Horror character analysis - Freddy Krueger

The horror character I have chosen for this task is Frederick Charles also known as "Freddy" Krueger. Freddy is the horror character from the A Nightmare on Elm Street series of films. There are 8 A Nightmare on Elm Street films including a 2010 remake of the original 1984 film, also Freddy shares a role in Freddy vs. Jason. Freddy plays in 9 horror films ranging from 1984 to 2010 making him a well known historic horror character.

The A Nightmare on Elm Street series are American slasher films that consist of Freddy stalking teenagers and then killing them in their dreams, but it was not just a nightmare, what would happen in their dreams would affect them in the real world.

The background of Freddy is very disturbing but explains why he does what he does. The reason behind Freddy stalking and killing teenagers is for revenge. He kills the teenagers of parents that once burned him alive. This storyline was expanded during the television series and each episode had a different individual plot. Novels were next written but didn't follow the series of films or television series. The original film and storyline was written and directed by Wes Craven.

To look at Freddy is very scary, I think the outside of Freddy is meant to be the flesh and muscle that lays beneath the skin, from when he was once burned alive. Seeing someone without any skin or hair is surreal and unnatural, which we find frightening. The horror character always has an iconic mark on them that makes them known as the bad guy from the start, this can range from a sinister looking scare on their face to having nails sticking out of their head/face, like Pinhead.

Freddy also has a metal glove with blades on the ends of the finger tips that he uses to kill his victims. Having blades attached to your fingers would make killing victims much easier, there's nothing to hold and there is nothing to drop. One sweep or claw with the hand would slice through the victims making the glove horrific and something to fear. Every scary horror character has an iconic prop they use to kill their victims for example, Ghostface from the series of Scream films uses a hunting knife, Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre uses a chainsaw, Jack from The Shining uses a axe to kill his victims. All these weapons are just tools are sharp objects anybody could buy or find, Freddy's glove is very unique and rare, the idea of it is simply genius and they are impossible to find or buy, by the looks of it he had made it himself which means he is smart and is always thinking about killing. Freddy has invented a killing device which is on another level of evil, making him more sinister and making the audience fear him.

Freddy wears normal everyday clothing which may be a disguise to try hide his appearance whilst stalking the teenagers in the real world. The trilby hat and striped jumper have now become iconic clothing which is recognised almost worldwide, this basic iconic outfit has also become a typical Halloween costume.

Here is the original 1984 trailer for A Nightmare on Elm Street. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdb_HSvf2Zk

Here is the 2010 remake trailer for the same film. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuYoEtEI_go

The 2010 trailer shows you Krueger's death and reason behind why he's stalking and killing these teenagers. I couldn't find a 1984 trailer that did the same, I haven't watched the 1984 film either so I'm not sure if it shows and explains why Krueger is doing this. I think it is always crucial to show the reason behind why the killer is seeking revenge because it is more understanding to those who didn't look into the film plot.

It is obvious straight away the Freddy has changed, he is more animated now in the 2010 film, making his flesh and wounds seem more realistic and believable. The glove in the 2010 also looks different, it looks more modern and mechanical, also I noticed the blades on the end of the fingers are sharper and bigger.

Overall, Freddy is a legendary horror character, attacking his victims in their lonely dreams where they are unable to get anyone's help or stop Freddy from what he is doing. His glove is iconic and a horrific genius invention, doing what Freddy has set out for, killing the teenagers of the parents that burned him alive. The storyline is terrifying and amazing as well as the film.

Role of the Production Company

The production company plays a huge role in the release of a new film. They are in charge of the complete production and control the organisation for scenes are hiring people for that scene and the script they read. It's fair to say that the production company are in main control over the film.

It all starts with an idea, the production company will read through a well written plot summing up the idea and storyline. The production company will discus if they think if it is good enough idea, if the genre and type of the film is good, will it be popular and if it fits in well with the current popular sub genre films.

Once deciding if they think it's a good investment the production company will then agree and stick with the film until finish.

Then will begin the production of the film, the Development is the first step to making a film, funding is started for the teams and experts needed to make this film up to professional standard, such as an editing crew, sound crew, lighting, marketing and many more.

