Horror thrillers

The Silence of the Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs is a 1991 American thriller film concepts of both horror and crime genres in one. It was directed by Jonathan Demme and stars Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scot Glenn and Ted Levine. The film was released on February 14, 1991 and  received many awards. When the film was released it got criticized by members of the gay community.

The plot of the film:

Clarice Starling is given the task to interview a former psychiatrist and imprisoned cannibalistic serial killer called Hannibal Lecter by Jack Crawford, Believing Lecter’s insight might be useful in the search of a serial killer nicknamed ‘Buffalo Bill’ who skins his female victims corpses.

The film takes the audience on the journey of Starling to the Balyimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, where she is led by Dr. Frederick Chilton to Lecter’s private quarters where she learns a lot from Lecter and is given information on how to find Buffalo Bill through a patient of Lecter. Hannibal Lecter then compromises to help Starling with her hunt for Buffalo Bill as he has recently abducted the U.S Senator’s daughter if Lecter is allowed to be tranfered away from the hospital as he dislikes Chilton his doctor at the hospital.

During the search Lecter begins a game of quid pro quo where he clues and insights about Buffalo Bill in return for events from Starling’s childhood which was something that she was advised not to do by the hospital. Chilton secretly records the conversation between Starling and Lecter and reveals Starling’s deal as a sham befor offering to transfer Lecter in exchange for a deal of Chilton’s own making. Lecter agrees to this and is flown to Memphis where he reveals personal information on Buffalo bill to federal agents.

As the search begins Starling visits Lecter at his special cell in Tennesse courthouse and confronts him with her thoughts of the name which Lecter gave her which was a riddle. Lecter then refuses Starling’s pass for the truth as she believes everything he stated was false and forces her to recount her traumatic childhood.

She tells him how she was a orphan, relocated to a relative’s farm, discovered a lamb slaughterhouse and failed in an attempt to rescue one the lambs. Lecter then gives her the case files on Buffalo bill, after their conversation is interrupted by Chilton and the police who escorts Starling from building. Later that evening Lecter manages to escape from his cell, killing his two guards in the process and disappears.

Starling analyzes Lecter’s notes to the case files and realizes that Buffalo Bill’s first victim knew him personally befor he killed her. Starling travels to the victims hometown and discovers that Buffalo Bill was a tailor, with dresses and templates identical to the patches of skin removed each of his victims. She telephones Crawford to inform him that Buffalo Bill is trying to fashion a womans suit of real skin but Crawford is already making an arrest on a man named James Gumb who came up in Lecter’s notes with a hospital’s archives having once applied for sex-change operation.

Starling continues interviewing friends of Buffalo Bill’s first victims while Crawford leads an FBI tactical team to Gumb’s address in Illinois. Starling is led to the house of Jack Gordon who she realizes is actually Jame Gumb. She follows him into his basement where she discovers the recently abducted Senator’s daughter alive but traumatized and trapped. After turning off the basement lights, Gumb creeps up on Starling in the dark with ngiht vision goggles but gives his position away when he cocks his revolver and then is shot to death by Starling.

Later at the FBI Academy graduation party, Starling receives a phone call from Lecter, who is at an airport in Bimini where he assures her that he does not plan to pursue her and asks her to show him some courtesy, which she says she cannot do. Lecter then hangs up the phone saying he’s ‘having an old friend for dinner’ and begins following newly arrived Chilton, who is fleeing since Lecter is now free and getting his revenge.

The cast in the film:

• Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling
• Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Hannibal Lecter
• Scott Glenn as Jack Crawford
• Ted Levine as Jame Gumb, "Buffalo Bill"
• Anthony Heald as Frederick Chilton
• Brooke Smith as Catherine Martin
• Kasi Lemmons as Ardelia Mapp
• Frankie Faison as Barney Matthews
• Diane Baker as Sen. Ruth Martin
• Charles Napier as Lt. Boyle
• Danny Darst as Sgt. Tate
• Alex Coleman as Sgt. Jim Pembry
• Dan Butler as Roden
• Paul Lazar as Pilcher
• Ron Vawter as Paul Krendler
• Roger Corman as FBI Director Hayden Burke
• Chris Isaak as SWAT Commander
• Harry Northup as Mr Bimmel
• Masha Skorobogatov as Young Clarice Starling

Response from the critics:

Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster gained great acclaim with their portrayals of Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling, even though Hopkins' screen time in the entire film is just over 16 minutes. Their respective portrayals won both of them Academy Awards in 1992.

The Silence of the Lambs was a sleeper hit that only gradually gained widespread success. The film ultimately received widespread critical acclaim; Rotten Tomatoes records that The Silence of the Lambs received a 96% positive response from critics. Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster also received honor for their performances. Roger Ebert specifically mentioned the "terrifying qualities" of Hannibal Lecter, and has since recognized the film as a "horror masterpiece," alongside such classics as Nosferatu, Psycho, and Halloween.

