An analysis of a clip from the horror film, “The Boy”.

              Throughout the film, ‘The Boy’, the audience are given a variety of sounds that allow them to feel a mixture of emotions. For instance, when Greta, played by Lauren Cohan, is cautiously walking around the house, I can hear the diegetic sound of creaking floorboards, which makes me feel uneasy and gives me the impression that there is a reason to why Greta should be quiet meanwhile, the fact that the audience can hear the shower running, indicates that the director is attempting to mask any sounds made from the sinister doll (Brahms), giving a disturbing atmosphere. Later on in the clip, Greta is locked in the loft attempting to find a way out, when suddenly she sees an ominous silhouette of a doll, making her jump. Due to the fact that we aren’t scared by this when there is no sound, the producer has decided to play non diegetic sounds on top of the recording such as sharp, high pitched noises; this non diegetic sound led me to feeling intimidated and on edge.

                Furthermore, the audience is constantly feeling frightened and uncomfortable throughout this clip as low key lighting is always used, as well as the occasional side lighting. The low key lighting has many different implications about the film, for instance, the audience gets the impression that the house has got a sinister background or the idea that the house is attempting to mask a much darker secret. I can empathise with Greta as most of this scene is filmed in the dark and I am scared of the dark. I can begin to understand the reasons why Greta is feeling scared and apprehensive as I am engaging in the film, the way that she is living it for real. Moreover, as Greta notices the doll sitting in a different position to what it was in, in the first place, side lighting is used on Brahms’ face. This side lighting can portray the idea that he is a scary, intimidating and conflicted character. I mostly associate dolls as innocent and a child’s toy, however this lighting gives me the impression that Brahms is that of a supernatural being and the idea that he has an evil, dangerous side.

                Additionally, throughout the clip, a variety of camera angles, shots and movements were used to convey specific points to the viewer, allowing us to feel what Greta feels. For instance, the camera uses high angles whenever we see Greta in order to present the idea that she is weaker than the unnatural identity that is haunting her, whilst dutch angles are used when we see Brahms in the clip to illustrate the idea that he is a very serious and possibly mentally deranged character. Meanwhile, the producer has tactically used a slow tracking movement of the camera, when Greta is in the shower, to show the type of movements that the paranormal doll is making, which makes me feel very edgy and tense as I know that something malevolent is going to take place very soon. Later on in the scene, Greta is seen crying out for help in the attic and we see how far away she is from help; this extreme longshot allows us to empathise with Greta as we begin to understand how daunting and helpless she may feel.

               

                  Overall, the producer uses a variety of techniques within this clip in order to get the audience to empathise with Greta and feel intimidated by Brahms. We can see that in this clip, there are a number of features of a horror film included, as mentioned before, for example: helplessness and nameless fears and anxieties.