The first scene in the trailer is of a freeway suggesting the film will be based around a lot of people and a busy environment; unlike slasher films which are set in a suburban place where most of the audience can identify with. The first sight of our main character is a slim blond lady who is likely to be the subject of a victim typical to a horror film. She is driving a car portraying she is a working woman and independent. The next scene is of her and her manager having a conversation on a promotion position. The shoulder shot portrays her blouse which is not revealing, her attire comes against the male gaze theory which explains how media portrays women as vulnerable weak through their appearance. However this young lady holds a secure job in the city, she drives and dresses sensible. Gustav Freytag is a German playwright and novelist who has done a study on the 5-act of dramatic tension layering out the theory in a pyramid. These five parts includes exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and revelation. According to the Freytag’s pyramid we have already seen the setting, location and the main character in just a few seconds of the trailer. In Freytag’s pyramid The Rising Action is a conflict that frustrates the main character as an old woman comes in the work place demanding for a mortgage in which she cannot pay for. The main character does not following her heart into giving the woman the mortgage but instead declines her from it. This shows that her work has taken over her life as she seeks for promotion.
As the scene changes, change in non-diegetic sound is heard. In the car park the main character is alone with just two cars. This implies she is very vulnerable in that situation in case she was to be in danger. The climax in Freytag’s pyramid is where things turn better or worse for the character and in this case it turns extremely frightening. Climax hit when the main character is being attached by the old lady in the previous scene. Close up is identified as the main character’s face is shown to be in horror by the old lady’s attack. The long shot is shown as the main character is being dragged out of her car by the old woman. This is also another connotation to why the title of the film could be “drag me to hell”. It is also unusual for a woman in horror movie to be the course of the killing and moreover to be an old lady with so much strength. Through this the audience can see that the old woman is supernatural in a sense or perhaps she has a demon within her. The conventions are twisted and subverted as the young lady who is meant to be naturally stronger then the much older woman is actually the victim and the weaker one. Furthermore the young lady known as Adrian Barraza is a total opposite to the old lady in the film. This is known as binary opposite introduced by Claude Levi- Strauss. Clause Strauss suggests that narrative can only end on a resolution of conflict, creating a conflict or opposition propels narrative. Opposition can be light/dark, or conceptual can be love/hate.
Diegetic sound is heard as the wind passes by almost slowing time when the old lady pulls a button from the main character’s coat holding it close to her face and the lighting hitting it as if it is a source of power. The low angle on the main character makes her seem inferior and vulnerable compared to the old lady. This shot fits in with the male gaze because even though the main character is independent in her life style and how she lives, she is still seen as weak and vulnerable physically.
Suddenly from 1 minute 31 seconds in the trailer, the music fasten, there montage of short and sharp scenes including one with a demon outside the window who is shown as the aggressor. Now questions and tension raised and enigma code for the audience as to who is this demon? Or whether is the demon connected to the old woman in the car park. Moreover the house seems like a family raising more questions to whether they have links to the demon on the window. In the trailer near the ending there is a dialogue she has with a man telling her the demon will not leave her till “she burns in hell for eternity” this brings forward enigma code to whether she survives or not even though most horror film the blond girl dies.
Trailers follow the same pattern as a film. They have a beginning, middle and end. Tvzetan Todorov’s suggests narrative is simply Equilibrium when the character undergoes their daily routine in this case the blond lady is seen driving on a freeway to work with non-diegetic sound making the scene seem positive. Disequilibrium is when there is a disruption on the daily routine in this case the blond lady (Adriana Barraza) is being attacked by an old woman who she refused a mortgage earlier at work. now that the character has seen there is a disruption in her life she find means to solve the matter, and this is seen when Adriana Barraza is having a dialogue with a man who is explaining to her what is going wrong in her life and how to solve the matter. Furthermore there seems to be obstacles in the way for the solution to work. However New Equilibrium suggests that the solution has been found to the problem. Throughout the trailer the pace increases as the number of shots and flashes of light increases because of the dramatic climax in the film. The intense orchestra fastens the pace drawing in the audience to watch the film. There are no voice overs except for the dialogue she has with who seems to be the guy that could help her survive this torment, the old lady, her boyfriend and her manager.
The end of the trailer is when the typography “Drag me to hell” appears. Reminding the audience exactly what they have just seen in the trailer revolves around the name of the title. The word “hell” itself portrays torture and pain within film. The none-diegetic sound illustrate a sense of darkness and danger, demons tormenting the young lady, and the screaming of a female when the typography appeared at the end of the trailer suggests the genre of the film is none other than horror. Adrian Barraza is a famous actress and her being the main character will attract her fans to watch the film even if the trailer in itself may not have been so convincing and horrific.
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