Next will be the Pre-Production of the film, this basically is the start of the idea for some scenes and shots in the film. Also a key production team must of been assembled for this part, such as a manger and a head for each department.

Once teams are sorted and ideas have been made for certain shots or parts of the film the Film Making will then take place. This is the bulk of the process that could take the longest out of all stages, each shot needs to be perfect and approved by the production company or manager for it to be allow to go in the film.

The final step of this process will be the Post Production, this is where the clips are all edited together, music is added, titles are added and the film is completed. The production company advertises the film and then sends it to cinemas for viewing.

There are many ways production companies advertise there film, trailers would be made and played on television or on the internet, posters will be made and distributed to cinemas, as well as billboard posters. Sometimes audio adverts would of been made and aired on the radio, and the list goes on.

Here are a few examples of major production companies you may have seen before the beginning of a film.

Jaws poster analysis

The reason I chose to analysis this film poster is because of how basic and simple it is. This poster consists of the film title, and a drawn image of the moment before a shark attack. Straight away with combination of the title and image it's clear what this film is going to be about. The sea is huge, taking up the highest percentage of room on earth, the deeper the sea is the darker it is, and what we can't see in the dark scares us. This is why I think they have used this image in their poster, the shark looks like it's coming out of the deep dark sea and the shark is very well blended in, colour wise.

There is no slogan or any other information apart from the title of the film and the clue of the image they have used. The colour of the font is red, which is very common in horror posters because red implies danger and sometimes death. The colour red in this poster also stands out really well from the white sky and blue sea. The actual font looks quite cartoon based and not so sinister in my opinion. The image looks like it has been drawn which allows the artist to place the lighting and shading where it is most effective on the characters. Most of the lighting on the shark has been placed on the teeth as well as the outline of the shark and it's features that makes the audience notice it's a shark. The teeth look like they have been over exaggerated maybe to link with the film title or to make the shark look more frightening.

Friday 13th poster analysis

The thing I like most about this poster is that it has an empty feel to it. There is no slogan or any information given away. The only thing in this poster is a mask and the release date. These are the only two things in the poster which give no clue about the film, I like this because it seems mysterious.

Another form that encourages the empty feel in this poster, is the plain black background, there is no other colour or object of effect that makes it seem that there is anything there e.g. a doorway, shadow or light source. This not being about to see anything makes it more scary, there could be anything there behind the mask, someone could actually be wearing the mask but because of the lighting we are unable to see it. The darkness is the easiest but most scariest thing that you could use in a horror film, not being able to see what is there makes our minds wonder and imagine what could be there. Simple yet very effective.

The lighting on the mask is very well done, the lighting makes the mask look like it is fading away into the darkness, or coming out from the darkness. The lighting is hitting the mask at an angle which allows the scratches, dents and worn parts show. This old battered up and worn mask is typically a very scary prop, the scratches and marks hold stories of what the mask has been through, this gives off another mysterious effect that makes the audience fearful but curious.

Because of my film knowledge I know that 'February 13' is the release date not the name of the film, this poster is for Friday the 13th. It makes me wonder why they didn't add the title of the film but only the release date, but then I realised that February 13 would probably be on a Friday of that year. This subtle hint makes the audience think about the title and release date, making them remember it, and most probably look up about it or just go and watch it without looking into it. Another simple but very effective technique to draw the audiences attention.

Orphan poster analysis

The slogan is used to give an idea or reveal something about the film. “There’s something wrong with Esther.” This slogan implies that there will be trouble in the film, or that something bad will happen to Esther or something bad will happen because of Esther. The slogan leaves a cliff hanger, leaving the audience wanting more. This slogan runs along the top of the poster, and it's written in thick bold text to draw attention to it.
The background in this poster is really dull and basic. It looks like she’s just standing in front of a hospital/ medical related wall. It's dark which is common for slasher/horror films, hinting from first glance that it's going to be a dark film. The lighting has been fully focused on Esther’s face; the light has been made to give Esther evil looking shadows on her cheeks and eyes. The way Esther's face has been lightened shows that there is two different sides to her character in this film. The font used in this poster is naïve and childlike implying the film is based around or uses children. The font looks like it has been scratched out with a sharp object or weapon, which implies that it is a horror film. They have made the release date bigger than all the other text, but not as big as the title so it stands out. They add the release date onto the poster so they know when it comes out so they can go and see it, also adding it onto the poster makes the audience who liked the poster and read the poster, remember when it is released. Esther has  ribbons has black ribbons in her hair which is typically seen as something a young female would wear. Esther also seems to be wearing a ribbon around her neck with looks more sinister and evil. The clothing Esther is wearing is a blue dress which is more child typical and friendly, I think the light coloured dress and dark purple ribbon conflict each other, showing two sides of Esther.

