In ‘The Orphanage’ trailer the horror film genre is captured, using an establishing shot, with the classic setting of a large gothic-style, isolated house. The lighting is used to good effects with heavy shadows, moon light and sinister shots of dark passage ways and caves which are lit only by lanterns and torches. Throughout the trailer the narrator uses a menacing tone to his voice which is backed by the screams of children and the use of snatches of dialogue printed across the screen in an ominous font. Supernatural overtones are shown and heard throughout the trailer, with windows and doors slamming, ghostly voices and haunting music. The air of menace is built further by the images of a child wearing a strange sack over its face and the distressed mother looking for her lost son. The trailer starts in a state of equilibrium with children playing and enjoying themselves but soon descends into disequilibrium with the images of the strange child and dark, foreboding shots of the passage ways and slamming doors. Rising panic from the mother and the use of searching police officers all add to the air of suspense and rising tension.
In ‘Prom Night’ once again equilibrium is set with teenagers looking forward to a graduation ball, discussing what to wear and all the excitement surrounding the event. The mood continues into the event with dancing, upbeat music and an award ceremony but menace is quickly conveyed by the iconic use of a power cut, flashing images and heartbeat, which bring distress, fear and a sense of evil. This is further heightened by the reference via dialogue to an escaped psychopath who has previously targeted students. The urgency shown by the police further heightens the sense of menace which is emphasised by the use of flashing images in the darkened hotel, panic at locked doors and a villain who is unseen, apart from his shoes. The trailer reaches its climax with a hand reaching out towards an unsuspecting victim, leaving the audience wanting to know the outcome. This trailer is much less sophisticated than ‘The Orphanage’ and is obviously designed to appeal to a different type of audience, made up of younger adults and teenagers.
Although both trailers use the iconic horror genre techniques of flashing images, screams, shadows and darkness, to bring about suspense fear and tension in the audience, there is a marked difference in their storylines. ‘The Orphanage’ relies on a supernatural theme to instil a sense of evil, leaving the audience with a number of enigma codes as to what is happening and why. This is further enhanced by using paranormal sounds and actions to build suspense. The characters appear to be a normal family, another iconic image, who have been affected by their surroundings and it is this unnatural atmosphere provided by the house and its isolated location that causes the suspense and tension to grow. In ‘Prom Night‘ the evil is provided by a psychotic killer who is on the loose in a dark hotel and intent on killing one of the students trapped inside. The storyline is much simpler but follows the horror genre by providing enigma codes in not revealing the killer and concentrating on the fear and panic of both of his intended victim and those trying to save her. Apprehension and fear is increased by references to the killer’s mental state, as the viewer recognises that there no limits he could go to in getting to his victim and what injuries he would inflict when he eventually catches her, typical to the “teen-slasher” genre of horror film.
‘Prom Night’ is typical of the horror movie genre aimed at teenagers and young adults who want a quick thrill with an easy to follow plot. ‘The Orphanage’ is a much more sophisticated trailer, making the audience contemplate a more involved and complicated storyline, nothing is straightforward and there is emphasis on the lighting and the artistic interpretation. The target audience would be older and more mature than those for ‘Prom Night’ as they would be expected to look deeper into the storyline and know the producer’s reputation, as well as the significance of the awards.
In summary, I can see that both follow all the repertoire of elements that are typical to the horror genre but the way they are presented and produced make them very different in portraying suspense and tension and it is noticeable how they advertise to different target audiences.
