Film Trailer Analysis

Sinister

This is the trailer for the supernatural horror ‘Sinister’. I will analyse different aspects of the trailer, to find out if it does a good job appealing the target audience and promoting the film. I will also see how well they follow the conventions of a horror film trailer.

At the beginning of the trailer we see the green preview screen that appears at the start of all film trailers. The screen cuts to black and the film company’s logo comes up in the style of an old film reel starting up, on a background that looks like a cracking grey wall. We see this style wall on the film’s poster, so there is already a symbiotic link being created between the two media texts. We hear a low lone drum beat as soon as the logo comes up, so maybe this indicates the start of something that will make our hearts drop.

The screen then fades to black and as the next shot fades in, we see the establishing shot of what looks like big house. The house completely fills up the frame from side to side, so we have no idea of what sort of location the house might be in which makes it look isolated. The shot seems to use some soft lighting which helps us make out the house, be keeping the light to a minimum to indicate that it’s night time. Night time is when people believe strange and unexplainable things happen, and is a time when people are most vulnerable. The light is still able to cast dark shadows, which is a general horror convention and indicates that the film will be of some kind of horror nature.

There is a sudden flash of colour and a strange symbol, however, the flash was so quick that the audience would not have been expecting it and wouldn’t have been able to register what they just saw. This flash was accompanied by a screeching noise. The sound sounded slightly digital but it could have also been trying to mimic a human screech.

The establishing shot then slowly starts to zoom in and we hear the non-digetic sound of a news report about a murder of a family. Since the camera is still fixed to the house whilst this report is being read out, we assume there is a connection between the murder and this house.

We then have another flash of the same symbol, then a photo of a family which we again assume are the murder victims. The news report carries on throughout these family shots. We see more cuts and dissolves of a murder scene and disturbing child like scribbles of people hanging. This makes the audience think about disturbed or possessed children because children are normally portrayed as good and innocent beings. This may also start to hint that the film is a supernatural horror because possessed children are a common convention of this sub-genre.

Then the camera returns to the establishing shot as the news report finishes. After that, we cut to a black screen with text that reads “9 months later” to signify a passage of time, and then a shot of the same house fades in. This time it’s daytime, so the house look more normal and less creepy. We can see a moving van next to the house that tells us that new people are moving in. This is followed by several shots of the new family unpacking and settling in. The lighting has had a massive change with much more ambient and natural light. This could be signifying that this family is not yet tainted with darkness, as seen in the long group shot of the family eating dinner. Everything around them is shrouded in shadows and the camera is shaking a bit which makes it look like someone is watching them from the shadows, but they are illuminated by the key lighting from the lamp which makes them look pure. However, it could also be said that it’s as if the darkness is surrounding and consuming them. We see shots of the father with his daughter which makes him appear to care for his family. However, when we see the shot of his daughter drawing on the wall, she doesn’t look happy and her drawings remind us of the disturbing scribbles. So maybe there is something going on with the child that the father hasn’t noticed.

Dialogue wise, we find out that they moved because of financial problems and because of work. As we see the family together and find out a bit about them, the audience will start to care for the characters and want their situation to improve.

Then we are shown a close-up shot of the daughter in her bed, surrounded by toys and drawing equipment. These props help to show the daughter’s childishness and purity as well as the key lighting that brightens her face. Then we see the parents in their bed showing their affection and illuminated by the same kind of key lighting in the previous shot to show they have the same kind of purity. All of this is done to show the audience the family’s equilibrium.

Up to this point, most of the shots have been fairly long and editing has consisted of mostly cuts and some dissolves to show that this is the narrative’s equilibrium. But all along, we can hear a low pitch sound that almost becomes like a hum in the background; as if something is lingering in the house and is observing everything that’s going on.

We then get the long shot of the father entering the dimly lit attic and the humming suddenly stops, as if to suggest that there is evil lurking near by, or that this is the source of the humming. This sudden silence will create tension because we know that this is the part where the equilibrium starts deteriorating. We are taken to a shot of a lone black box in the middle of the attic. This immediately strikes the audience as weird because it’s placed in such a way as if was meant to be found. The silence is now replaced with a kind of chanting sound. This kind of sound can be related to the kind of chanting we would expect to hear when dealing with cults, so the film again hints at the supernatural sub-genre.

