Thoughts/Features 4:

Analysis of the opening ‘The Exorcism Of Emily Rose’.

The opening of The Exorcism of Emily Rose aims to unsettle the audience immediately and create suspense as a mysterious score surrounds the focus and attention. The titling appears by fading in and out creating, already a sense of mystery to the narrative (which is a key feature to a thriller/horror film). This is further exaggerated through the real recording of the girl Annelise Michel, who this film is based on. It is amplified into an echo to emphasise the disturbing effect on the spectator, not only through the unnerving and possessive sound but also the fact that no picture appears on the screen so it is left to your own imagination. Instead, writing in a blocked gothic font reading “This film is based on a true story” emerges and alarms the audience and expands the mystery essence. The non-diegetic sound effect is of the girl doing a devilish scream and almost growling creating a sense of a creature, which encourages an automatic response for the audience making them feel unnerved and distressed.

As a white screen fades in a medium shot of a barbed wire fence the title of the film appears. The single white screen connotes innocence and purity, which could foreshadow an unfortunate event to a vulnerable character. However it is then manipulated by the deep red colour of the title that suggests blood and danger.

As the title fades away there is a low angle wide shot of fields rustling in the wind. The diegetic sound effect is exaggerated to create an essence of anticipation for the audience as it leads to a false expectation of something about to happen. As the scene cuts to an aerial shot there is an establishing shot of a old crooked house in a desolate piece of land. This is a typical convention of a horror/thriller genre film as it builds up tension.

One of the interesting elements of the shot is that it is edited in a grey filter, which creates a de-saturation of colours making everything washed out indicating a isolating theme to the film. It also develops the mystic element of the opening. The house is emphasized in faint, which looks like, a sepia tone to imply an antique value making the audience anxious. This is another typical convention of a horror film as using the effect of something worn out or ancient creates an immediate effect of anxiety and builds up adrenaline for something to happen.