Let the right one in film analysis

Let the right one in

Let the right one in is a Swedish romance horror film released in 2008. Directed by Tomas Alfredson, produced by Carl Molinder and John Nordling. This film is based on the 2004 vampire fiction novel Let the right one in by John Ajvide Lindqvist.

The film starts off by showing the background and lifestyle of the two main characters Oskar and Eli. Oskar is a young Swedish school boy, that's having a tough time at school because of the fact that he is getting bullied. Oskar also has separated parents and lives with his mother in a block of apartments. Eli is a young vampire girl, who looks roughly the same age as Oskar. Eli's father is helping Eli survive by draining the blood of humans into a container and feeding it to Eli. This prevents Eli from giving away her identity as a vampire to the public.

The first time Oskar and Eli meet is in the local park central of all the blocks of apartments. This happens at night time which is the only possible time of day Eli can come outside without burning to death. Oskar and Eli become close friends and end up helping each other out.

This follows Todorov's theory, Oskar meets Eli and becomes friends with her, this starts to make changes in his life, Oskar becomes more confident over the bullies and ends up hitting one of them round the face with a piece of wood. This jump from normal everyday life to the meeting of Eli and the changes it has on his life is a clear equilibrium. Oskar then finds himself in lots of danger, he discovers that Eli is a vampire and due to them becoming friends he tries to help her survive and keep any attention drawn to Eli away, this is recognition of the problem. Eli decides to move away which is her trying to fix the problem that she has created. This leaves Oskar in a vulnerable state and finds himself being dunked in a swimming pool. As Oskar thinks all hope is lost, the bully's body parts appear to be thrown into the pool, this turns out to be Eli who has returned to help Oskar. They are reunited and travel to a new destination, this is the final new equilibrium.

From the official trailer for this film, it's made obvious that it's a vampire film. Oskar asks Eli if she is a vampire and she reply's with "would you like me anyway?", Eli isn't denying she is a vampire and previous clips before this final clarification show Eli feeding on human's. The two main characters in this film are children, as they show in the trailer, this makes the film feel less frightening because children are younger and smaller than most of the audience who watched this film. Using a child as a horror character changes the stereotypical features of the horror character, usually the main horror character in a film will be a big, strong, aggressive male. Eli is disguised as a young girl but is actually an aggressive strong vampire when thirsty for blood. When the audience see that the horror character is a child they wont feel frightened, but when they see Eli in action feeding on humans they will know not to be fooled, horror characters can take any shape or form.

The reason this film falls into the horror genre is because of the blood thirsty vampire that hunts and kill humans. Vampires also posses superhuman strength and also the ability to fly and run extremely quickly. These abilities are frightening and in the use of evil; hunting and killing humans, makes theses films scary and threatening. Vampires are usually corpses been brought back to life or humans been bitten and transformed into a vampire, either way the victim - new vampire is no longer a living human. In this film Eli the vampire is a young girl, which means she was either bitten or a corpse been transformed into a vampire. This corpse that wonders the earth feasting on the living typically falls into the horror genre; the dead being brought back to life, killing.

The main characters and dominant characters in this films are obvious. The whole film is based round the life of the child Oskar, showing his normal everyday life, the encounter of him becoming friends with a vampire and the troubles it get's Oskar in and the solving at the end. I would say the main character is Oskar because the film revolves around him. But the dominant character would be Eli because she is the confident influential character. During the film Oskar takes control at one point when he stands up to his bully, this was majorly influenced by Eli.

