Trailer Analysis: Scary movie

 Scary movie is a comedy horror film. Despite having the comedy element it still follows a lot of the codes and conventions featured in traditional horror trailers. The trailer starts of parodying what a generic horror trailer would be. The camera zooms in onto one of characters but the camera ends up hitting her. This is making fun of some of the cinematography of an ordinary horror shot. After this the trailer puts more emphasis on the comedy element. It parody’s other things that you would see in other horror movies.

Unlike other horror trailers the pace of the trailer doesn’t significantly pick up as it goes on. This challenges what a generic horror trailer should be. Despite this though there is a clear equilibrium at the start of the trailer.

Despite the comedy element of the film there are still a lot of staples of the horror series embedded in the trailer. An example of this is the fact that the trailer mostly consists of the teenagers being provoked and hunted by the antagonist. This is very common in ‘slasher’ movies.  Another staple of the horror genre in the trailer is that the majority of the trailer is shot at night. In horror film/trailer usually all the abnormal/scary events happen at night or in a dark area. The trailer also features a lonely house In the middle of the woods, a traditional location for a horror film. The films also feature a final girl. We can tell this because she is white and lives in a massive mansion and doesn’t do anything that would be deemed bad in a conservative society such as drinking doing drugs and have sex before you are married.

The audience for scary movie would be a younger audience. Some of the reasons for this are that it is set in a high school and features a lot of teenagers. Another reason why younger people would prefer this film is because of the parody element of the film. Younger people are more likely to appreciate this type of humour. The unique selling point of this film is the fact that the entire film is a parody of the movies “Scream” and makes fun of the horror genre as a whole.

 

Codes and conventions

.The trailer does not follow the chronological order of the film

.The trailer has a “big finish”

.Equilibrium at the start of the trailer

Challenges to codes and conventions

.No quotes from critics about the movie

.No clear signifier

.Don’t show the actors names in the trailer

.The trailer has a lot more comedy than actual tension or suspense. The unique selling point of this film is the fact that the entire film is a parody of the movies “Scream” and makes fun of the horror genre as a whole.