Then you see the first strap line which reads “From the producers of Paranormal Activity and Insidious”. People who liked these other films might become interested in seeing this one because of the same producer. The text is written in the same kind of font and the same king of background as on the poster, which maintains the symbiotic link.

Then there are shots of the father looking at the film reels inside the box and setting up the projector. The shots here a quite quick and they maintain their darkness as if to show that the content of the dark box will bring darkness to your life.

As soon as the projector is turned on, all of the sound stops to build more tension and all we can hear is the projector running. Then we see shots of a happy family spending time together from the projector. This in a may mimics the current family’s relations. The father states that the family in the videos is the same family that lived in their house and were murdered. The two families resemble each other, so the audience could be thinking that what happened to the last family will happen to the current family.

The video then makes a loud screeching noise similar to the one you hear at the start. During this, the video shows morbid images of people (who we assume are the family) kicking whilst hanging from a tree. This is the kind of horrifying imagery you expect to see in a horror trailer.

The father is taken aback by what he saw, possibly trying to mimic the reaction of the audience. After he turns off the projector, we hear another loan drum beat to signify that the equilibrium has been disturbed and the disturbance has been acknowledged.

The next part of the trailer is the film’s protagonist trying to find out more about the antagonist entity by looking through all of the film reels of disturbing imagery and searching for clues about the murders. He also seeks help from the police, cult experts after finding a strange symbol reoccurring in all of the films. This clearly establishes the sub-genre of the film as supernatural, as cults and religious symbols are a common narrative choice and convention in this sub-genre. This is a common convention in both trailers and the films to have an interval of research or exploration. It’s also how the character delves deeper into the dark world and the audience begin to fear for his life.

We find out that the symbol belongs to a child soul consuming demon, which makes the audience worry about the safety of the father’s children. Then we cut to the father looking at another film of a boy jumping into a pool, but unlike the before, the shots are longer and there is some sharp musing building up tension. Then again we hear silence, and as we cut from the father’s face back to the projector screen in a point of view shot, we see a strange figure in the water that is not the same boy we just saw. The figure looks like it’s cloaked in black and is wearing a white mask. Since the cult expert informed us about a demon, the audience assumes that it is the demon.  This silence is accompanied by a heavy feeling because the audience sees the figure but not clearly enough to make it out because of the water, so they are stuck wanting to see it again more clearly out of curiosity, but also not wanting to see it again out of fear. This mask looks a lot like the face on the ‘Sinister’ poster that was dripping with blood. This reinforces the symbiotic link between the media texts.

Another strap-line comes up that sais “Once you see him”. The audience know that this is only part the strap-line, but they will want to see the other part because they have already seen the figure; to find out what awaits them. This also creates nervousness that stays with the audience.

We then see more shots of the father researching the ordeal and the audience get more glimpses of the demon. The lighting has become very dark in almost every shot, with parts of the protagonist in shadow to indicate that the darkness is closing in on him.

The next big scare happens when the father is holding the picture of the demon peeking through some bushes. When the picture is removed from the frame, we are able to see out of the window with the demon standing in the exact same position as he did in the picture. This informs the both the audience and the character that the evil has made its way into their world and that they are no longer safe. These shot were accompanied by more non-digetic screeching noises, but these sounded more human like, possibly foreshadowing the pain and fear the demon will bring now that he is here.

Then we hear more from the cult expert who sais the demon lives in the images and the audience realise that the father has been looking at many images of the demon, which means he’s been putting himself in danger. We can next see the father looking at another image of the demon and while he’s looking away, the demon inside the image turns towards him. This image however, was a close up, so the more images the father has seen, the closer the demon has been getting to him. This also makes the audience fear in seeing the demon again, because at the next strap-line states, one you see the demon “Nothing can save you”. So whatever the father is doing will interest the audience, because they feel as though they are all in the same boat.

Next are shots of the daughter looking at the films, just when the expert says that is especially worse. One shot of her shows her standing in the laundry room in her pyjamas. There is very little light and it is quite dim which casts many shadows on her once bright face, pointing out that she is succumbing to the demon’s darkness and is loosing her purity. We then find out that she has been talking to the deceased little girl of the previous family and even drew her on the door. The camera then shows the audience the drawing that brings about an eerie disposition.

Some of the cuts are now starting to look like old fashioned film reels when their closing in on the end of a reel. This could be a way of telling to audience that this section of the trailer is the beginning of the end.

