Analyzing Three Horror Film Openings

I have finalized the genre I am picking, horror, and brainstormed what to do for my film opening. Nevertheless, I need to analyze some film openings to make sure I am doing a great job on my own film opening. So, the following research will be based on all the characteristics of film openings in the horror genre.

The Shining (1980)

The opening of The Shining is famous for its haunting up in the air shots that follow this single yellow car on the road through a mountainous isolated landscape. The wide camera movement added to the threatening height of the camera sets a menacing tone. The vast, empty scenery creates a sense of isolation, hinting that something will happen. Natural light is used, but it is against the shadows and the deeper tones of the soundtrack, which enhances the eerie atmosphere. As such, this opening effectively establishes a mood of unease by slowly introducing themes of isolation without revealing any specific plot details. Additionally, I found the blue in the text very strange as it doesn't match the opening at all. I went and did some research about why they did that and found a video on Niclas Larsson, a Grand Jury Prize award for the 'Best Short' at the Gothenburg Film Festival in 2013. He talked about how he found it interesting that they did that and used it in some of his own work, he mentioned that "it gives the audience, this is not gonna be what you expect, it's not gonna match what you see here, you're in for a ride, and it's gonna be disturbing in many ways." You can see the video here to understand more about it.

Penny Dreadful (2014)

The opening sequence of Penny Dreadful reveals dark, gothic like visuals combined with haunting orchestral music to create a mysterious and sinister tone. The sequence features a montage of imagery such as blood, insects, religious icons, and supernatural elements, which is reflective of the show's themes and color since it is mostly dark, enhancing the eerie mood. Nevertheless, this opening is effective in developing the audience into the world of horror and intrigue based on the show. Additionally, the picture that's displayed on the right caught my eye, as it looks like a skull, but it's a human curled up in fear of what's to come.

The Exorcist (1973)

The Exorcist opens with a scene facing a house, it pans to the right pretty quick, and we see a couple walking. It's now set in Iraq with an archaeological dig site. The bright sun covers the environment and contrasts with the darker themes that are shown later on. The opening is marked by minimal dialogue and relies on ambient sound. Then the discovery of a disturbing artifact builds tension. The use of natural lighting and the unique location lends a film like realism, enhancing the weird atmosphere. The pacing is slow, and the author creates a sense of fear and anxiety. However, this introduction effectively sets the stage for the supernatural horror that is to come, hinting at the ancient evil late on.

The cover of the film also caught my eye again, this is because only one light is being shined at a singular person. This is very eerie especially when the person is not in a walking motion or running motion, he's just standing there like he's waiting for something to happen.