In conclusion, this is a modern day vampire film, the genre and it's mythological creature was put into a realistic situation of todays time. This film follows Todorov's theory and the tradition of the vampire. This film is a typical horror film full with loads of lots of blood and jumpy scenes. The ending of the film takes a twist, when usually the vampire would die for it being the evil character, Eli survives and continues to live but just in a different location, which can lead the film on into a sequel if wanted to.

Here is the trailer for Let the right one in: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZJUgsZ56vQ

Saw 2 film analysis

Saw 2 film analysis
 

Saw 2 is part of a series of gore horror films, which put a group of people who have done wrong in a life or death situation. Gregg Hoffman has produced the first four Saw films; Saw 2 came out in 2005.

The opening scene is a taster of what you will see throughout the film. Although there are links the Saw films do not follow on from each other so the audience are able to start watching the films with any starting point.

This film follows both Todorov’s and Propp’s film theories. It contains a villain who is known as Jigsaw, a hero who is a police officer and father to the victim. The film follows all the stages of Todorov’s theory until the end when there is a twist, Jigsaw has captured his son and makes the father think he is in danger but it turns out the son is in a safe in the same room as the hero and villain the whole time. Another thing that uses Todorov’s theory is all the weapons Jigsaw uses to kill or threaten to kill his victims. The mask Jigsaw also uses falls into Todorov’s theory; the mask looks monster like and is surreal.

Because this is the second Saw film, the audience who have already seen the first Saw film already have set expectations. They already know that the movie contains horrific gore, it’s just the matter of how and creative the killing can get. The trailer for the film starts with what happened in the previous film, but then divides the trailer by adding a shot of Jigsaw on a TV saying “I want to play a game”. It then shows the group waking up in a house, and being told by Jigsaw that they are already breathing in toxic fumes. The audience may guess from the fact the trailer doesn’t build up, it just goes straight to the gore. This shows that the film will be intense and there won’t be any rest from the horrific situations.

Gore has rightly been categorised into the horror genre, because of its bloody violence and creative attitude towards murder. During the making of this film, gore horrors were at an all-time high in the cinema industry. Saw was not all that different from the other gore films being released in this time period, the only reason it was different is because of the already existing Saw film, which turned into a series. Although there are several Saw films out, the storyline does not continue straight into the next film, it starts with a whole new game but with a few links into the previous film. The Saw films do progress in the creativity of violent gore, which is probably why the Saw films still remain so popular, and were continued being made for this amount of films.

Later on in the film, after the first prisoner is killed, the other characters start taking on roles. Jigsaw revealed that the quiet and mysterious Obi was the person who helped Jigsaw capture all of the other characters and bring them to him. Once the group found this out they all turned on Obi and he became vulnerable, the group decided almost forced him to play Jigsaws next game, doing so he died. Amanda being a survivor of the previous Saw encounter, she becomes

The dominant leader in the beginning of the film is Amanda, trying to find safe ways out whilst still obeying Jigsaws rules. Later on Xavier becomes the leader of the group for a certain amount of time, until other group members start disagreeing with him. At one point he takes charge and decides who should play one of the games Jigsaw has provided. Xavier throws Amanda, who is secretly involved with Jigsaws game, into a pit of syringes. I think this is sexist, the male taking charge and sacrificing a female’s life to save his own. Amanda survives and continues to lead the group further and further into Jigsaw's game.

The twist in this film that did not follow Todorov’s theory was one of the prisoners actually being Jigsaw's prop, and secretly leading the rest of the group through Jigsaw's plan. She kept Daniel safe and prevented him from being put into any of Jigsaws games. She also let all the other prisoners die and not find the cure for the toxic gas they were breathing in the whole time.

In conclusion, this film is part of a series of the world most well-known gore horror films and sticks to its genre of gore throughout the series. It's creative but gruesome scenes have disgusted the audience, with all intention to. The characters follow Propp's theory, leaving the audience feeling like they can trust certain characters, but were proven wrong when the film twists at the end. The film ended with only two survivors, Daniel and Amanda, but Daniels father the police officer ends up becoming a prisoner to Amanda after he was trying to save his son. The enables the films to continue with the same storyline or a completely different storyline, leaving the audience excited to see the next Saw film.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43vIxz2SRVo Here is the official trailer for Saw 2.