Analysis of a Horror Film Opening

Anisah Shoaib Shah

The Woman in Black

"The Woman in Black" 2012 is a horror movie about A
young lawyer who travels to a remote village where he
discovers the vengeful ghost of a woman who haunts the
town where she died dressed in black, hence "The Woman
in Black". The opening scene follows all the conventions of a
horror movie.
The opening scene begins with a close up shot of two
delicate china tea cups on a wooden table; this already
suggests that the film is set in a pre-dated era since they are
regarded as Victorian toys. This is followed by two close ups
of the cups being drunk by two dolls. This gives a strong
indication that little girls are playing with these toys. This is
confirmed by the following shot where you see the three
girls playing in a mid-shot. This shows the girls together and
shows they are a group. The girls have perfectly made hair, are wearing pretty dresses and
have a look of innocence on their face. The girls then brush their doll's hair and tuck the dolls
into their beds and these actions are shown in close ups. The movement between these
different shots creates a smooth calm feel which helps to relax the audience and it is all at a
slow pace. We can see that these little girls are very innocent and are having a good time
playing together.
The non-diegetic music is played quietly in the background which also fits in with the era the
film is portraying, it is synchronized with the little girls actions, and the low volume of the
music fits in with the innocent representation of the girls. The paces of the shots are also
harmonized with the non-diegetic sound as they are very slow. The mysterious depiction of the
close up shots of the dolls is seen next, which is one of the stereotypical conventions of a horror
movie due to their creepy, blank expressions, representing the old era of toys.
The music soon gets softer and more mystical in a sense that it suggests fantasy and magic.
This can hint that a scary action is soon to be followed because the film is creating enigmas for
the audience and the audience does not know what to expect.
The next shot is a high angle shot of the three girls who then turn to look at the camera with
blank expressions on their faces and they all fall into sync. Their synchronized movements do
not stop until the end of the scene. The three girls looking at the camera indicates that this is a
Point Of View shot although the audience does not know whose point of view it is but that it is
an adult figure as the girls look up. The camera displays a mid-shot so the audience is able to

Analysis of a Horror Film Opening

Anisah Shoaib Shah

observe the surroundings and look at the old-fashioned furniture which fits in with the location
adding to the mise en scene of the whole scene.
After looking at the camera, the girls all turn to look at the window which is then shown
through a mid-shot as well as the camera panning inwards on the window. This gives an
impression to the audience that the window is going to become a big part of what is going to
happen next in the story. The girls then get up and we see a mid shot of the girls looking at the
3 windows. This is followed by multiple different shots of the cups dropping on the floor,
crushing the dolls faces and walking over their dolls. The diegetic sounds add depth to the
scene. At this point, the mood of the scene completely changes. It is as if the girls are
hypnotized by some sort of evil entity present.
Next, the frame jumps to a mid-shot from behind the girls and you see them climb onto the
window ledge and reach for the handle of the window. We see a close up of the girls hands
opening the handle. The shot then changes to the backs of all three girls and you see all of them
step onto the window sill and jump whilst still in sync. The music is key at this point as it builds
up when they jump and after they have jumped, we observe silence and we then hear a scream
and someone crying 'my babies'. This almost gives the audience chills and raises enigmas as to
why did the girls jump? Who hypnotized them? Why were they all in sync?
After this scene we see a close up of one of the dolls face and the shot returns to the windows
and it pans out showing the whole room but also, revealing a dark mysterious figure on the
right side of the frame. This scene then fades out.
What we also notice in this film opening is that all of this happens in broad daylight thus
showing high key lighting. This creates an eerie atmosphere because most horror killings take
place at night in the dark. It shows the audience to expect the unexpected and this raises the
enigmas.