Silence of the Lambs received many awards and honors:

Academy Awards

• Best actress – Jodie Foster
• Best actor – Anthony Hopkins
• Best director – Jonathan Demme
• Best picture – Edward Saxon, Kenneth Utt, Ronald M. Bozman
• Best adapted screenplay – Ted Tally

Golden Globe Awards

• Best actress – Jodie Foster

BAFTA Awards

• Best actor – Anthony Hopkins
• Best actress – Jodie Foster

 

Case Study on Alfred Hicthcock

Opening Film Analysis 3

Psycho

The opening of Psycho is very engaging from the music playing in the background. The music is loud and fast paced of high string instruments and high piano playing which builds up a lot of suspense on to the audience as there is no other images in the opening credits.

Psycho has a different opening to most opening credits as it doesn’t feature any characters but just suspense from the music playing. Alfred Hitchcock has a unique way of creating tension through his sound so that they are more occupied in what is going to happen.

The opening credits only view back and white colours which contrast each other and also suggest death and mystery. The images used in the opening credits are of black lines dashing in and out from both sides of the screen and up and down the screen . Also the credits appear with the lines in white to contrast the black background of the lines. When the credits appear the music gets louder.

The opening credits doesn’t present any characters but from the music which is played gives the audience a sense of what the film may be about and also introduces the theme and story to the audience from the music as well.

The ending of the opening credits ends with the string music being played really high in a sudden to get the audience engaged in to what will happen as they watch on.

Opening Film Analysis 2

Dexter

Camera angles – They use close ups of Dexter to create a sense of power in his character which makes viewers feel more intimidated by him. Several close-ups are used when showing his skin or things that look like flesh/blood. This reminds the viewer of what the show is about- murder.

Sound - The music has a sinister tone that makes viewers uneasy. Sometimes you can hear the actions that are being done e.g. when he kills the fly you can hear it which reminds us of the premise of the show which is murder.

Lighting- The lighting gets brighter when Dexter reaches outside, making it look like he is transitioning into normal life. The darker lighting used when he’s inside makes his life indoors appear more hidden, suggesting he leads a double life. As the lights so bright outside it makes the scene look fake, whereas the scenes shot indoors appear more real.

Editing- Within the sequence, they show an object then close up on it afterward (e.g. they showed Dexter cut himself shaving then in the next shot they closed up on the blood). This again reminds us of the shows premise being about murder. The pace of the editing often changes, some scenes are shot very quickly whilst others are longer, making the audience feel on edge.

Opening Film Analysis 1

Vertigo

Vertigo’s opening title is very unique. It shows a lot of suspension in the opening title from the music, the camera angle and the images. The first camera angle you see is a extreme close up of a woman’s left side face with a black background. The camera then slowly moves around to her lip zooming in more. As the camera stops at these point the names of the actors appear in white. The whole picture is in black and white throughout. When the names appear the music of the piano and string instruments get higher. The black and white theme of the colour could suggest murder and mystery.

The camera then goes along the woman’s face capturing the two eyes which the woman moves from left to right. This can suggest she’s scared as she’s looking around with her eyes. Her right eye is then captured and the screen goes all red suggesting murder or death and the woman’s eyes widen. The music suddenly get more louder and higher and continues throughout.

Spiral images start to appear from her eyes spinning around getting bigger and then the back ground goes pitch black with just the spirals spinning around going from large too small. The spirals show a sort of confusion as its spinning which could suggest its building up suspension as its continuing to spin. The end is the opposite to the beginning as the spirals zoom back in to the woman’s eye and the screen is still red colour.

The opening engages the audience by making them wonder how why the camera is shooting a woman’s face and what is her part in the film is. It gets the audiences thinking more so that they are interested in watching the film to find out who this character is. The only character which is established in this opening title is the woman and it is done by capturing her face showing her features which could have been done to also show her emotions, like in one point when her eyes roll around which can suggest her being scared.

The opening introduces a theme of mystery because the mystery woman’s face in the opening makes people think who is she and what’s her part in the film and creates suspension of what will happen with the woman. The story isn’t very clear in the opening but it does suggest murder by the colours it shows, the black, the white and the red. The opening titles are displayed in white bold writing. The titles appear when the music strikes higher. Also the writing appear around the sides of the opening.

One-to-One Interview

 

Interviewer: Whats your age

Interviewee: 13

Interviewer: What sorts of movie genres do you like?

Interviewee: Comedy

Interviewer: Why?

Interviewee: Because its intertainign and funny

Interviewer: Do go to the cinema watch it on TV, rent or online?

Interviewee: Tv

Interviewer: Whats your favourite film and why?

Interviewee: The Simpsons movie because its one of my favourite genres

Interviewer: Who do you mostly watch films with?

