Trailer Analysis 2

 The Omen

The beginning of this trailer starts off with the equilibrium which is conventional for horror film trailers as it allows the audience to be lulled into as sense of security. It also allows them to see the contrast between the normality and the distress. However even though this trailer starts off with an equilibrium it is quickly shaken by events almost dropping the audience into the plot straight away giving them no time to relax. Along with the creepy twist on a children’s nursery rhyme the audience has almost an instant feeling of being uncomfortable and the fast paced editing leaving the audience feeling like they need to catch up adding to the overall stress involved in that scene. Something considered innocent has been tainted giving the audience the impression that something is wrong and that something is about to happen leaving them in suspense. Also during the beginning there are a lot of close ups on the face of the child and the woman who hangs herself as they both have serious stone-faced expression juxtaposing the environment of a children’s birthday party that appears to be very sweet and full of fun. The woman’s costume is drab and grey which also contrasts to the bright colours of the surroundings contributing to her standing out as something not to be trusted. The eerie music along with her being so out of place gives hints to the audience that she is going to be the cause for the disruption of the peace. The child is dressed in red which connotes danger and his expression throughout gives the impression that he knows something the audience and other characters don’t. This creates him to be the protagonist from very early in the trailer even thought the audience are not sure until the priest later confirms it. While the mother is dressed in a pale pink top signifying her innocence in the story and her feminine nature in regards to her being a caring mother.

The shot of the rope after the woman has hung herself uses a sort of spotlight shot using a ray of sunshine. This gives it a sick kind of irony to it as sun rays give connotations of heaven or being called up to heaven and general feelings of happiness while the rope is being used as a tool to take life away. It is almost mocking the thought of heaven. Also as the rope tightens as the woman’s weight pulls on it the non- diegetic sound that booms at the same time makes the audience picture the woman receiving the injury caused by the rope making it seem even more sinister. There is also a loud whistling of wind sort of sound which is always considered unwelcoming as it means something cold and forceful. Both these sounds add to the negativity of the event. The shot of the punch bowl crashing is almost foreshadowing what is to come as the liquid inside looks like blood and it has been spilled while glass and destruction is falling right behind it. It then cuts straight into the ‘20^th century fox’ logo and instead of its usual trademark music the same whistling wind sound is in the background. It has also been washed in red these things both show how what the audience is used to have or will be changed within the film, for the worse as red has strong connotations of evil and is obviously the same colour as blood so signifies blood as well.

The mother exclaiming ‘what’s wrong sweetie’, as he is very cold again, shows her innocence as a loving caring mother. Also the fact that she is concerned about this child who has already been marked as the protagonist gives the audience something to be concerned about too. She also goes on to say ‘It’s just a church’ showing that her innocence does not make her afraid of the church. The lighting throughout the church scene is very dim and everything seems to be washed in grey contrasting to the bright sunny day of the little boy’s birthday. This is because the hint that something is wrong is a lot more prominent then before and the world around the characters already seems to be changing. The religious references throughout signal that the film is of the super natural genre as demonic possessions are usually tackled with the aid of the church, a priest or religious rituals who are all featured in the trailer. As the priest explains how the child is ‘the son of Satan’ and recites passages from the bible. There are then shots of someone holding a rosary showing that religious forces are fighting against the threat of this super natural force. As the little boy is scared of the church the audience can see that he is possessed by something or someone that sees the church as a threat because the church has the power to exorcise it/him. Having the cross presented as an object of violence along with the sound of a sword being unsheathed presents it as a weapon and a threat only emphasising the super natural genre as religion plays a big part in resolving the problem.

