Horror Trailer Analysis

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) demonstrates a whole variety of typical conventions of the horror film genre. The setting's shown in the trailer are an example of this.

At the start we see a scene taking place in a warehouse in a very run down area. Warehouses are commonly used in horror because of the large, unfamiliar spaces they provide. Most of the trailer is also set a night time, which creates atmosphere by allowing for strange shadows and silhouettes to emerge and create suspense. The majority of the trailer is set in a suburban community which creates a sense of isolation, as well as inside the homes of the victims. Whats different about this film however is that the settings are often inside the dreams of the victims, allowing for surreal sets.

The use of technical code also helps to establish this as a horror film. Use of close ups on the victims faces are very common throughout and allow the audience to identify with the horror.The occasional long shot on a character is also used to make them seem isolated and alone. An interesting use of colour saturation is used occasionally to darken the mood of the film, for example in this graveyard scene low saturation is used:

Sound in this trailer is used subtly, and adds to the atomosphere created by the setting.

Expressive lighting is used in abundance in this trailer and helps create unfamiliar shadows, as well as sillohuettes of the murderer. By not showing the murderer on camera to begin with, tension is built and allows for a bigger scare to occur further along the road.

Other lighting techniques are used, such as the  direction of light is often from unexpected angles, for example in one scene candles cover the floor, and are the only light source, creating a dis-orientating ambience in the room. The iconography of childhood innocence is used throughout the trailer. For a great portion of it the only music is of some young girls singing a nursery rhyme. Also there are often quick takes of an array or young children which seems very creepy in the context of the film. These aspects all help to support Barthes struturalistic narrative theory of binary opposites.

The narrative structure of this film also seems very formulaic of a typical slasher movie: A past psychotic event, creates a killer who returns to a location in the future to kill a group of (usually stupid) teenagers. A 'final girl' is left at the end to fight the killer.  The 'final girl' is unambiguous, and is more of a victim/hero, rather than a simple hero.

Other character types include the main 'monster' who's been made psychotic by a past event, as well as a police force who are ineffectual. The useless police allows for the victims to seem even more isolated than they already are as they are without any help.

The themes expressed in this film are also typical of a horror movie. The film predominately is an example of binary opposites as it shows good vs evil, as well as the natural vs the unnatural as the main antagonist freddy krueger can haunt a victims dreams. Freddy is a prime example of the 'hidden evil inside'.