Locations In Existing Media

Texts.

• On the previous slide is the house used within the film ‘The Conjuring’ a Possession Horror, which as part of our thorough research when looking at existing locations within horror films this particular setting inspired us for our own location within our trailer ‘The Chosen One’. The old misty house looks ghost like and abandoned when looking at it, the audience feel spine chilling making you not want to enter the premises. This is a prime example of the codes and conventions of stock locations within Possession films as this is what the audience expect and need to see when watching one, as meeting to the audience’s needs and wants are key within Horror films in order to make them effective and successful. Abandoned and secluded homes in areas where there is no one around sets the scene and mood for the film giving the audience a hint as to what they are about to watch, the audience are left wondering what has happened in this house and what events have occurred here within the past. Houses like the one exampled in the previous slide always hold some of the narrative structure and the audience are always told of something that has happened in the past such as suicides, murders or other horrific events. It is always common that the audience realise that it is in fact the spirits of these murdered/dead characters that are coming back and haunting the family and the house before the family do adding emphasis to the narrative as well as creating fear for the audience. The rope that is pictured hanging from the tree before you head towards the house clearly connotes death and danger, giving a clear warning sign not to go into this house but also foreshadows maybe later events which will occur.

• This stock location again in the previous slide has been taken from the film ‘Insidious’ and ‘Sinister’. Both these locations are prime examples of conventional stock locations used within Possession Horror Films locations as they are both houses within rural areas where there are other houses around reflecting a friendly, family street. This then becomes effective and allows the audience to lose their safe sense of security as what they believe is safe is in fact not giving the audience a scare of realism as many of these events that happen within a family could happen to the audience themselves, sometimes that is what makes Possession films more scarier than other genres. The stock location in this instance adds to the scare factor as the audience become indulged to the film and feel as if they are now the protagonist. The trees and buses surrounding the house enclose the house making the house seem a lot spookier and surrounded adding a sense of no escape. The single light on the porch way makes the house seem darker and a lot more sinister as the audience are unable to see what is going on inside the house again adding effect to the narrative, and none of the rooms lights seem to be on yet the porch light is and no one is there to trigger it off making the audience feel as if there is someone or something unwanted entering the family home. I felt this was an appropriate stock location as the house we were planning to use was similar too this location as we decided to also use a family home becoming disrupted. Furthermore after seeing this location being used in a professional and effective manor within the films ‘Insidious’ and ‘Sinister’ as a group we also wanted to achieve the same in our film trailer‘The Chosen One’.