How the title sequence creates a sense of genre, narrative and audience.

I have watched the opening sequence of Insidious (2010); in this essay I will write how it creates a sense of genre, narrative and audience. Straight away, you would be able to tell that the genre Insidious fits in is Horror. One reason for this is because of the typography and colours used.

Above is a screenshot of the opening sequence; the background is black which creates a dark, mysterious atmosphere which adheres to the horror genre. Also the typography is red; the colour red usually symbolises death and danger.

Above is another screenshot from the opening of Insidious; a ‘human figure-like’ is denoted in this but a scary, eerie looking one. This suggests that the target audience is not for children as it is terrifying and could add to the anxiety of some children. Low key lighting is used in the title sequence which also connotes that it is horror as it is a convention of it; it creates suspense and a shadowy, enigmatic atmosphere.

In the opening sequence, a large house is denoted. This creates a sense of narrative as it could connote that maybe it is a haunted house and that unusual, spooky stufff happen in that house and the people living inside are in danger. This links to the ideology of the American Dream; the house is huge and it looks as if wealthy people would live in there, however it is not what it seems.

The above screenshot also tells the narrative; there are lots of cardboard boxes which suggests that a new family is moving in to the house.

Lastly, the soundtrack in the title sequence creates a sense of all three (genre, narrarative and audience). The soundtrack is eerie which adheres to the horror genre. The soundtrack also connotes spookiness and creepiness which suggets that the context of the movie is not a happy, cheereful one but one that will make the audience jump.