Sara Iqbal

Analysis of opening sequence: Horror

The Conjuring 2013

In the short extract many generic codes and conventions of the horror genre can
be identified. The film opens with the production companys logo against a black
background with non-diegetic sound of high stringed instruments and low
trumpets to imitate the sound of a dark entity approaching. Whilst this is not a
part of the narrative, it helps to convey the movies tense and dark atmosphere.
The filmmakers wish to convey this to the audience so that they already begin to
sense the feeling of being on edge and unaware of what might happen next. The
scene is the proceeded by a black screen and a voice over when you hear it your
gonna think were insane`. As this is set against black the words ring out from the
darkness for the audience to hear. This implies that the voice in the voice over
will be in danger relatively soon, as the connotations of the colour black usually
associate with death, danger and horror. The image then cuts to an extreme
close of up of the doll Anabelle, the doll is noticeably unusual looking, with
piercing blue eyes and cuts around the face, this implies to the audience that the
doll is evil and is a bad entity. The lighting within the scene is low key, the rooms
are shown to be dark and sombre, and whereas the outside world is shown to be
light indicating something bad is going to happen within the room. It further
implies that the people in the scene have been dragged into the darkness by the
doll.

The camera angle whilst the girls are talking, starts out on a high angle as it
backs up the camera is framed by the Warrens who dominate both sides of the
shot. This firmly establishes the Warrens as the main protagonist of the film,
therefore allowing audience attention to be focused on them. They are imposing
figures, conveying that they are protecting the people in the centre of the frame.
The use of sombre non- diegetic score music adds to the tense atmosphere of
the scene foreshadowing that the environment that they are in is not safe. The
scene then cuts to the girls explaining what had happened to them through the
use of a flashback and a voice over. The scene is set with low-key lighting as they
enter the home indicating the house has a bad ambience and a supernatural
event is going to take place. Throughout the sequence prominent low pitch eerie
non- diegetic score music can be heard, this adds to the animosity of the scene,
as the audience do not know what to expect.

The scene then cuts to a point of view shot, showing the girls are looking at the
doll in horror, the doll is covered in red crayon, the red is symbolic of danger and
can be represented as blood foreshadowing the turmoil the doll will bring into the
girls lives in coming weeks. Again throughout the scene a dominant non-diegetic
score music can be heard of an organ hitting random notes creating an eerie and
dark atmosphere. Throughout the scene it escalates emphasisers the sheer
terror within the girls and the falls back down again during various points of the
sequence. The scene then cuts to the girls opening a door and torchlight is shine
directly above the girl indicating that she has realized the evilness of the doll,

Sara Iqbal
and the powers it possesses. Again this is symbolic as it implies to the viewers
that the girls will now do something to prevent the doll from taking over their
lives and are now in a state of knowing.

As the girls walk through the room fast pace editing is used to show the broken
and scratched pictures of the girls, it is accompanied by non- diegetic music,
which is screeched violins and an organ playing random notes. This conveys that
the girls are in grave danger as the broken pictures symbolizes that the doll
wishes to take their lives and claim it as its own. The scene the cuts to one of the
girls taking the doll and exiting the house, the non-diegetic score music is
amplified as the audience expect the climax of the scene to occur, and so the
music has to encourage the audience to be excited for the next scene. The scene
ends with a high angle shot of the girl throwing the doll in the garbage bin and
walking away. However as she is doing so steam is arising from the vents,
indicating that the girls lives will still be encased in the dolls live. It destroys the
false sense of security that the danger is no longer gone.