Scene opens with an establishing shot of a fallen tree lying in the snow. The fallen tree adds mystery and gives an indication of previous traumas and possible future panic. There is a binary opposition of black vs. white, as suggested by Levi-Strauss. It is shown through the dark colours of the fallen tree disrupting the light, bright colours of the snowy background. This indicates the contrast of life vs. death. The opening scene is accompanied with fast-paced organ music, used to illustrate a sense of loneliness and isolation. The dialogue of “You almost died...” immediately sets the scene. The audience begin to ask questions, ‘Who almost died? How? When? Why is this important?’ in reference to Barthes narrative theory. This establishes a basis for the rest of the narrative to be built on. The setting is conventional to the psychological horror genre as snow and ice are dangerous elements that indicate hazards and terror. Furthermore, the fact he is isolated in the middle of nowhere further emphasises terror and is a genre convention.
A voice-over of a woman’s voice is used, the voice sounds soft and caring. The audience learn that the man- who still has no identity- has fractured his tibia and fibula meaning that he will not be able to move. This illustrates that he is trapped which in turn demonstrates a sense of peril. The lighting is low-key to emphasise the panic. The use of shadows adds mystery; the audience begin to ask questions such as “Will the man survive?” (Barthes). The shot fades to black to portray horror; red, blood-like writing comes on the screen to connote danger. The contrast of the colours- black and red- emphasise horror. The end of the women’s dialogue is “You’re going to be just fine...” this raises tension and suspense as the audience assume from the genre that perhaps everything may not be “fine”. This is emphasises through a close-up of a crowbar which connotes danger and horror but also has definitions of safety. A crane shot into wide shot shows a woman helping the man; the audience ask questions, “Who is this rescuer? How did she find the victim?” (Barthes). The shot is deliberately distorted by snow which adds to the peril. A fade to black connotes terror and this is further emphasised by the blood-like writing on a dark background to illustrate horror.
A long-shot shows the injured man in bed with a woman- presumabl the rescuer- tending to him. The white bedspread and white clothing of the woman makes her look like a nurse, the white colours also connote safety. The hospital/ medical link is further emphasised by the use of the prop of a drip. The drip is used to restore lost fluids; it is only used in hospitals for serious injuries and has death connotations to demonstrate horror and terror.
The audience learn that the woman’s name is Annie and the man is famous author Paul Sheldon. The camera shows a close-up of Annie’s face. The audience can identify with the woman, her hair is tied back to demonstrate that she is a working woman, probably a housewife which is conventional of the psychological horror genre as it illustrates innocence. The close-up of a book demonstrates an insight into Paul’s working-life. He is the author of the book ‘Misery’s Child’. The title of the book is intentional as the narrative progresses we learn that Paul is ‘Misery’s Child’. The dark background contrasts against the white book, a binary opposition which demonstrates terror (Levi-Strauss). The binary opposition is used to suggest life vs. death, heaven vs. earth and purity vs. evil. A close-up into tracking shows the rescuer holding the book. Her possession of it indicates some sort of obsession to indicate terror, peril and confusion. Annie says to Paul that he is a “good man”; this illustrates one side of Annie’s split personality. She is kind and generous and wants to help Paul- this is reflected through the tone of her voice.
A mid-shot shows the woman higher in the frame which is unconventional, she is helping him by shaving him and keeping him in good health. She is higher in the frame to indicate that she is superior to Paul and the dominant human as she is fully able whereas Paul is partially disabled. The prop of the razor also suggests danger and peril and indicates death or violence through cutting etc. Chiaroscuro lighting shows the binary oppositions of life vs. death and heaven vs. hell as the shadows add mystery (Levi-Strauss). The shot also shows a bright white light which connotes heaven and therefore death. A two-shot shows the bars on windows, this links to a prison cell which suggests that he is trapped and cannot escape. A voice-over of a newsreader is heard, “The presumption must now be that Paul Sheldon is dead.” The audience suggest that this cannot be right as Annie had previously said that she had rung for an ambulance, therefore someone must know where he is. This heightens tension and adds mystery, “Who is this Annie, why has she captivated Paul?” (Barthes).