We then see the father looking for his son who comes out of a box and looks like he’s being possessed, which makes the audience worry because they know that now if the father doesn’t do anything, everyone will be in danger.

The next shot is of the father burning the film reels, which may bring some kind of hope or relief to the audience that the father is finally taking action. But with more fast shots of the cult symbol in their house and the family rushing in a panic, the audience is wondering if he was too late and maybe even wondering if they will survive the ordeal at all.

All of the shots become quick which builds up the tension and the audience feel as though something big is coming up, but then all the sounds fade and all we can hear is the film reel turning after it finished. Interestingly, the sound the projector was making, imitated the sound of a heart beat. In between the ‘heart beats’ we see shots of the father and of the family in vulnerable situations. This again makes the audience doubt if the family will live till the end.

At the end, we see the father looking into the attic where it all began and his point of view shot of children sitting around a running projector, indicating him to be quiet. Then we go back to the father, who looks back at the children covered in sweat, telling us that he is scared and/or tired making him appear as a realistic person would in his situation.

The final shot is of the children and the demon is on the projector screen. As the demon on the film moves to the right, the demon himself appears right in front of the shot. There is a bright flash of light and a horrible screeching sound to increase the intensity of this. The shot is also so quick that the audience will have the chilling sinister face in their memory as the last thing they see.

The next shot is of the film’s name that fades in on the wall. This way the chilling face will make them remember the film’s name and vice versa.

Then wee see a quick flash of someone’s silhouette before getting the film’s website URL and a Facebook URL. 

Overall, I believe that this is a good trailer and does well in promoting its film and makes good use of a cliff-hanger to leave the audience guessing what happens next. It makes it clear that it’s a supernatural horror with an interesting narrative and follows conventions of horror films and trailers well.

The Unborn

The trailer starts with an establishing shot. It’s a long shot of a house surrounded by woods. This shows that this is an isolated area which tells the audience, if something bad happens, whoever resides in the house will have to fend for them selves. There is clear use of key lighting which is causing the trees surrounding the house to cast dark shadows onto the house. This makes the house look like it is being engulfed by the shadows. We can clearly see it is night time, which is when people are more vulnerable and the darkness can create fear of the unknown in your own home. These are some of the conventions of horror films, so the audience will have an idea of the film’s genre.

In the background, we can hear a faint sound of a high pitched hum. This sounds like a feeling of suspended tension. The dialogue indicates that the girl we see in the next shot is alone because she is talking to another woman about what the children are doing, indicating that she is a babysitter which means the parents are not at home. This will make her seem more vulnerable to the audience because she is a young female adult alone in a secluded house.

She seems to be sitting casually on the sofa, reading a magazine and has the TV on. The lighting is also softer than on the outside, making the inside feel safer and more comfortable. This and the longer shots shows that this is the equilibrium of the trailer.

The humming then becomes more noticeable and we hear muffled sound of something bumping. This bump is immediately followed by a point of view shot of the girl looking at a baby monitor because she is hearing strange whispers, but are not clear enough to make out. This is were the trailer hints at the sub-genre of the film because these child whispers are giving off a chilling feeling, which leads to the thought of disturbed children and how they are a convention of the supernatural horror.

The screen then fades to black with the character saying “Hang on”. This could be indicating that the protagonist has acknowledged that something isn’t right. The next shot that fades in is of an over the shoulder shot of a child’s/baby’s room as indicated by the rocking horse and crib. We hear the same whisper coming from the young boy but more clearly. The boy is wearing his pyjamas which make him look childlike and innocent, but the things that he is whispering sound strange and spiritual and not like something a child would ever talk about.

In the next frame we see a medium shot of the child and girl trying to comfort him, when the boy suddenly hits the girl with a piece of glass. This would shock the audience as you don’t think of children as violent or hostile beings. This shot was accompanied by a quick sound stab that replaced the lingering anxious hum to help create a bigger impact. Then you get a point of view shot of the girl looking at the boy, and the boy has a close-up of his face. This close up let’s us see that he has a black expression on his face, showing no guilt for hurting the girl, and when he speaks his expression makes him sound almost demonic, assuring the audience that this trailer is for a supernatural horror with the narrative of possessed children.

At this point the music changes and we see a few quick shots of another boy before the film company credits come up. This leaves the audience wondering who was the other boy and what is his significance. He didn’t look normal because his skin was unnaturally pale and a solemn expression on his face which made him look creepy.

