The film which I will be analysing is paranormal activity 2. It was released in the 22nd October, in the UK. I was directed by Todd Williams. Paranormal Activity is a horror film with a sub-genre of supernatural.
In the film there is a simple narrative. The narrative is left opened, which therefore enables the audience to wonder what will happen next in the following films. Examples of this include Halloween and nightmare on Elm Street. The equilibrium in the film was when the mother and father brought home a new born baby (Hunter) home; this was the normality in the film. The disruption occurred when the house was burgled, and the family suspected a presence in the house. The balance was then restored when the film skipped to ‘3 weeks later’ with the sisters Katie and Kristi, talking about the current week. The film is in non-chronological order. The audience later realise this because at the end of paranormal activity 2, it rewinds back to the previous paranormal activity film. To some extent the audience are restricted in terms of knowing where the spirit is coming from. Binary oppositions include light/dark, dream/reality. Binary oppositions were introduced by Levi – Strauss, which are contrasts that used in a narrative. These types of oppositions are used to emphasise the genre of the film. Light/dark – most horror movies contain contrasts in light for example, low and high key lighting.
In the film there is a simple narrative. The narrative is left opened, which therefore enables the audience to wonder what will happen next in the following films. Examples of this include Halloween and nightmare on Elm Street. The equilibrium in the film was when the mother and father brought home a new born baby (Hunter) home; this was the normality in the film. The disruption occurred when the house was burgled, and the family suspected a presence in the house. The balance was then restored when the film skipped to ‘3 weeks later’ with the sisters Katie and Kristi, talking about the current week. The film is in non-chronological order. The audience later realise this because at the end of paranormal activity 2, it rewinds back to the previous paranormal activity film. To some extent the audience are restricted in terms of knowing where the spirit is coming from. Binary oppositions include light/dark, dream/reality. Binary oppositions were introduced by Levi – Strauss, which are contrasts that used in a narrative. These types of oppositions are used to emphasise the genre of the film. Light/dark – most horror movies contain contrasts in light for example, low and high key lighting.
At the start of the film we saw that the door was open. It was established that none of the characters opened it therefore the audience knew that the presence/demon was brought into the house. This is one of the conventions of a horror movie. The presence comes through the door trapping victims inside. In horror there are a number of ways which suggest death occurring. Dialogue like ‘I’ll be back’ is a signifier of death approaching. (E.g. scream) In relation to this film, numerous members of the family went to investigate weird noises they heard and it resulted in abnormalities.
The characters in this film include; Daniel Rey the father of the family, Ali Rey the daughter, Kristi the mother, hunter the first born son of the family Martine the maid. Micah Sloath who was from the previous film, and his wife (Katie Sloath).
The audience gathered from the first film that she killed her husband in the previous film. However, she returned to the second paranormal activity and seemed to fit well into the family. It was not clear to the audience until the final moments what Katie’s aims were, as her behaviour was just like all the other characters. The storyline of paranormal activity is typical to its genre of horror. Horror movies usually uncover who the antagonist is at the end of the film. For example ‘Insidious ‘and ‘The Forth Kind.’ Usually in horror films there is an event that turns the killer insanse, in this case a childhood memory which is a common narrative structure.
Victims in a horror movie are usually females who are portrayed as helpless & unaware of anything. They are looked at as weak and an easy target. An example of this in the film is when the demon dragged Kristy down the stairs and sent her to what seemed to be the demons closet. When she returned from the closet she suddenly had an upright posture with blank facial expressions on her face, very pale. Her body language was very cold and it suggests to the audience that she had been taken over by the spirits powers as she also had bites and scratches on her skin. In my opinion the representation of gender in this film is stereotypical as it portrays females as weak. On the other hand this is a common convention in horror movies. They represent her character as vulnerable and fragile as the demon kept destroying her family and her home. In comparison men were left un- harmed to suggest males having dominance and control.
In terms of sound in the film a lot of diegetic sounds are used, as the speaking regularly. An example of off scream diegetic sound was when we heard Ali screaming from upstairs. This questioned the audience as to why she was screaming and also the suspense and tension as to what the family were running upstairs to see. Screaming is a common diegetic sound which occurs in horror films. More examples include the new born baby crying.
