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Insidious Analysis

Analysis of an opening sequence

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432 views

Insidious Analysis

Analysis of an opening sequence

Uploaded by

DATProudctions
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Dilini Gorsia

Insidious Analysis (2010)

The opening sequence of Insidious contains a number of typical codes and


conventions used in the horror genre.
The scene begins with titles of the
production companies and who the
film is in association with. Straight
away by looking at these titles, it is
clear that the film is in the
horror/thriller genre. We know this
because the titles appear on the
screen in red which connotes blood
and danger. As well as this, the titles
smudge out of the screen which may
create a sense of discomfort with the
audience.
The first proper shot of the film is an establishing shot/ a long shot showing us the
little boys room. The lighting conforms to the usual conventions of a horror movie as
its low key which tends to build tension for the audience as they dont know what to
expect next. Through the mise en
scene we see that his duvet it very
colourful and he has a teddy to the far
right of the room. This helps us to
pinpoint his age as being fairly young
still. On the bedside table, we see a
lamp on, this again tells us about his
age, however it also connotes that he
may be trying to keep demons away
without even realising it. Throughout the opening sequence from this point onwards,
the shots are all put together by a continuous pan. This is done in order to create a
strong sense of tension with the audience as it is hard to see whats just around the
corner. As well as this, it also acts as a point of view, which makes us feel uneasy as
to whats walking around the house.
The camera then pans slowly across the rest of the room, showing a close up on
some toys and a lava lamp, which
could connote innocence and again a
sense of safety from the light. This
then continues into another long/
establishing shot of what we as the
audience assume to be the living room.

Dilini Gorsia

Once again, we see that the lights have been left on, which could imply that there is
nobody home apart from the little boy. This shot follows onto a medium shot of a
persons shadow in the window. This also makes the audience feel on edge and
creates more tension through the help of the non diegetic music which plays in the
background.
In the previous shot, we see the camera quickly zoom in on the window in a way that
may imply they are trying to catch who the
person is. We then see a swish pan until
we reach what looks like the landing.
Here, an elderly lady wearing a veil and
holding a candle is shown. Although her
face is barely seen, we are able to see
enough to know that she is the antagonist
of the movie. The fact that she is holding
a candle could suggest that she is trying
to lure people in by coming across
innocent and almost like a saviour. On the
other hand, the use of the black veil and dark attire, connotes death and evil and
shows how she is the antagonist in the scene. The fact that as the audience we dont
know who she is and what shes capable of, makes her role all the more scary and
therefore creates suspense for the audience.

The camera stays on the


veiled woman for a few
seconds which implies to
the audience that she is the
main focus of the movie.
We then jump to the title of
the movie as it
unexpectedly leaps out at
the audience. Although, in
my opinion this slightly
takes away the suspense of
the film as the music played
is not really needed but
because the title of the
movie takes up the entire
screen it really grabs the
attention of the audience as they have nowhere else to look. Again, like with the titles
it is written in red which could connote blood or danger.

Dilini Gorsia

Although this is a slightly different way to present the opening of a horror, by showing
the audience the inside of the house first, we see an establishing shot which helps
the audience to understand
where this is taking place as
the rest of the credits roll. We
can automatically assume
from the size of the house
that the family would be
reasonably well off and that
they will be fitting the
stereotype of the so called
perfect American family. The
fact that it is shot in black in
white creates more questions
for the audience and makes it seem more haunted and ghostly.

This is another long


shot as the camera
continues to show us
though the house. In
this scene we see a box
labelled books which
implies to the audience
that the family has
recently moved into a
new house. It could also
suggest that their dream
house might not
everything that they
were hoping for.

This is an aerial or birds


eye view looking down at
the hallway of the house.
This could suggest that the
family are being haunted by
something that is far more
superior to them and it
looks like the family is a lot
more vulnerable as the
unknown creature is

Dilini Gorsia

prowling above them. As well as this the use of the shadow creates suspense and
takes away the audiences attention as they find another unknown character that
they may be curious to find out about.
This is one of the final
shots in the opening
sequence that has a
clear meaning to it and
causes a clear affect
on the audience. Its a
long shot of another
room in the house and
in the door of the
babys room we see a
baby's cot. This could
imply that the veiled
woman from earlier is
somehow connected to
the baby as it has clear
significance to be
included in the opening
credits. The fact that we do not see anybody throughout this entire sequence gives it
a more eerie feel as the house seems to be abandoned and in this case we do not
know whether something is yet to happen or if something has already happened
which builds up the confusion in the audience.
The use of the four microelements sound, editing, mise en scene and
cinematography are cleverly structured throughout the clip to represent the codes
and conventions of the horror genre. It is the main part of the film that aims to grab
the audiences attention. This clip definitely does it well through the use of mystery
and suspense.

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