BW Film Opening: Horror

The Exorcism Of Emily Rose (Scott Derickson, 2005)

• The film is a horror film, which is loosely based on a true story
• The opening titles are slow, with names slowly fading in and out and a black screen shown for a considerable amount of time, building tension and setting the mood for the whole film.

• In terms of mise-en-scene, the colour of the opening sequence has a dark, grey wash. The still image below is of the house, which stands alone near a number of fields, with a single character walking towards it. The location is important, as it connotes vulnerability and the idea of being alone - important to all horror films. This still also shows the title font, which is red - a colour associated with blood.

• The scene is edited to position the audience with the man who is looking around the house. The still below has two images, highlighting the use of a motivated cut, with the man turning around and then cutting to the running animals that he is looking at. This helps draw attention to small details, which aren't quite right, which continues to create the suspense built in mise-en-scene.

• The camera work in the scene is also relevant, as is demonstrated in the still below. The over the shoulder shot of the man, shot from a low angle not only makes the man look important, but makes the house look big and intimidating. It also has connotations of classic horror films where shadows and figures appear in windows.