Narrative Analysis Openings...

1408:


In the first ten minutes of the film, we have been introduced to the main character and we have been made aware of his career which is an author of horror books, and he visits 'haunted' hotels to gain material for these. He has stayed in one hotel, that claimed to be 'haunted', but he found no paranormal activity there. Even in the first ten minutes, it sets a conventional horror film with the raining and him driving his car, it immediately puts the audience on edge and feeling tense.

We think that the next step in the film is that he will end up going to stay in a hotel that actually is haunted, here a lot of paranormal activity will happen for once and maybe have bad consequences.

The film is set in America, yet it is not set in one particular location as he is travelling round to different hotels etc. in the first ten minutes we have not been made aware of a threat, but we have been introduced to what it could be, although we have not seen it yet.

Silent Hill:


Straight away, we were introduced to the paranormal nature of the film, the little girl was sleepwalking and was standing on the edge of a cliff as her foster parents searched for her. The girl was chanting the words "silent hill" over and over again. We were told that she came from west virginia where silent hill is located suggesting something strange about the link between them.

The mother decides to take the child to silent hill which we believe will be a bad decision. The town is deserted which again suggests that paranormal happenings will occur. We think that the girl will go to sleep again and something very bad will happen.

It is set in america but the majority of the film will be set in silent hill. The lighting is all quite dark containing may shadows etc.. However the scene in the field is a massive contrast to the rest of the film, perhaps relating to the massive contrast in the girls character once she goes to sleep. The victim/threat is in a way introduced in a strange way, the little girl is both the threat and the victim in a way.

Dark Water


It starts off with a scene from the past in 1976 in Seattle, where the modern day mum in 2005 was in school waiting for her mum. Then it moves onto present day in 2005 where the mum and dad were arguing about who should have the daughter. The mother and the daughter move to manhattan where they stay in a block of flats, here is when the paranormal activity starts to occur.

We feel that the janitor will play a big part in the horror that will unfold, we think that the mum and the girl will both be victims but we are not sure what will be the threat. The setting is at a creepy, dingy apartment building, where we feel the horror will be mainly set - although it may carry on darting between present and past of the moms childhood.

The Sixth sense:


It starts off with the woman in the cellar getting some wine, when she appears to get sort of creeped out by something, and starts shivering and then runs up the stairs quickly - maybe a hint at what is to come...
But then it goes to  a scene emphasizing normality, with the husband and there is no feel that something is about to occur. The beginning ten minutes are not particularly tense or leave the audience in suspension, as much as the previous films did.
We think that the film may turn more sinister next, yet in the first ten minutes there are no particular indications as to what apart from the woman experiencing something in the cellar.
At the beginning the film is set in the house, however we do not feel it will be set primarily here. In addition, the lighting is also dark and low lit, adding atmosphere and an ominous feel to what may occur.
Finally, at the beginning we are not yet aware of the victim or the threat in the film.