The Evil Dead

Directed by Fede Alvarez

The Opening title sequence of ‘The Evil Dead’ immediately grasps

the audience as pools of blood flow down a decaying staircase. The blood then begins splattering the walls and floors, as the amount is still increasing. Limbs are then chopped off, nails are stuck into skin, and a chainsaw cuts a body in an even more violent deaths. The screen is then covered with gallons of splashing blood and engulfed in flames.

The gory, horrifying opening gives the audience an insight into the films main theme of blood and gore.

It is cleverly made and uniquely directed by Fede Alvarez who is known for his association with horror. He sets the tone of the film as the horror/thriller that it is, shown in the sprays of blood and the crescendo of dramatic music.

The camera follows a dripping trail of blood from the staircase (much like Sweeney Todd), down to the basement where the massacre begins, in one very long framed shot.

Overview

The introduction of the running blood and dark lighting

immediately enforces the horror genre, due to the connotations of murder. This is one of the main themes in the film and the audience is made aware of this, achieving the aims of an opening sequence.

The use of the decaying staircase also enforces the horror genre, again because of the connotations of death.

The title of the film also highlights the horror genre as it is red connoting blood and has black veins running through the letters.

Because of these gory horror elements, it is likely to be aimed at a target audience of young adults.

The editing uses jump cuts and sudden movement which shocks the audience, putting them on edge, and enforcing the thriller genre.

Genre

The institutions that were involved in ‘The Evil Dead’

are companies that have produced lost of horror films.

It is produced by Bruce Campbell and presented by

Institutions

The key mise en scene in this opening sequence is the amount of

blood that is shown on screen. This highlights the gore and severity of the horror elements of the film, and prepares the audience for the content.

There are also mise en scene such as the chain saw and the nails, which are shown cutting into human flesh, again making the audience feel uncomfortable because of the gore.

Due to the mise en scene and the full on climax of gore, it is clear that the film would be aimed at an audience of adults, who like very extreme violence and horror.

Mise en Scene

• The title designer explores the theme of blood

and the horror genre in his typography through the red writing that I covered in veins.

• Credit names are highlighted in bold red writing to make their names stand out to the audience and highlight their significance.

• The bold typography is very similar to the opening sequence as it has a big impact on an audience because of t’s big brash nature.

• The colours chosen in the opening sequence are dark and dimly lit, creating the mood and atmosphere fit for a thriller/horror. This is contrasted with the bright red blood, again making it stand out and making it the key focus for the opening sequence.

Themes and Typography

Immediately the title appears central on screen as high

pitched notes repeat each other. This sudden introduction immediately stars the excitement in the audience and suggests the film is going to be full of action from the very beginning.

After this the music stops and the screen goes black. Then a crescendo suddenly begins as quite strings and a high pitched choir begin. This creates a very sinister feel for the audience and immediately connotes a horror gene.

This continues to build until the volume is very loud and lots of instruments are playing to show the massacre that is taking place, building the tension and adding even more horror to the event.

Music by Roque Banos

At the beginning of the sequence there are lots of continuous shots as

the camera follows the trail of blood down the stairs. As the sequence progresses, these shots begin to get smaller and more fast paced. This is representative of the mood throughout the film, and the building horror that it contains.

All of these elements being on screen constantly makes the audience feel on edge and in suspense as though they cannot get away from the connotations of death. This fits with the horror genre well and adds excitement for the audience.

The screen appears to have a slight shake throughout the whole sequence which then diminishes with the fire at the end. This shows the constant battle in the film and the resolution at the end through the destruction of the demons.

As the pace of the music quickens, so does the speed of the frames, and there are more jump cuts. This creates suspense and tension for the audience, creating the horror/thriller genre.

Editing

There are many close-ups used in the opening

sequence, which highlight the mise en scene such as blood.

Close-ups are effective at adding tension and adding to the horror genre, as the audience is limited to what they are seeing, making them cautious.

There is a tilt used in the beginning of the sequence to show the blood flowing down the rotting staircase.

There are tracking shots used to show the blood which gives the audience the impression that the blood is in control, because there is so much blood and because it is everywhere, this gives the impression that the film is a massacre of horror and unpredictable nature.

Camera Work

The titles do not move or fly onto the screen they

appear boldly on screen. The names of actors do not appear until later on on the sequence, suggesting they are less significant. This makes the audience believe that the lives of the people in the film are not valued, and with all of the blood it is clear they are in danger.

I believe watching and analysing this opening sequence has helped me understand what I need to include in mine because I now have a better knowledge of what credits to include to make mine more authentic and believable.

Credits

This title sequence is effective at using a range of mise en

scene that connotes the horror genre, similar to what I plan to use in my final piece.

There is not a range of camera shots and movement in this sequence, so I will aim to use a wider variety in my own sequence.

The use of building suspense by not introducing characters until later on in the sequence is effective, and I will use something similar in my own.

The soundtrack used in this sequence is also effective at creating tension and adding suspense, due to the crescendo. To achieve the thriller genre in my own sequence I will build the instruments to form a crescendo similarly to this.

My Final Piece