Slasher Horror Trailers

Rebecca Paterson

Conventions• Horror sub-genre- stimulates viewers mood, heightened

levels of; terror, fear, anticipation, dread, anxiety and surprise.

• Villain, mysterious psychopath killer or serial killer; strong, mental, stalks victim, physically deformed, violent and brutal, use of weapons and props; knife, cleaver, chainsaw, axe.

• Victim; teenage, rebellious, unaware of their surroundings• Hero; female, sensible, senses killer, last woman standing,

may or may not be killed at the end.• Location; isolated, college or campus like setting.• Thriller conventions; tension and suspension.

Narrative Structure of Slasher Trailers

• Establishing shot, sets the scene and introduces characters, and shows equilibrium.

• Building of a problem or crisis• Introduced to victim, and shows the disturbance of the

equilibrium• Teasing shots of the film, reveals the problematic

events but does not show the full extent• Further complication shown through a dramatic end • Trailer ends on a cliff-hanger, to keep the audience

hanging so they go and see the film.

1st Slasher Trailer – Texas Chainsaw Massacre

• Establishing shot is an old woman singing to a teenage girl, implies that she is looking after her. (implied equilibrium)

• Disturbance of the equilibrium is the teenage girl questions the woman, this implies that she doesn't know where she is and we get the idea that she is the victim.

• We get tease shots of teenage couples, in an isolated setting driving, then tease shots of a car crash.

• We see weapons; guns, chainsaw, knife, bear trap and brutal violence in tease shots in dark, low key lighting.

• Heightens levels of fear, fast paced editing. • The contrapuntal sound of the lullaby and the brutal violence creates

anticipation.• We don’t see the way the film ends – the new equilibrium – because then

we wouldn’t go and see the film.

2nd Slasher Trailer - Urban Legend• Equilibrium at the beginning, college campus,

students, party• Victims, teenage• Weapons, axe• Unknown villain• Stalks the victims• Serial killer• Anticipation• Fast paced• Quick editing

3rd Slasher Trailer - Prom Night• Equilibrium – teenage girls, on campus, prom, couples.• Fast paced editing low key lighting.• Villain, man, unknown identity.• Anticipation, fear, surprise.• Stalker obsession, serial killer.• Peeping tom, creeping, girl hiding from villain, cuts and he is next to

her, creates fear.• Cut cross scenes enforcing fast pace• Isolated campus• Weapons – knife• Use of reflections – mirror• Silence to loud screams• Lighting, low key, flashing• Typography – “night to kill for” ironic• No resolution – cliff-hangers