1. Sinister Review

2. An establishing shot is used to
show where the film is going to
take place and insinuate that it is
an important part of the film.
The shot uses low key lighting to
show that it is a dangerous place
and sets the scary feel for the
rest of the trailer. The darkness
connotes evil so the audience
will now associate the house Establishing shot of the house in the dark
with evil.
Fast paced editing is used to disturb
the audience as it flashes on the
screen in between the establishing
shot. It is a symbol and connotes evil
or the devil, which shows that the film
is scary and has an evil presence in the
house.

3. Disturbing images of a family are shown in an
order that allows the audience to quickly
understand what happened to them. The red
ring around the girl shows that she has been
chosen by the devil. The red shows blood
which shows death and pain. The next picture
is the child’s drawing of her family being hung.
This shows that she is either planning to kill
them or already has. The contrast of the child
and murder shows that the film may be quite
disturbing and isn’t normal. The last picture is
of the family’s legs on the ground, insinuating
that they are dead. Throughout the montage
of the pictures the flash of evil is used, which
shows that it is controlling the girl. A voice
over is on talking about the murder of a family
showing that it is in the past and
foreshadowing what is going to happen to the
new family that move in. It also confirms the
audience’s idea of a murder within the family

4. There is a montage of the new family moving in to make the
audience feel sympathy because they’re talking about making a new
start and how happy their lives in the new house will be. This is a key
convention of a horror film because to find the film more scary you
have to like the characters and want the best from them. By showing
that the house is dangerous at the start the audience know that
something bad is going to happen to the family and want to carry on
watching to find out. The non diegetic music used is eerie, indicating
that their thoughts for the future isn’t right and they will be hurt in
some way.

5. The dad goes into the loft to find a solitary box in the middle.
The lighting is low key to show that this box is dangerous or evil.
After the box is shown it says some well known films that are
produced by the same people. They are horror films too so
reinforce the genre to the audience. He finds old family films in
the box and watches them in a dark room which indicates that
something bad is going to happen whilst he is watching them.
The family videos show a normal family which would make the
audience think that something could happen to the new family.
A quick flash of the family dead cuts the happy images up and
the dad jumps up, scared, and switches it off. The fast paced
editing of this bit builds tension up to the part where a lightning
strike sound comes on and the dead family are shown.

6. The dad finds the the pagan symbol, which has
connotations of evil and horror so shows that something
bad is going to happen to the characters. He finds out that
the symbol means that the pagan deity which takes over
the souls of children. The innocence of the children make
it scary because they are vulnerable. It is a key component
for a horror film because it gives the evil character a sense
of power.

7. He looks at old images of the deity in
pictures. The face is distorted which
is a key convention of horror movies
because the unknown is scary. He
holds the picture up to where it was
taken in his garden and as he takes it This shows that something bad is going to
downs there is a loud crashing happen because he has returned.
ambient sound and he is stood there.

8. When the characters know that they are in danger a fast paced
montage is shown to quickly show the audience what sort of
things happen to the family. Throughout it there is screechy music
and screaming from the child to cause tension and fear.