The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

In this establishing shot, vibrant, warm colours are used and the shot is well lit, suggesting a casual American road trip. According to Todorov, this would be the equilibrium that the fill would begin with and partially return to at the end of the film.

Here the equilibrium continues, the bright colours in shot crate a light hearted atmosphere, suggesting a film of the road trip genre rather than horror. The people in the shot appear to be laughing creating a fun-loving representation of young adults. The woman appears to be dressed quite promiscuously and looks care free, creating a naive representation of women. This could be linked to the male-gaze aspect of the horror genre.

. In this shot the audience are presented with an enigma, who is that girl and why is she walking down such a deserted road alone? The audience are begining to get drawn in by the puzzles and mysteries presented by the trailer. The haziness of the girl and the dominance of the van could suggest that she may be in a confused state, unaware of her surroundings. The use of a non-urban setting reinforces the group’s isolation, if they do get into trouble they will be alone and forced to fend for themselves.

Amongst a succession of shots, the audience are shown obscure objects, creating enigmas, additionally appealing to an audience that are interested in intellectual puzzles, trying to debunk where these objects fit into the film. The low key lighting creates a creepy and sinister mise en scene. The skeleton is the main focus of the shot and is iconic with death; the use of this icon could be a hint as to what lies in store for the characters in the film.

Here, the audience are presented with another enigma, who is it that is looking through the blinds? The low key lighting and the fact that the person in indistinguishable could indicate that it is the villain of the film. This adds to the rising action, contributing to the climax.

The female character is isolated, putting her in a vulnerable position, which adds to the rising action. The hand-held shot creates the impression that she is being watched, reinforcing her vulnerabiltiy and adding yet another enigma, who is it that is watching her? This scene also adds a sense of visceral pleasure. Another enigma created is that we never see what startles the character, contributing to the sense of mystery. This scene also appeals to the male gaze, the medium shot is focused on an attractive young woman who may drawn in a audience due to her looks, suggesting the target audience might be male.

According to Freytag’s pyramid, this would be the climax of the trailer, the short, rapid shots and interjections of sharp, non-diegetic, twang sounds add tension and disorientation. The audience are shown the most chaotic shots very quickly; this creates a sense of confusion that mirrors that of the characters in the trailer. Once again lots of enigmas are created, why are the girls screaming and where are those sparks coming from?

The low angle shot here adds to the character’s power. The low key lighting and the fact that the audience are situated at the bottom of the stairs suggest a descent into danger and the hands of the villain. Due to the positioning the audience are made to feel very vulnerable, the light behind the villain gives the audience a glimmer of hope as there might be an escape from the madness.

The typography here is simple; the use of a bold font and capital letters make the title crisp and clear and therefore more likely to stick in the audience’s mind. The black background and silver font make the title stand out because there is nothing else in the shot to detract attention away from the title. The title is shown in the last few seconds of the trailer to reinforce the product name.