 When the next shot fades in, we get an extreme long shot of a city, probably where the characters reside, then shots of the girl running through the woods. We can tell it’s winter because of the snow, so seeing her run through such a remote area, makes it seem as though she is cut off and trying to run away from this cold place. Eerie piano music plays in the background to set an almost mysterious mood. All of the edits here are dissolves, which makes the entire sequence look almost like a dream.

Then we see a medium shot of her in a communal shower possibly to show her skin as a way if signifying that she is fragile and at risk. We then see her a locker room where her friend indicates that something is wrong with her eye which may cause the audience to speculate weather she had not noticed it before or if the issue became more because of strange happenings.

Next shots are of her at the doctors discussing the possibility that she may have been a twin, which she denies. This again intrigues the audience into wanting to find out more about the girl and her background.

Then we have another point of view shot of her looking at the same boy we saw flashes of, but as someone walks past, we can se him disappear, which confirms that the boy is no longer human, so we assume he might me the girl’s twin. Another sound that we can hear during the piano music is what sounds almost like heavy breathing that adds to the chilling feel of the trailer so far. The edits also include many fade outs to black, then fade ins. Unlike cuts which you don’t notice as much, these face ins and outs are noticeable and make the audience wonder what will they witness next.

The next sequence of shots are of the girl actively seeking out clues and answers on if she may have had a twin. We fond out that she did, but the twin died before it was born, which can confuse the audience and peak their curiosity about the ghost boy. If he is not her deceased twin, then who is he?

Some dialogue states that because she was born, the twin wasn’t able to. This signifies that she is in danger of the ghost because she is still alive and the audience begins to fear for the protagonist’s safety because of this.

As she watches a film reel, we see her get startled, but we’re not sure of what. This is proceeded by more glimpses of the boy, who because of the change of expression and light, starts looking even more demonic. The music here becomes almost screechy, as if you could almost hear people’s voices.

Then we get a shot of what we think if her in bed, but as the camera rotates we see that she is looking down on herself like in some kind of nightmare. The music stops and is replaced with the sound of a heart beat. We see her thrashing about as if she is trying to wake up. Then when we see the boy next to her sleeping self, there is a sudden ear piercing scream. This could mean that the boy is the nightmare itself. Then we get a sudden stab sound in the next shot when she opens her eyes and we see the discoloration. Since the eyes are said to be the windows to our souls. This could mean that her soul is tainted.

We get out first strap line which is the name of the producer. Fans of his other works could be tempted to see this film as well.

Then we see another point of view shot of her looking out of the window and seeing the ghost boy again. Then as she seeks comfort in her friend, she mentions being haunted, with haunting being a convention of the supernatural sub-genre.

The shots start to speed up and we see more graphic and scary imagery. This creates tension and causes the audience to become more anxious. The is a steady beat in the background that sounds like a faster heart beat which could be trying to mimic the audience’s heart beats. The lighting at this point has become much colder and darker, showing that the evil is getting nearer.

We then see a sequence of shots that of another common supernatural horror convention, an exorcism, and a character that plays the role of the person who will be helping to get rid of the evil, in this case, a priest. This character is a common reoccurrence in this sub-genre.

As the music reaches it’s climax and the shots speed up, the shot suddenly lights up and the music is replaced by a high pitched noise, indicating that there may be hope and luring the audience into a false sense of security. When suddenly the darkness returns and the speed of the shots returns to fast to show that it’s not over yet. We see more scary imagery and another strap line that says “He wants to be born now”, which is what the little boy said at the beginning. This repetition could mean that the evil spirit won’t stop until he enters our world, even if it costs people their lives. This is supported by the shots where the girl’s friend is crawling up the stairs and is being followed by a childlike figure wielding a knife. We can’t see his face which makes him appear as if he has lost his humanity.

