Research - Horror Opening Analysis: The Ring

Malevolent Phantom 

Horror Opening Analysis: The Ring

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gIuCfnmPQg

The opening sequence we are able to hear the sound of heavy rain and is carried from the beginning of the film. The image of the distribution company DreamWorks fades into an establishing shot of the house, the lighting is dark suggesting it’s evening which is a convention of a horror movie and the sound of the rain set the mood. The camera zooms into the house and we able to hear dialogue from the characters that are talking. The characters are in a room with the lights dimmed casting a shadow, which gives a sense of comfort as they unlikely that the antagonist is going to appear. The characters seem to be teenagers as they’re dressed in their school clothes. They’re positioned in front of the television however we’re not able to see the TV but as the girl is pointing toward the camera with the remote and also we are able to hear the non-diegetic sound of the TV playing. Becca is sitting on the floor that could suggest that Katie is the main character. The camera shot zooms towards the characters faces as they are having a conversation. The character Katie is wearing a white shirt suggesting her innocence youth but on the other hand Becca is wearing a black cardigan, which may suggest that she’s hiding something. The close up of the character shows the tired emotion and they seem bored then Becca moves onto the bed suggesting that she has moved into a position of power as she begins to tell Katie about a tape. The camera zooms into an over the shoulder and shot reverse shot is used while they have a conversation. The close up of Katie face shows the shock and scared expression as the suspense builds. Becca tells a story about the past, which is a convention of a horror movie because the plot revolves on the story. After they have a convention the camera zooms out into a medium shot as Katie begins to pretend that she’s dying as Becca looks concerned. In the background a quite eerie sound builds up as Katie lies onto Becca but Katie laughs so Becca pushes Katie on the floor. There is high angle shot which makes Katie seems weak and vulnerable. Suddenly the phone rings and Katie looks to her left and the eye line match is used so the viewers see what she’s looking at.  A non-diegetic sound used as the camera zooms into the clock that shows the time, which is 10 o’clock.  The close up of both girls using shot reverse shows the fear in Katie’s face whilst Becca realizes.

The camera shot cuts into the bottom floor as there is a close up of the phone at the end of the corridor but the background is out of focus until the character comes so the focus shifts onto the girl. After picking up the phone a tracking shot is used as Becca is going from one room to another however the focus is on Katie, the phone call turned out to be a false alarm but build up tension. The camera zooms out and turns in to medium shot establishing the new setting then the camera zooms tracking her as she moves. She grabs a drink; the camera shot is a medium shot which makes her the main focus of the shot whilst the kitchen in background isn’t on focus. She is then distracted by the diegetic static noise, which is coming for the living room. The camera turns into an extreme close up showing her scared expression when she notices that the TV is making static noise in the living room. There is a long shot of the living room then the camera returns back to the character that’s looking around the room for anything suspicious. As she enters the living room there is low-key lighting used to create a dramatic effect in the scene. There is a use of dialogue “Rebecca quit being a bitch, where is the remote” this suggest that they’re close and she believes that her friend making a fun of her. She picks up the remote and turn off the television then walks away however she soon stops when the television turns back on suggesting that the antagonist is near. The character is frustrated because she shouts; the dialogue suggests that she still believes that her friend is playing and messing with her mind. The camera zooms in slowly to show that the character is vulnerable and the audiences are able to see that she’s frightened because of her body language. The girl walks toward the television and she stop so the camera turns into a close up of her face which shows that she’s panicking as she pull the power cable of the TV (Match on Action). The camera pans around which stops behind her however she turns around quickly as she hears something so the camera pans quickly towards the kitchen.

There is a close up of her face, which shows that she very startled and afraid by this. Cautiously she moves to the kitchen when the fridge door opens which shows that there are paranormal activities occurring. The editing pace gets faster as the shot cuts back to Katie who goes off the shot as she hurries to close the fridge door then a close up shows her nervous expression as she breathes heavily. The character looks toward the hallway then there is an over the shoulder shot and the hallways is in focus which shows that she’s going through the hall. There is eerie non-diegetic sound so the audience may believe that there will be a presence of the antagonist soon. There is a high angle shot from the stairways, which the character peeks out, as she’s anxious; the shot makes her look helpless and defenseless. The camera is in a long shot, distorting the character and focuses on the liquid which is on the floor which looks like it’s coming from the locked door. When she comes up the camera focuses on her as she slowly walks towards the liquid that’s coming from the room. The character steps on the liquid, which shows that its water then she stands outside the door; there close up shot shows her cautious expression. There is an extreme close up of the doorknob as the character reaches her hand to open the door then it moves back to her face. There is a setting change, which shows the inside of the room that the main character is opening. As soon as she opens the door there is a close up of the TV that shows woodland scenery then it zooms out quickly then it zooms rapidly toward Katie that has a shocked expression then her face changes into the antagonist that has possessed her. The opening ends with the static of the T.V.