Amityville Horror (2005) Trailer Analysis

Amityville Horror (2005) Trailer

The trailer begins with the logos of sponsering production companies, and then the diegetic sound of a man saying he can’t afford the house, followed by a bird’s-eye-view panoramic shot of a large house, followed by a happy couple in the house who have just bought it. We’re shown a date (this, assumedly, is to show the audience when the movie is set). After which, there is a diegetic sound of a man asking what the ‘catch’ is on the house, followed by a non-diegetic crescendo leading the viewer to feel suspense. We then hear the diegetic sound of a woman explaining the previous murders within the house. The background music changes to a shot, sharp alarm sound. The pace of the shots quickens and displays shots such as a show of a small girl stood in front of a window. The colour scheme in this room is a blue colour to lead the audience to sense the eeriness of this scene. After this there is a succession of quick close ups of a clock set to the time of 3:15 AM, a phone left hanging from its wire and a man with a shot gun. After this we see police and a news article in sepia, showing the crime was a long time ago. The shots get quicker to build suspense; with pictures of blood splatters, someone walking up the stairs with a gun, etc. We see the house again but from a low angle shot, in the rain at night with lightening. This shows the audience that the house is the villain. We then hear a diegetic sound of a man saying “Houses don’t kill people”, which, obviously, leads the audience to think the exact opposite. After this we see text saying “Based on a true story”. I think this works better than showing this text at the beginning as the trailer has already frightened the viewer before saying it has happened in the real world. We see the same clock set at 3:15 AM again, and this leads the audience to feel like something bad is about to happen. We then hear the diegetic sound of the man speak again “I can’t sleep”, followed by an old video showing a child possessed, again in cold blue lighting to make the audience feel the spooky setting. After which, we hear the diegetic sound of a priest explain the crime again, whist being shown a clip of a woman looking at old newspaper reports of the crime. The newspapers are yellowed to show how old the crime was. There is a fast succession of shots usually close-ups or mid-shots, finishing with a close up of a Christian cross being turned upside down (to show that the house is demonized) We’re shown text about the director’s previous hit horror movies (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) before seeing a succession of shots showing demonized situations (e.g. Holy water boiling as soon as it touches the house, flickering lights, windows closing themselves etc.) and the background music for this is another crescendo, this time longer. After this, we hear the diegetic sound of a woman whispering “There’s something evil in my house” And two last paranormal shots before showing the name of the film. I think showing the name of the film at the end of the trailer works better than showing is at the beginning as you have already captured the attention of the audience beforehand.