Finally, as the shot length and music reach their climax again, the shots we see look as though everything is falling into chaos and that makes the audience doubt if everyone will survive. Then we get a bright screen, and the title of the film looks as though it has been burned in. The audience may think it is over, but then we see the girl walking by herself through hallways she saw on the film reel to a steady heart beat in the background to build tension for the last time. We see a lone figure sitting in the middle of an empty dark room. The girl inquires if that is her mother, but with no response she leans in to check. The figure is wearing a hospital gown, which could mean she was hospitalized or is mentally disturbed. As the girl leans in, we hear another blood curdling stab sound which almost harmonises with the scream the figure gives out. We see her silhouette is not of a normal person but of a monster, and the girl screams in terror. The next frame is of the film credits, which leaves the audience hanging and not knowing what will happen to the girl. This cliff hanger could help people remember the name of the film and may tempt people into seeing the movie

In conclusion, I think that this trailer does well in promoting the film and does a good job in establishing the sub-genre of horror. It also follows conventions of a typical horror film trailer. However, I think this trailer may give away a bit too much by just summarising the entire plot.

Silent Hill

The trailer starts with a long shot of a mother and her daughter under a tree in the middle of a field. The scenery looks calm and almost like a nice heavenly place. The lighting is made up mostly ambient natural light from the sun. This adds a kind of warm glow to the scenery. You can hear soft piano music playing in the background, that’s carrying a hint of melancholy.

We then get a dissolve to the next shot and see a medium shot of them lying under the tree together. The sunlight is hitting the back of the daughter’s head, making her look like she is glowing and her innocence and purity stands out. The mother tells the daughter that she sometimes sleepwalks and sleep talks about a place. The daughter then says she doesn’t remember in a very soft and small voice. All of this makes the audience believe that whatever will be going on, it’s not the little girl’s fault and creates a feeling of wanting to protect her. In the next shot we see the pair walking from the field to a parked car. We can that it’s sunset which might signify that sun’s warm, safe glow will end here and the dark and unforgiving night will come.

Then you get the company’s film credits. Through these credits the mother said that they will go to this place she has been sleep talking about and as the credit’s dissolve into the next shot we see a drastic change in lighting to almost pitch black. This may signify that wherever their going is holding some king of darkness or secrets and is a massive contrast to the bright field. This may be a subtle hint of the film’s genre.

We then get to see an extreme long shot of them driving down an empty road in the middle of the forest to show that wherever their going, it’s secluded and their all by themselves. Then we see a shot of the forest with text that reads out the general area of where the film is set. This makes it seem more realistic as though the events that occurred in the film are a real life possibility.

After another dissolve, we can see the daughter sleeping in the car with a serene expression and then cut to the mother’s face who looks slightly tired.

The piano music then gets drowned out by the digetic sound of loud static coming from the radio. Then there is a non-digetic low drum sound to indicate that this is where the equilibrium ends. The static can also be a way that the mother is being warned that she is getting closer to her destination, but she just becomes confused.

Whilst distracted by the radio, we cut to a shot of a female figure walking in the middle of the road. We cannot see who it is because she is shrouded in shadows and as the mother tries to swivel out of the way, we see the car practically go past the figure like she wasn’t even there. This is where the film shows you that this is a supernatural horror, by showing what looked like a glowing spirit of a girl. We then have more shots of the mother struggling to get control of the car, when we see her veer off and hear the sound of a crash. The shot fades to black and as the next shot fades in, we see the mother regaining consciousness. The lighting looks a lot brighter now, possibly to show the passing of time and the audience might think it’s safe again.

Then we dissolve to a bird’s eye view of the car, showing that it hasn’t hit anything and also showing that it’s snowing. There is an eerie silence and the only sound we can hear is the wind. We can also see a layer of fog lingering in the air which could represent cloudiness of the mind. In the next shot we see the mother realising that her daughter has disappeared and as we see in the next shot, the fog is much thicker leading us to believe the daughter got lost in it.

The mother shouts the daughter’s name and it echoes as the screen fades to black to show that she is all alone. The entire scenery looks vary washed out, as though nothing has been moved in a long time and time here has just been standing still.

We next see the mother running through the fog looking for help. As she wipes the snow off her face, we discover that the martial isn’t snow but something like ash. This isn’t a natural occurrence, so the audience might think that it is this place that is causing such strange things to happen. In the next shoe, the mother is standing, looking at road sign. As the camera pans and pulls into the sign, we see it is a welcome sign to a town called “Silent Hill”. The sign looks worn and the shot suddenly goes black, leaving just the sign with the words

“Welcome to Silent Hill”. This creates a feeling as though once you enter this town, something bad is going to happen.

In the next few shots, we see the mother continue to look for her daughter and exploring the unnaturally quiet and empty town. The buildings and shops look derelict and there are abandoned cars in the street. This shows that this was once an active town, but the audience don’t know what happened to it to be left like this. The fog is so thick that you can’t quite tell what’s up ahead, which creates the fear in the unknown.

