Anlysis a Horror Trailer (In depth)

From the opening scene a feeling of isolation is created. A wheelchair bound woman is seen answering a phone in a deserted hallway in what seems to be a hospital. By using a long shot and combining it with a wind like sound effect, tension is already beginning to build. After the logos there are a number of jump cuts showing this woman as she journeys back to her fathers house. It is made quite clear that she can't walk. A narrative is already beginning to be shown with the father saying "sorry about your boyfriend". It cuts suddenly to the inside of a car and through shot reverse shot, shows some form of truck crashing into the side of the car on the side where her boyfriend (or so we infer) is sitting.

There is a shift in music from the soft piano that backed the scenes earlier. It is now much more sinister with voices making a distinct and somewhat distressed ahhhh sound. Rather than a shot from the film there is a filtered shot of a forest. "From the producer of paranormal activity, Insidious, Sinister and the purge." This statement informs the audience of what level of film making they should expect as well as attracting fans from these various movies. as the narrative progresses Jessabelle finds a tape from her "mother". Through jumpy, somewhat off-putting, video footage Jessabelle's mum says she is going to give her a reading with her cards (from beyond the grave). The editing, camera work and use of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound creates a great deal of tension for the audience. "You are not alone... There is a presence in the house with you" This phrase played over the image of a door opening and Jessabelle waking up makes it seem as if something is stalking her. With the shot of the wheelchair confirming to the audience it is most likely a supernatural presence. Editing is somewhat held back with mostly fades and cuts used to advance the narrative of the trailer.

Through the mise-en scene of the wheelchair a sense of helplessness is created. unlike most horror movies where women are seen as weak purely because they are women (whilst there are exceptions). The idea of this clearly debilitated woman still venturing out to discover what is stalking her is in many ways empowering as well as adding another layer of tension to an already tense trailer. As with many trailers the pace of editing increases after a set amount of exposition has been shown. This is shown in this trailer with Jessabelle being shown in a number of life threatening situations. Namely the shack on fire and her, while tied to her wheelchair, being pushed into water. The trailer slows again in pace with Jessabelle being shown bathing in a bath tub, somewhat ominously placed in the center of a large empty room. She is relaxing with her eyes closed and does not notice the blood slowly dripping into the tub. Camera work is cleverly used here as it hides the "ghost" from the audience giving them an incentive to go see the movie. the trailer ends as most do with the name of the movie being shown and some information about it.