Horror Trailer Analysis - The Unborn

The Unborn trailer creates a scary atmosphere through sound, editing, camera angles and shots.

There is a diegetic sound of the whispering through the baby monitor, this can suggest that there is something mentally wrong with the child. The moments of high-pitched non-diegetic sound creates an eerie atmosphere and makes it uncomfortable for the audience. There are also moments of silence which creates a sinister atmosphere making the audience feel uneasy. Some of the voices in the trailer are not clear and understandable; this creates a fear of the unknown in the audiences mind.

There is many fades throughout the trailer, which gives the trailer a continuous feel. During the latter stages the pace of the trailer speeds up, this is done through jump cuts. The jump cuts create an irritating effect for the audience and put the audience at an edge.

There are a number of different camera angles, some are canted angles, and these create an alarming atmosphere for the audience. There are also variations of shot types; the first shot is an establishing shot showing the isolated setting. There are some of over-the-shoulder shots, in which the audience is positioned alongside the protagonist. There is an extreme close-up of the protagonist’s eye, which is symbolic to the plot of the film. There is also a number of point-of-view shots which place the audience in the protagonist position and make the audience emphasize with her.