To create an atmospheric mood at night time the director used non diegetic sound, to create this mood leaving the audience on the edge with suspense.
As the film begins the audience see the setting of the house in which they live, which breaks the conventions of a typical horror film. In paranormal activity we see a neighbourhood with a number of cars and houses around. According to the conventions of a horror movie, the setting is supposed to connote isolation, with urban surroundings, dark alleys etc. during the film we started to see conventions which suggested horror. This identifies the equilibrium of the film and is typical of the genre. The idea of an establishing shot is to set the scene for the audience. Each night in the film the audience se an establishing shots of each location on the property. E.g. swimming pool, living space. The whole film is made on a handheld camera this is used to show point of view, it also gives a sense of realism. Not only does it make the audience feel part of the action. But it also promotes a feeling of terror by the unknown. In terms of horror conventions point of view shots are used so the audience can be in the position and POV of the victim. A lot of mid and long shot were used in the film so the audience could get a feel of the surroundings, also so the audience could locate the activity that was going on within the house.
When the family installed the cameras in the house the director decided to put special effects to connote a surveillance camera and the following piece of footage will be used as evidence. On the bottom right of the image the time is evident. also the film only has straight cuts which are exceptionally fast, which creates unsettling tension and suspense.
The characters in this film include; Daniel Rey the father of the family, Ali Rey the daughter, Kristi the mother, hunter the first born son of the family Martine the maid. Micah Sloath who was from the previous film, and his wife (Katie Sloath).
The audience gathered from the first film that she killed her husband in the previous film. However, she returned to the second paranormal activity and seemed to fit well into the family. It was not clear to the audience until the final moments what Katie’s aims were, as her behaviour was just like all the other characters. The storyline of paranormal activity is typical to its genre of horror. Horror movies usually uncover who the antagonist is at the end of the film. For example ‘Insidious ‘and ‘The Forth Kind.’ Usually in horror films there is an event that turns the killer insanse, in this case a childhood memory which is a common narrative structure.
Victims in a horror movie are usually females who are portrayed as helpless & unaware of anything. They are looked at as weak and an easy target. An example of this in the film is when the demon dragged Kristy down the stairs and sent her to what seemed to be the demons closet. When she returned from the closet she suddenly had an upright posture with blank facial expressions on her face, very pale. Her body language was very cold and it suggests to the audience that she had been taken over by the spirits powers as she also had bites and scratches on her skin. In my opinion the representation of gender in this film is stereotypical as it portrays females as weak. On the other hand this is a common convention in horror movies. They represent her character as vulnerable and fragile as the demon kept destroying her family and her home. In comparison men were left un- harmed to suggest males having dominance and control.
In terms of sound in the film a lot of diegetic sounds are used, as the speaking regularly. An example of off scream diegetic sound was when we heard Ali screaming from upstairs. This questioned the audience as to why she was screaming and also the suspense and tension as to what the family were running upstairs to see. Screaming is a common diegetic sound which occurs in horror films. More examples include the new born baby crying.
To create an atmospheric mood at night time the director used non diegetic sound, to create this mood leaving the audience on the edge with suspense.
As the film begins the audience see the setting of the house in which they live, which breaks the conventions of a typical horror film. In paranormal activity we see a neighbourhood with a number of cars and houses around. According to the conventions of a horror movie, the setting is supposed to connote isolation, with urban surroundings, dark alleys etc. during the film we started to see conventions which suggested horror. This identifies the equilibrium of the film and is typical of the genre. The idea of an establishing shot is to set the scene for the audience. Each night in the film the audience se an establishing shots of each location on the property. E.g. swimming pool, living space. The whole film is made on a handheld camera this is used to show point of view, it also gives a sense of realism. Not only does it make the audience feel part of the action. But it also promotes a feeling of terror by the unknown. In terms of horror conventions point of view shots are used so the audience can be in the position and POV of the victim. A lot of mid and long shot were used in the film so the audience could get a feel of the surroundings, also so the audience could locate the activity that was going on within the house.
When the family installed the cameras in the house the director decided to put special effects to connote a surveillance camera and the following piece of footage will be used as evidence. On the bottom right of the image the time is evident. also the film only has straight cuts which are exceptionally fast, which creates unsettling tension and suspense.
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