Analyse the codes and conventions of horror films as shown in the openings of 'Dead Wood', 'Dead Mary' and 'Wrong Turn'.

• key:camera shots angle and movements ,sound ,editing,mise-en-scene ,codes and conventions

  Wrong turn

  In the remote forest of West Virginia, Halley Smith (Yvonne Gaudry) and Rich Stoker (Joel Harris) are rock climbing on a cliff. As Rich prepares to help Halley, she witnesses his sudden murder. Someone begins to pull Halley up the cliff so she cuts the rope and falls to the ground. Halley then attempts to escape to her car but trips over a piece of barbed wire before being pulled back into the woods, screaming, by one of the three cannibalistic mutant mountain men.
  The use of camera shots and angles consist crane shot movement to an establishing shot and then moves to a high angle on the girl to show she is below power to the male. The male’s point of view shot once reaches to the top is a long shot showing they are in total isolation then there is an extreme close up to show an intensity of danger.
  Editing of the opening consists of the times of climbing shows the great distance and how isolated they are. There was lots of cuts within a struggle of danger
  The use of sound the diegetic sounds were the sound of the leaves changing direction to the wind and birds singing to create a great presence of danger. The non-diegetic sounds were the sounds of violins creating a dramatic atmosphere and the sound on the cable snapping loudly.
  Mise-en-scene in the opening was how the girl was dressed as a teenager so the audience can relate too. There was fake blood on the dead body to shock the audience with the goriness of death. The car symbolises safety however it was too far away which happens a lot in horror movies..
  Conventions of the film are how typical the location was an isolated environment and there was a small number of people there which was also predictable for a horror movie. When the girl started running to safety she tripped. Running through trees also happens generally in horror films. Also that the friend dies during the first five minutes of the movie.
  
  

  Dead Mary

  A young woman and a group of her school friends embark on a holiday weekend at a lakeside cabin to reminisce about their college days, only to run afoul of an evil spirit.
  Camera angles and shots firstly consist of a low angle and an extreme close up of an old damaged sign. Then changes to a establishing shot of a sign that shows they are in an isolated location as the next gas station is far away. Then it changes to a low angle on the side of the car which shows possible danger lurking towards the car.
  The editing is smoothly done there is the pace between each shot it is quite slow however later on when there is a possible threat the pace becomes faster to create a fight or flight response to the audience to make the build-up more intense.
  The use of sound the diegetic at the start was a metallic creaking noise moving side to side this created a dark, cold cricked effect to the audience and the sound of the birds singing gives a sense that of nature is nearby. The sound of the radio having no signal creates an effect of loneliness and vulnerability as they are in the middle of nowhere and there is nowhere to run to for safety. The non-diegetic sound was a static noise when a figure was getting closer to the car and the noise then would get louder as he got closer building up an intense atmosphere for the audience.
  Mise-en-scene the girls clothes were showing a lot of skin which teenagers can relate to. The map and flare gun symbolises that they are alone in the middle of nowhere. The car shows that there is an escape vehicle in case anything goes wrong. The fact the male is having to get petrol for the car shows it ran out and broke down which is common in horror movies.

  
  Dead wood

  Four friends escape the grime of the city and head out into the woods for a peaceful, relaxing weekend. Events take a sinister turn when a mysterious girl appears in their camo looking for her boyfriend. Soon the nightmare begins as they find themselves lost in an endless wilderness stalked by a deadly force. As those left fight for survival they will discover the true nature of fear.
  Camera angles and shots firstly consist of a long shot establishing shot of the woods then changes to a tracking in shot of the character running from danger and then to a close up to see the fear expression on the characters face. Then it carried on with mid shot of him running from the danger and a point of view shot of him battling through the leaves.
  Editing involved included lots of have cuts between shot while the character is trying to run away from the unidentified danger. There are lots of changes from mid shots to close ups so the audience can see the facial expression the character is making to show the emotions of the character.
  Use of sound the diegetic sounds were the birds singing and the non-diegetic sound was the fast pace music creating a sense of someone is following the characters footsteps. When he got to the cliff edge the music became more intense creating an effect of the danger is getting closer and closer creating a vulnerable effect to the audience.
  Mise-en-scene of dead wood was the fake blood the male character to create a gory effect. Both character were teenagers. The male was wearing ripped clothes which the audience can relate to when running through the woods. They had a tent which is quite typical for a horror movie.
  Conventions were how it was set in an isolated location such as a forest. Running away from the danger and how the character all ways stops and waits for the danger is common in horror films.
  
  
  Word count 1003