Analysis of still images

This establishing shot shows the main setting of The Cabin in the Woods. This is a very conventional

setting for a horror film as it appears to be a run

down and seemingly abandoned cabin in the

middle of what looks like a spooky woods. This

lighting in this image shows that during the day

the cabin still appears to be very dark despite

the fact that the sun is shining and the image

does have some high key lighting, this makes the

cabin look more scary and intimidating.

This shot appears normal to start, but in actual fact it is revealed that this is actually him looking

through a mirror looking at the girl, but

from her side it appears to be a regular

mirror. The mirror suggests early on that

there is something spooky and abnormal

about this particular cabin. This would

draw the viewer in as they would want to

know what is happening. The use of an

over the shoulder shot shows that he is looking at her and trying to figure out why he can see her.

The use of low key lighting also emphasises the mystery and spooky aspect to this part of the trailer.

This text shown in this trailer makes the viewer think and become intrigued; it also creates mystery

and suggests to the audience that they don’t know

what is actually going to happen in the movie. The

serif font used is very conventional for the horror

genre as it appears more old fashioned, also the

faded effect of the text suggests that the film is

super natural, and the use of the dark background

with a smoke effect appears very spooky and mysterious.

This image shows a very dark corridor and the lighting in the trailer gets darker as the shot goes on,

this suggests that something is

causing the lights to dim and makes

the corridor seem very scary and

intimidating. The use of candles in the

corridor gives it a very old fashioned

and gothic feel that is very

conventional for the genre. This part

of the trailer is very stereotypical, as it

appears scary and would make the viewer wonder if something will jump out and would draw them

in to the mystery of the trailer.

This image shows a close up of the blonde character screaming. This is conventional for the horror

genre as it shows that she is scared and

creates the sense that she is a vulnerable

damsel in distress. The use of low key

lighting is very conventional as it shows that

she is in danger. The use the rule of third is

used to show that the focus is on her.

This close up shot shows a monster trying to break through the door, this shows that the monster is

very aggressive and is trying to kill the

characters in the trailer which is very

conventional. It also shows that the monster is

stronger than your average person and the fact

that it wants to kill the people in the film would

make it seem scary. Make up has been used to

make the monster appear to be a zombie or

some form of the living dead which is very conventional for the horror genre. The use of low key

lighting for this is also very conventional.

This shot is a close up of a bear trap being dragged along the floor by one of the monsters. Also what

can be seen is one of the characters lying on the floor

just ahead of the monster that is approaching very

slowly which would create tension. This shot shows

that the good guy is in danger and would draw the

user in. The bear trap is very conventional as it

connotes violence and the sound of the metal

dragging along the floor as well as the noise of the chain is very conventional.