Interviewee: My family

Interviewer: Do you enjoy thriller films?

Interviewee: Yes

Interviewer: Which do you prefer horror thrillers or action thrillers?

Interviewee: Are you comfortable about the women and children playing the murderers in horror thrillers

Interviewer: Yes

Interviewee: Is there a particular director that does thriller films?

Interviewer: Yes Steven Spielberg

Interviewee: Why?

Interviewer: Because I think his films are interesting

Interviewer: Whats your favourite thriller film?

Interviewee: My favourite thriller film is Halloween because it builds up suspense

Interviewer: Thanks

Specific Questionnaire

Specific Questionnaire

1. Age
2. Gender
3. Do you enjoy thriller films?
4. If yes which do you prefer horror thrillers or action thrillers?
5. Are you comfortable about women or children acting as the murderers in these films?
6. When watching horror films do you take costume in to a large account when judging films?
7. Is there a particular director that does thriller films that you like?
8. Why do you like their films?

Answers

1. 19
2. Female
3. Yes
4. Action
5. Yes
6. Yes
7. Christopher Nolan
8. Because their in depth

1. 24
2. Female
3. I used to when I was younger still do thought just not as much
4. Action
5. Doesn’t bother me , the kid’s one is abit wrong
6. Yes
7. Not really

1. 15
2. Male
3. Yes
4. Horror
5. No, children I think is wrong they should be portrayed as innocent figures which they are and not murderers.
6. Yes
7. Quentin Taratino
8. The uncertainty and confusion in his films

Analysis

I conducted primary research (a questionnaire) in order to see how I could make the opening for my film, according to the preferences of my target audience. To my surprise all the girls I surveyed preferred action thrillers which for me was a shock as boys are stereotyped to prefer things like action films over girls. The one boy I surveyed preferred horror thrillers, however the result may have been different if I had questioned more boys. When asked “Are you comfortable about children or women playing murderers” most people didn’t seem to mind about women but found it “weird” that children played murderers. Another said that “children should be portrayed as innocent figures which they are and not murderers “. Every person that part took in the questionnaire said that they took costume into a large account when judging a film. Some of the people gave an answer to the question about directors.  Park Chan-Wook wok was mentioned the reason for the person liking his films were due to his “unthinkable plots and intense reveals/surprises. Christopher Nolan was mentioned the director of a recently released film called “inception” the person said he was their favourite director because they felt his films “were in depth”.

In conclusion this research helped me know key features I will focus on when making the opening of my film. Costume is seen to be important so I will make sure, costumes used in scenes are of a good quality and look realistic. Although action films seem to be more popular my assignment states I have to do a horror film opening so horror will the kind of thriller I’m doing. Since the idea of children being used to play murderers makes some people feel uncomfortable I will reconsider using a child for a scary role and may use women as people don’t feel uncomfortable about this. I will pick a director to analysis, to see what makes people like their style of filming and may try to imitate techniques used when making my opening.

General Questionnaire

 Questionnaire

1. Age
2. Gender
3. What sorts of movie genres do you like?
4. Why?
5. Do you go to the cinema to watch films or rent or online or on TV?
6. Whats your favorite film?
7. Why?
8. Who do you mostly watch films with?

Answers

1. 16
2. Female
3. Horror films
4. Because it's rely interesting than romance
5. I often go to the cinema and also watch online
6. My favorite film is 300
7. Because it's like a thriller but has deep meaning to it
8. I usually watch films with my family

1. 16
2. Male
3. Action films
4. Because it gets you excited when you watch them
5. I mostly watch films online but if it's a good film then i watch at the cinema
6. My favorite film is Scarface
7. Because it's a cool mafia type of film that symbolizes many meanings
8. I watch films mostly by my self or with my friends

1. 21
2. Female
3. Romance comedy
4. Because their funny and sweet and some times I like a good laugh and cry together
5. I mostly watch online but some times rent or go to the cinema if I have the money
6. 27 dresses
7. Because it's funny and makes me cry 
8. I watch films by my self because I hate it wen people ask me questions when I'm trying to watch a movie

1. 13
2. Male
3. Action
4. Because their interesting to watch
5. I mostly watch online or go cinema
6. The expendables
7. Because it's action packed
8. I watch films with my sisters or my friends

Analysis
From my general research I have found out that depending on the age range the type of film genres always change. For example I have found out by asking different age groups that the younger audiences tend to like cartoon film's and when in their teenage stage they tend to watch more of the horror/thriller/action type films because it's more interesting for them as they like the thrill and it keeps them occupied also. I also found out that adults watch more of the comedy/ romance comedy films as it's more matured for them to watch.

What I've found out in my research will help me yo create a opening of my own thriller film which will be appropriate for the right target market which is 15 and over as most teenagers like the horror/thriller type films and also how I can create a grabbing opening to my film to get my audiences to watch.