A2 MEDIA STUDIES

1. Horror Film Trailer Analysis #2
For the second horror film trailer analysis, I have decided to work with the US theatrical trailer for
Suspiria. This film is a supernatural horror released in 1977 and directed by Dario Argento, starring
Jessica Harper who plays a newcomer at a fancy ballet academy that gradually comes to realize the
school is a front for something far more sinister and supernatural amidst a series of grisly murders.
The trailer breaks down quickly after the beginning sequence starts to play, not conforming to follow
Todorov’s narrative structure. It begins with a medium close up of a female combing their hair from
behind before placing a flower in it, presented in front of black background and with back lighting
from above in order for focusing to take effect. Their jumper is pink, which is a feminine colour and
something that we would associate with being affectionate and caring. The background music plays
out like a music box; it’s enchanting and sounds mysterious, alluding to a something dark
approaching as the music builds up. We also hear dialogue, “Roses are red, violets are blue…” which
is a famous short love poem. However, the last lines “but the iris is a flower, that will mean death for
you!” dramatically change the scene as the female spins around to reveal her face is nothing but a
mere skeleton. This will of course immediately reel in the audience’s attention with shock at the
sight of this corpse. The film’s title then fades into the screen, visualised as beating chunks of veiny
flesh that spell out Suspiria, also replicating someone breathing heavily. We also hear a heavily
reverbed voice that whispers out the title, before cutting to the next part of the trailer. This will start
to raise the tension for the audience, as the whisper along with the way the title has been visualised
would send shivers down their spine.
This section of the trailer features a montage of clips from the film played out at a fast pace. The first
selection shows the a few cuts of the main character in a medium long shot, Suzy Bannion, running
in terror from a bright artificial red light as the building she is in is frequented by lightning strikes and
heavy wind. The colour red is connected with blood and death and the outside weather is a standard
convention to have in horror films, as it makes the setting gloomy and lessens chances of escaping.
The music box sound still plays on in the background, making the scene even more mysterious and
puzzling. It then cuts to medium shot which follows her tumbling down another corridor. You can
hear her sigh in fear (Suspiria means Sighs in Latin) as the walls begin to crack and begin to collapse
in front of her. There is enigmatic writing on the walls that would make the audience think that she
is not in a safe location at all. The overall pace of this montage of clips leads to the attraction of the
audience as they begin to wonder what is exactly happening and why Suzy is running away from
something. It then cuts to the same clip of the title being shown with the exact whispering voice
being used. This is reminding the audience the name of the film.
It then cuts to medium close up of another woman looking confused and scared, made effective with
the use of profile lighting. A gloved hand with a knife suddenly appears behind her and strikes her
face in the next cut, eliciting blood curdling screams as she tumbles away in terror. It then cuts to
her falling backwards into glass windows that mysteriously light up in red from above as she opens
and forces her way through a door, reinforcing the meaning behind the colour red – blood and
death. The same voice that whispers the title can be heard in the background, “You can hide from
Suspiria….” Yet again the fleshy title clip is shown again, constantly making sure that the title of the
film stays in the audience’s minds. This cuts to a medium shot of a blonde woman clutching hold of a

2. lamp in her hand as she looks out of the window, showcasing that she is trying to fend herself from
something outside in the darkness in front of her. Blonde women are associated with being dumb in
horror films and one of the first to die. This is indeed the case with Suspiria as she meets her bloody
end within the first ten minutes of the film. It then cuts to a close up of red eyes peering back at her
from the outside. We can relate red eyes with evil. This cuts back to the shot of the blonde woman
before a hand smashes through the window and grabs her as she is pulled towards the outside. We
also here the creepy narration completing his sentence, “…But you can’t escape.” It then fades to
the title again, except the distribution credits now appearing through a wipe across the title. The
screaming of the blonde woman can still be heard, enticing fear from the audience and making them
have the urge to see the film just to know what happens to her. This also ties in with the narration
that none of the audience can escape from seeing and hearing the title of Suspiria; in order for them
to get away, they have to watch the film.
The last scene depicts a cut of a door opening to reveal a bloody woman wielding a knife lunging at
someone unseen. It then cuts to a block of white text across a black background that reads “Coming
Soon” in bold and in uppercase. It gives the audience the knowledge that the film will be released
soon. This trailer overall is good for showcasing the immediate horror that it is trying to display to
the audience despite being short, however, it has no promising build up that would make tension
within the audience rise more. It also does not follow a complete narrative structure which also goes
against standard conventions of horror film trailers.