The Strangers Trailer Analysis

The Strangers

The trailer of The Strangers starts off quite slow, it sets the base for the narrative and allows the audience to appreciate the two characters that are involved romantically because of the simple cuts used.. The speed of the trailer increases as the trailer progresses, this is the part where the narrative becomes clearer to the audience. We know something is wrong when we hear loud noises from outside, followed by a masked man standing behind the main female character. This adds to the fact that the couple may be in danger. The end of the trailer is a final burst of action which makes the audience jump when they think it is all over. This allows the audience to be prepared for what is to come in the movie which also builds up tension.

At the beginning of the trailer, we are shown a few cuts showing the setting and the location. We are shown a wooded area which then cuts to a secluded home in the middle of the woods. The audience are now aware that the house is in the middle of no-where with no other houses around. The mood is set at the beginning of any film trailer. From certain cuts we are able to establish what each character is like from the cuts used and the angles. Also, between cuts a dissolve has been used in each making the atmosphere look relaxed, gentle, soft and romantic.

 The shot of the woman standing in the kitchen lasts for about thirteen seconds, a lot longer than any conventional piece of film shown in a trailer. It seems to go on for a long time suggesting that the suffering that the characters are experiencing has been dragging on for a long time. Using a long take like this one, we are able to see how vulnerable she is and how one of the antagonists is watching her. We can see him entering the room behind her where she has no idea. This makes it very unnerving to watch for the audience which creates suspense because we don’t know what he is going to do. It almost seems painful to watch as he is just standing there unmoving as she is also. We cannot hear anything but silence and her breathing heavy. She looks scared, unprotected and alone.

The audience are then made jump by a loud stabbing sound when the scene fades. The trailer then cuts to a scene outside of the house where the characters are looking for the things/ people that are making the noises. We are then shown a series of shots of all three antagonists taken from a long range. This makes them seen extremely scary and distant.

The next shot  is of the three killers standing in a row. The shot is fast, random and eerie. It’s quite fast that if you blink, you may miss is. This makes the audience then question their beliefs to if they have seen it or not. It gives them a proper sense of fear of the unknown as they wouldn’t know who is in their house at any given time. The speed of the editing can create excitement, fear and tension for the audience as they feel like they are being prepared for a final burst of action.

The jump scare is longer than a conventional horror trailer but it allows us to properly hear the dialogue which is explaining to the victims why they are there. The trailer is then made more sinister by the antagonists telling their victims that they are only there because the victims were home, they had no motives to be there. They were just ‘playing a game.’ This long take gives the audience a long enough time to take in the full horror of this face appearing in darkness. The close up of the blurry face is scary and eerie which adds to the fear that the audience may have just experienced during the climax. Just when it is believed to be over there is a final image as the female antagonist enters getting closer to the camera. This shows that they are being haunted until the very end.

Two of the most conventional horror settings are featured in this trailer. In the beginning of the trailer we can see the house in the middle of the woods seeming to be the only house around. This suggests that they are far away from real civilisation. Large houses are often common settings for horror films. We also see an extreme long shot of a lake at the beginning of the trailer. The lake is surrounded in trees which confirms that it is located in a woods. Being in the wood secludes the people in the home showing that they are far away from help. The colours of the trailer in the beginning are warm and welcoming which sets the scene as homely and romantic. The colours become colder and darker throughout the trailer as it becomes tenser. The lighting is very low key towards the end of the trailer which gives off the eerie and creepy vibe. The costumes of the antagonists play a very big part in this film. Their masks show that their identities are hidden which adds mystery and suspicion. This could also suggest that they are un-human due to their cruel and cold nature.

Body language is also very key in this film. For example, when an axe slices through a door in the home we can see the woman jump with freight behind the man, screaming. There is also a shot of her hiding in some sort of cupboard with her arms clenched around her body. She looked frightened like her body language also expressed. 

A wide range of close ups have been used in the trailer, for example: the rose petals laying on the bed, the candles being lit. These both enable the audiences understanding that they are romantically involved with each other. More extreme close ups are used as the couple become closer together: their arms and necks. This suggests the fiery passion in their relationship. By using medium shots the audience are able to see the whole setting and the background but we can also see the emotion shown on both of the characters faces. The final shots of the trailer are shown as extreme close ups of the antagonists which explains to the victims why they are there and why the antagonists are causing so much terror. The images are distorted which supports the killer as having a hidden identity. But when the audience thinks everything is over, we see the final shot of a killer entering the room from the dark corner. This adds fear to the audience as it is the last burst of terror before the ending of the trailer. This also makes the audience want to find out if the couple will be really safe in the end.

The lead male in the trailer is shown as the protector as we are often presented with a wide range of shots where the woman is using him as a protector or she is following close to him.