Then we see the mother calling her husband for help and we see pictures of the once happy family together. The audience are able to see what life was once like. Then we see the first strap-line which looks as if it is emerging from the fog as if to show that there are many secrets in the fog, but there is also the truth.

We then see shots of the father researching the town to find out more about it’s history. When we suddenly get a loud stab sound and shots of what appears to be a cult gathering or ritual. This shows that the film is a supernatural because religious orders are a common convention is this sub-genre. These shots may have been a way to tell the audience that part of the town has some kind of darker secrets that you will find if you go meddling too much. Secrets that you do not want to uncover. The shots also look as though they have been filmed by an old fashioned projector to signify how long ago these malicious things have been happening.

In the next strap line, it states that the town “Has been transformed by evil”. This evil may be referring to the malevolence of the cult and that the people might have brought the evil upon themselves. We see sightings of the daughter, but she appears to be acting in a strange manner, as though she doesn’t want to be found. We keep seeing close-up shots of the mother’s face in order to be able to see her worried facial expression for her missing daughter. This let’s us know that she is trying her best to get her back.

We see shots of the protagonist with a police woman asking for help. Then we find out that all the roads out of town are missing, so the mother is completely cut off from the real world and that no one will come for help. This could induce a claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in an unknown place.

Then we hear a mysterious figure say that the “dark one” controls who goes in and out of the town, telling us that even if the mother finds her daughter, leaving will not be straight forward since some other being is controlling everything from behind the shadows.

Later we see shots of someone who looks just like the daughter, but she looks like she has been living rough for a while with messed up hair and dirty clothes. She also has a pale face and a strange expression, part of which is fear and another part as if she knows something, but will not tell.

We hear the mother inquire about this but we do not hear an answer, leaving the audience hanging on her true identity.

In the next shot, we can see the mother descending some stairs as an air siren begins to sound off. Air sirens are meant to warn you when danger is approaching, so may be trying to warn the mother that the evil that is plaguing the town is closing in. We then see shots of people running into a church, another convention of the supernatural genre. The church may be acting as some kind of sanctuary, and the police woman is warning the mother that the evil is near, but in the next shot, we can see the mother has already descended the stairs and into the darkness as the screen fade’s to black.

The low humming noise that has been playing the background cease. We can see the mother turning on a flashlight which is the only source of light. The silence in the darkness around her is very unnerving and makes you feel as though something is going to jump out at you any second. We can see in the next shot how the entire reality is being altered around her and everything seems to be deteriorating. We start seeing really grotesque monsters and graphic imagery to show that the nightmare and all of its wickedness has arrived. The lighting has become very dark again, and the primary colours used are reds for blood and dark browns for rust and dirt. This makes the scenery look very dirty and unpleasant, making the viewer and the character seek escape.

We then see a shot of the mother looking at something with a disgusted and shocked face. Behind her we can see a monster approaching but she can’t see it, which makes us fear for the mother’s safety.

The strap-line we see after this has also changed in style to look more like this new nightmare world, and states that once you enter this world, you can’t go back. Another character says that if the mother wants to find her daughter, she will have to face the darkness of hell. This is an accurate description of the places we see her walking through. We see more graphic scenes with blood running all over the walls and monsters that look as though they were once human.

During a shot where the mother is walking past nurses, one of them swings a scalpel at her and she barely doges it, all the while the music in the background has been getting louder and more harsh, to show she is getting close to the end. The shots have gotten quicker as well to help build up the tension.

When the music reaches the climax, it completely stops and all there is in place of it is a heart beat. In between the hear beats and screens of black, we see the mother battling through the hellish world. As she flicks on her lighter and turns around, there is a last injection of fear with a cut to a shot of more grotesque monsters coming at her. This is accompanied by a horrible screaming and screeching sound to intensify the impact. Then we cut back to her horrified face before we cut straight to the film’s credits. The name of the film lights up and we hear eerie shamisen music that creates an uncomfortable atmosphere.

Finally, we get the release date and the film website’s URL in the next frames.

I think that this trailer does a good job in promoting the film. It clearly puts across the sub-genre and follows codes and conventions of horror trailers and horror itself. It does a good job in making the audience root for the protagonist and hope that she achieves her goal, which will drive the audience to watch the film to find out if that will be the case.