Analysis of Similar Film - Drag Me To Hell

 

 Analysis of Similar Film - Drag Me To Hell

I have chosen to analyse the first fifteen minutes of the film "Drag Me To Hell." It contains a lot of the supernatural horror elements that our film does, and is a modern film (2009) with elements of classic horror. It incorporates using flashback as an opening, and the idea of a cursed or haunted object causing visions or "haunting."


The brief initial but not full credits play with traditional string-based atmospheric music. The spindly white font on a blank black background with the music establishes the genre of the film. 

The long shot establishes the setting and time of day and the text at the bottom tells the audience this takes place in 1969. Trailers and posters already having established the film as being set in present day allows the audience to know that this is flashback. 

The woman speaks in Spanish and sounds panicked, her dress suggests that she is from a poorer background. The urgency of the scene is illustrated by quick camera panning between the characters.   

After the situation of the boy stealing a necklace from a travelling gypsy is explained, the woman from within the church looks worried. This suggests the importance of the object. The low angle shot of the woman standing on the step looking down at the man with his apparently ill son in arms shows her to have more power (or knowledge) over them. 

The wide shot of the grand stain glass window above the boy with the shadows of hands reaching inward gives the audience the perspective of the boy. The shadowy hands are iconic of the genre. 

The medium shot here of the child surrounded by the background of the grand marble hall makes the boy look small and weak. The dolly shot moves the camera along the path of the boy, showing his urgency. 

The long shot looking directly down at the fallen boy again illustrates how small he is, and therefore his youth and vulnerability. 

The floor cracking open  with the fire and lava below it gives that iconic impression of "hell." This is the only light in the shot, shadowing the boy and the earth as he is pulled in.

The low angle shot looking up at the woman subverts the traditional usage of this shot. Here the woman is powerless as she watched the boy dragged. The shot also shows what is happening below in shadow on the marble, another iconic classic horror convention. 

The camera pans upward until it is level with the woman's view, the hand shadowed on her face appears to put the audience in the position of the creature now. The darkness behind her puts her in the forefront of the shot, the shadow of the hand matching the darkness of the backdrop. 

Again this is an iconic shot. The camera is tilted slightly to the right in order to create a warped view. The hand rising up from the fiery ground again fits the classical supernatural horror paradigm. 

Ominous music plays as the white writing on the black background showing the name of the film appears. This is a typical horror convention. 

The credits rolling over faded hand drawn and old looking artwork give a sense of background to the story. It even reveals the idea of a "curse" being involved. 

Throughout the credits this shadow of a hand is shown, introducing a recurring theme in the film and relating back to the posters.  

The name of the directer is given prominence at the end of the credits, being an important selling point of the movie given his prevalence in the film industry, (particularly the horror genre). 

The change to the bright extreme wide shot of the city contrasts with the scene of the flashback preceding it at the credits. 

The over the shoulder shot of the woman showing the long road in front gives her less prominence as it puts her to the side of the shot. The fact of her listening to the "self-help" tape establishes her character effectively. 

This medium shot from the inside of a window looking out at her looks fairly out of place in a horror film. A young woman looking into the window of a cake shop seems more of a convention of a more light-hearted film or a rom-com. Her look of discomfort raises questions for the audience.

Showing the woman at work gives a sense of normality, showing her life and her natural environment. She looks small and is never in the middle of shot. 

The man on the right is in the centre of the shot here, with the other man to his left. She is shown from behind and is off to the right. This puts her in a weaker position and makes her look overpowered. The dialogue here supports this idea of her being patronised/looked down on. 

In this shot, the woman and man are given equal prominence, balancing the power between them. It is also a brightly lit scene and does not fit the conventions of a supernatural horror. 

The shallow close up on the woman's face shows her emotion, giving her importance. 

Again her the shallow focus gives her the most prominence, but again she is not in the centre of the shot and the two men are apart from her, speaking condescendingly. 

The close up on the old woman's hand is unpleasant, and shows it in the exact centre of the screen. It contrasts with the smooth clean desk around it. 

The close up on the woman's face shows her features clearly. It makes the blindness in her eye clear to the audience. 

The medium shot shows the contrast between the two characters. The young blonde woman looks put together and clean, while the old lady is dressed darkly and unpleasantly coughs. The old woman herself contrasts with the entire clean setting, looking out of place in the neat room. 

Here, the woman stands above her boss looking down at him for a change. It shows the strength she is trying to have in the scene. 

The medium shot here makes the old woman look small and humble, she is slightly to the right in the shot and the office can be seen behind her, creating a contrast and showing the indifference of the other people. 

The shot of the woman on her knees makes her look pathetic and weak, and as she kisses the young woman's skirt the woman hurriedly tries to push her away out of embarrassment and guilt. 

The woman on all fours on the floor shows how powerless she is, and the younger woman in the forefront of the shot appears uncomfortable and upset. The two security guards also stand over the older woman. She is powerless here.

The scene moves very quickly, the camera following the old woman's movements as she attempts to attack the young woman, giving her a subhuman screech and being the first sign of horror in the modern setting.