The establishing shot in the scene at the zoo shows the child to be isolated from everyone, even the animals emphasising that there is something unsettling about him. This is only emphasised when he himself whispers in a very sinister manner ’they’re afraid’. The close up shot emphasises the mothers concern for her child as she asks ‘what’s the matter, didn’t the other kids want to play with you’ and the little boys serious and cold expression, contrasting to the mothers, showing a clear divide in their roles in the film. The first sting is then achieved when a gorilla roars loudly straight towards the camera as if he is roaring at the audience. It also shows that the animal felt threatened by this small child which on its own is highly unusual so adding to the other events that have happened so far the audience are beginning to build a view that the child is demonic. It then cuts to black while the next shot of the nanny who has come to look after Damien fades in. The red wall behind her suggests that she is also evil along with the expression of awe of the child. It is like she worships him and she then says ‘ Hello Damien, I’m here to protect you’ rather than look after you suggesting that she is implying she is going to protect him for the threats of the church or whoever is going to stop him doing what he wants. Although most of the scenes use ambient lighting they remain very dim and shady showing that the boy has something to hide or that he repels anything good, including sunlight. The colour red appears several times throughout the trailer in random objects such as the red balloon, a red apple and a red crib cover. This reminds the audience of the blood that is going to be shed due to the little boy. It leaves big hints that there is trouble to come.

During shots of religious imagery like a statue of the Virgin Mary the shot is edited with a green-ish hue. This contrasts directly to the red visuals that surround the little boy only emphasising the opposition between good and evil. The shot of the crucifix also shows this as it is brightly illuminated with a warm golden glow. However it is slightly tainted as it looks like lighting has flashed past along with the sound of lighting cracking and when it ends it cuts to a demon in a red cloak almost signifying that the lighting was caused by this demon therefore affecting the image of Jesus on the cross. The demon itself is the first solid sign the audience has to show them that something supernatural is involved. The editing starts getting faster at this point showing that the evil has taken a stable place and is now causing panic, heard in the priests voice as he explains about the son and the birthmark of ‘666’ which is well known as the ‘mark of the beast’. 666 is also the release date given at the end making the story seem more realistic as this is when the child was born and the mark of the beast. It makes it seem too much of a coincidence and makes the audience feel like this could actually happen. This could make them want to see the film even more as they will want to see how it ends to see whether they will be able to overcome this evil.

The bird’s eye view of the church at night is already very spooky but the fact that it is filled with mist that looks like smoke makes it even more sinister. As it looks like it is either burning as it is billowing smoke or that it being consumed by mist and hidden away. Meaning that any form of help or saviour is being taken away. As the trailer goes on a lot of shots are taken at night. The audience will see that the lighting gradually gets darker as the demonic threat becomes stronger.

There is then a shot of the mother holding her child close as if she is around. The camera is revolving around them emphasizing the panic as it isn't stable and they are a lot of people running around so it is hard to focus on them. The priest is then explaining what is going to happen and as he says ‘creating armies on either shore’ it cuts away from the over-the-shoulder shot of the Priest’s face, emphasising his concern and sincerity, to a shot of soldiers running up the church stairs. This shows that what he is saying will come true. The worm-eyes view from the grave makes the audience feel as they are in the grave them self emphasising that the child has come to cause the death of every one. It then fades leaving the light from the torch lingering as if it is the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ maybe to signify hope of beating this evil force.

There is then a revolving shot of the mother standing alone whispering ‘no’ with such desperation almost in denial as it is said after the trailer cuts from the priest saying ‘your son, the son of the devil’. Denial is common in  super natural films as the character doesn't want to believe this could be real as it seems so far fetched so they start doubting themselves or they just don’t want it to be true as, in this case, it is their son so have a strong bond with them and refuse to believe they are evil. There is then a fats montage of all the negative events that happen which all include glass, fire and overall destruction. The montage ends with the mother falling to the ground with rose petals scattered around her, foreshadowing the spilling of her blood.

The woman then ends up in a hospital bed, using an over-the-shoulder shot, the woman is made to look venerable and broken. She says to her husband ‘don’t let him kill me’ signifying her acceptance that her son is the son of the devil. It then cuts to a red background with a burning red cross along with the sound of screaming wind in the background, emphasising the demonic connotations throughout the trailer and in the plot. The cross then fades into the ‘T’ of the title suggesting that evil overcomes good as it has become part of the title and therefore the Omen itself. While the title of the website ‘heed the omen’ warns the audience that they are not safe from it.