1. Characteristic of Horror
Fear is the general feeling experienced by the viewer. The setting is also important for example, forests give the feeling feeling being stuck, such as in Annihilation which adds to the horror aspect. Foreshadowing is also essential to making sure the plot twist is impactful in the film as seen in The Black Swan. The 2010 Black Swan is a psychological horror film about Nina, a ballet dancer whose mental stability begins falling apart after she is cast in a lead role in the Swan Lake production. Throughout the film, Nina struggles with feelings of ineptitude, and as the film begins tearing away at her, viewers begin to see versions of her that shift away from reality. Because the film is psychological, seeing strange occurrences through the character’s lens is not weird. However, the film does this to foreshadow the ending. In the movie, Nina begins seeing versions of herself that mirror the production, which precisely reflects her character’s fate. Horror movies usually involve suspense, for example, a dark doorway and something usually greets them in Halloween 1973. Mystery is involed as people do not know the true reality of what is happening to the characters until it is revealed later on. The Shutter Island reveals DiCaprio’s character is Andrew Laeddis (a.k.a. patient 67), a disturbed inmate who killed his wife and whom the doctors are trying to rehabilitate. Teddy’s investigation of the island is an intricate role-playing game designed by Dr. Cawley and Teddy’s partner, Teddy’s primary doctor, the “missing” Dr. Sheehan. Thus Teddy is not a detective but a patient is revealed at the end. Horror films use the soundtrack to illicit fear to the viewers for example, Hitchcock’s tense 1960 horror film Psycho uses high-string stabs, which became synonymous with on-screen scares. What’s most terrifying is that Hermann’s string stabs match the stabbing action on screen, making it feel all the more real.
2. The purge uses wide shots to give the audience a broader view of the surroundings, showing the characters’ body language in more detail. The wide shot is to see the similarities in the violent and abrupt body language and angry facial expression shown by each purger. Long shots typically show the entire object and are usually intended to place it in its surroundings. They are used to show different victims being slaughtered, making the audience feel an emotional connection to the vulnerability of purge victims. High-angled shots looking downward give the impression of the people being weak. The opening sequence uses CCTV footage; this makes the viewer feel more on edge as they are witnessing something that cannot be stopped and makes it appear more realistic. Peace and relaxation contradict the fighting, suggesting this behavior is normal.
3. The opening scene sets up the story world and characters. We meet the family and the villains in one clean sweep, describing the night we’re about to watch. The father explains the events that will happen and locks down the house. The audience is given a TV broadcast that reveals the film’s premise. The night begins. Minutes after Purge Night begins, the boyfriend initiates his vengeance against the father. At the same time, a bloodied stranger enters the house. The son opens the door for a bloody stranger. The movie’s purging ritual is abruptly disrupted by the protagonist’s family’s youngest child, the son. The son is visibly disturbed at seeing the killing outside of his home; he sees a wounded black man on the street crying out for help as a masked group of elites chases him. The wounded man is one of society’s marginalized, and his depiction of being hunted is the director’s subtle way of portraying the racist undertones of American societal violence. The father wants to kill this man to protect him. I think it was just an excuse to purge. The father kills the boyfriend.
Mid-act Climax: The people from whom the bloody stranger ran arrive. They give the father a request, which the father declines. The son wants to help the wounded man, but the father binds the man and prepares to turn him over to the mob waiting outside. The man is revealed to be a military veteran in the chase and struggle. The father, upon hearing his wife’s pleas and seeing the dog tags hanging from the man’s neck, is no longer convicted of making the sacrifice for his family. The father kills many gang members. The political leader kills the father. The neighbors try to kill the rest of the family. The bloody stranger saves the family.
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