A birds-eye-view shot through binoculars shows the up-turned car to illustrate the accident. The camera fades to an extreme long-shot of a house. This demonstrates that the house is in the middle of nowhere to indicate loneliness which is conventional to the psychological horror genre. A mid-shot shows the woman in chiaroscuro lighting which adds mystery and terror. The white light, conventional of hospitals and therefore heaven, indicates that she is still prepared to help as she is a fan of his work. However, the low key lighting demonstrates her aggression. Dark clothing and the dark background further emphasise her aggression. We see half of the woman’s face in dark, low-key lighting and half in light, high-key lighting. Chiaroscuro lighting indicates that she has a split personality; the audience ask “Why is the woman angry? Is she obsessed with him?” (Barthes). The music becomes slower and more bass is used to emphasise a change in the mood of Annie. She is angry, furious that Paul has killed off her favourite character in the novel, dialogue of “You dirty bird!” demonstrates this and illustrates her split personality. She shouts at Paul to indicate her distress, this suggests that she is psychologically ill which is emphasised through the dialogue, “I don’t want her spirit... I WANT HER!” The sounds and tones of her voice indicate her anger and confusion; these are conventional character traits for a psychological horror.
Bass music continues as Annie explains that she never called anyone and that “no-one knows that he is here.” SFX of prison cell doors slamming shut are used to link the cuts between editing. The SFX highlights Annie’s criminal activity and that she could be locked up. The SFX speeds up and more are used to illustrate a racing heart-beat, tension and suspense are built as a result. The dialogue of a voice-over is a woman explaining that the woman is psychologically ill but also intelligent. An over-the-shoulder shot shows a helicopter fly past the window, no-one can find him. This suggests her intelligence which can be further demonstrated through the phone being unplugged permanently etc.
A pan shows the sheriff looking for Paul. The camera cuts to a mid-shot of the woman driving the car. She is ensuring that she carries on everyday life. It is conventional for psychological horrors for the villain to act in a normal manner when away from the main scene. Fast-paced cuts show Paul falling from the bed and crawling to the door, this is conventional for psychological horrors as the action is being demonstrated. The camera zooms slowly into a close-up of the door handle which represents safety and freedom. The editing is used to build tension as the audience are forced to wait and anticipate for what is going to happen. The music becomes sinister and fast-paced. Bass instruments are used to emphasise a negative mood and that there is trouble and panic. These are all emotions conventional to the psychological horror genre. A shriek emphasises horror and indicates pain. The sound is conventional for psychological horrors.
The door is coloured black to illustrate horror and terror. The camera cuts to a close-up of a woman slowly pulling a gun from her pocket. The gun is a weapon which represents death, an extreme-close-up of woman’s face demonstrates anger and therefore danger. The syringe also connotes death, danger and drugs. A fade to red illustrates blood and danger. This is conventional of psychological horrors. A close-up of a newspaper article reads, “Maternity nurse behind bars.” This shows that she has been previously convicted; it is conventional of psychological horrors to have an existing criminal as the villain of the plot. The fact that it says ‘maternity’ suggests that she has previous medical experience; she knows how to use the medical equipment which makes her more of a threat. A close-up of a knife connotes death and horror.
Annie explains that she is Paul’s “number one fan” early in the narrative. As it progresses we learn that she is psychologically ill through her split personality. At the end of the trailer Annie concedes, “God I love you”. The music is still sinister and the SFX of the prison cell continues to be heard to emphasise Paul’s terror and panic. The fact that she has used the word “God” connotes happy, heavenly feelings but her actions provide a clear contrast to this as she is trying to hurt Paul and ultimately kill him. This is a binary opposition of life vs. death and heaven vs. hell as suggested by Levi-Strauss.
A close-up of the door symbolises his escape, his freedom. Fast-paced editing demonstrates Paul’s increased heartbeat; it is fast as she is scared. This is conventional for psychological horrors. The music speeds up to demonstrate a climax; things are moving quickly in a dangerous direction. The pace of the music illustrates the trailer is approaching a tense finale. The woman wants to hurt Paul as she is upset that he has killed off her favourite character in his books. This is her motive. Close-up shots of the knife, hammer and the syringe all indicate danger and peril. The trailer ends with red blood-like writing on a dark background to indicate blood, danger and ultimately death.
The music fades from fast-paced to silence; the silence is conventional for psychological horrors as it adds mystery to the plot, it also demonstrates an end to the trailer. The audience are left asking, “What happens to Paul? Does he survive?” This leaves the audience wanting to learn more and therefore watch the film. The fast-paced fade to silence may suggest an end of a life?
