shot of Isabella and her mother is showing that Isabella has gone face to face with her, and is trying to communicate with her, without the demon.

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The sound in the beginning of the trailer begins with a phone call between Maria and the police. This phone call consists of her admitting to her murdering three people. Her voice in this part is very creepy because she is speaking very slowly. This opening section is very affective in scaring the audience purely based on her voice. Piano music then begins to play in the background, whilst the narrative is being told by the main character Isabella. We then hear Isabella say that her mother murdered three people during an exorcism. This is what tells us it is a supernatural movie. The piano playing in the background is also very typical in a horror movie which is another indication to the horror genre. Over the top of the piano music, we get the main character explaining the current situation, as to what happened to her mother, we learn that she is potentially seeking help from an exorcist. Once Isabella mentions that her mother killed people during an exorcism, the music becomes tense, and this is the point where we realise the movie is based around exorcisms and spirits. The narrative then continues to go on, and we learn more about what the film is about. The sound goes nicely with the editing in this trailer, especially when there is a cut to the next shot. When Isabella goes to visit her mother in the hospital, eerie sounds begin to play as she is walking into the room, and then we get a slight silence. We then hear, Maria, repeatedly saying ‘connect the cuts’ which is creepy because her voice is very disorientated and quiet. We then get a small sequence of silence, except sounds of movement, which leads up to the next part which is Maria screaming. After the scream, this is where sound comes back into the trailer. During the real exorcism part, eerie music plays faintly in the background which means that something is going to happen; it helps to build tension before the moment. The sound of the girl cracking her shoulder is amplified, which is a sound that makes you cringe, therefore adds to the horror effect. The possessed girl then says ‘Isabella’ in a croaky, demonic voice, which shows the audience that demonic possession is important in the narrative. After this we get a sudden stab of sound which makes the audience jump, and gets their adrenaline pumping, and this is effective because this will encourage them to watch the movie. The music in the background then gets louder after this point, and speeds up, which matches the speed of the editing during the fast montage. The music slows down, and again we get a stab of sound, this time screaming, which makes the audience jump again, and they will continue to watch the trailer. Contrapuntal sound is then used for the rest of the trailer, where the main character is singing as nursery rhyme during the fast montage. This is an effective sound effect because it will play on the mind of the person watching. Loud eerie sounds then begin to play over the top of the nursery rhyme which is getting the audience ready for one last scare, but it goes silent, with just a bit of dialogue. After this bit of dialogue there is one last stab of sound, which just finishes off the trailer, and frightens the audience one last time, we then get the voice over of Maria saying ‘connect the cuts’ at the end, which is something that the audience will remember.

The straps used in the trailer are used to help establish some of the narrative, and to show release dates. The first strap is showing the audience when the movie will be released because it says ‘This January’. The second strap to appear is ‘between science and religion’ which is showing the audience that this is the main theme of the movie, and it is going to be about a battle between the two topics. The next strap reads ‘between hope and fear’ and this indicates that it is a horror movie, and it is playing on the emotions of the audience because they will be scared. The next strap says ‘no soul is safe’, which again will frighten the audience, and make them feel unsafe after watching the trailer. The following strap is the film title, this is just to show the audience the name of the film and therefore go and watch it, and the final strap says ‘coming soon’. The straps are not used until the end of the trailer during the fast montage, and this is because they fit in nicely to the speed of the editing and the end of the trailer is the scariest part, adding straps that make the audience feel on edge adds to the horror effect.

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The typical editing conventions of a horror movie trailer are to start off slow, just to help establish the narrative, and once the narrative has developed enough, the editing gets faster and faster, which is typical for the fast montage section of a trailer. I feel that The Devil Inside trailer is very much conventional as a horror movie trailer, because the editing matches most other trailers. The beginning of the trailer starts with a sequence of text appearing on the screen, of a phone call. The screen then cuts to a quick flash of a black and white photo of a girl that looks demonic. We then get the film producer information and then the camera fades into a shot of people sitting around a table talking. The section of the trailer has a few quick cuts from person to person, which is just showing the characters and their reactions to the story being told. The camera then cuts to an establishing shot of Rome, and but this point the narrator is talking about why she is in Rome. The editing is at a reasonable pace at this point which is just keeping the audience calm because it helps us understand the story line more. The editing is almost mirroring the narrative, its cutting and fading to each bit at the speed of the narrator. Once Isabella is with her mother, the editing is just simple cuts showing the two from different angles, but the cuts are slightly faster now, which is getting the audience ready for something to happen. As the characters begin to take action, the editing becomes faster, which again is matching watch is happening on screen. This section of the exorcism, has very quick cuts, from shot to shot, which is building up to the stab of sound, and then it fades into the first strap of the trailer. The editing towards the end of the trailer, is matching the speed of the fast montage of clips showing on screen, the trailer is using quick cuts between each clip, and every so often fading into a strap. By speeding the editing up, the trailer then picks up pace and gets the adrenaline of the audience pumping, ready for what is coming next.

Representation within the trailer is very basic; however the men seem more dominant. From the trailer, we see two women who have become possessed, which shows the women as more venerable and weak, because they are easy targets. The men within the trailer are all priests, who are showing that they are the ones trying to help, and it is typical of men in any movie to look like the ‘hero’ figure. In the trailer we see one of the priests become possessed, which show that the women are becoming more dominant, and this priest is now weak. The main character, Isabella, is showing as quite a strong woman, and she is trying to be the hero by seeking help for her mother. Considering she is watching her Mother become something that she is not, she stays strong through the whole trailer, and does not seem to get scared by this demon. Isabella at the end of the trailer when she talks directly to the demon looks very dominant, because of the camera shot.

Overall, I feel that this trailer is very effective in luring in its target audience. The sound used throughout the trailer, is the most effective element in scaring the audience because it has so many unexpected stabs of sound that makes the audience jump. I feel that the trailer encouraged me to watch the movie, so the structure of the trailer overall had a good effect.