This 2012 American horror film follows a true-crime writer who finds a cache of 8mm home movie films that suggest the murder he is currently researching is the work of a serial killer whose career dates back to the 1960s. The film follows him as he tries to uncover the truth of the tapes whilst protecting his family.
Language - This film uses a lot of low key lighting to connote the darkness of the themes within the film. This combined with the use of empty space within the set leaves the audience constantly looking in the shadows. The film uses this well as the antagonist is known for being hidden in the background, and so this use of light and space keeps you in suspense throughout the film.Even during the scenes which are set in the middle of the day the set is still dark and gloomy, despite there being daylight outside. It is like the family are living within a shadow. There are also a lot of small and confined spaces such as the attic and the office. The protagonist does not really leave the house until the end of the film, and so the audience ends up feeling quite trapped within the same small environment.
Ideology - There is a very clear message in this film about the importance of family and how you treat them. The main character is constantly uprooting his family, moving them from pillar to post for his own selfish needs. He constantly ignores his daughter who wants to interact with him, but he locks himself away in his room separate from the rest of his family. He lies to his wife and never listens to what she says, even though she in concerned for the families safety. This does not bother him and he insists that they stay so he can chase his dreams of becoming a writer. Even though his son has night terrors and becomes disruptive at school because of the things he's seen in his dad's study, he still does not give them any thought. This eventually leads to their demise as they are killed by the daughter who has clearly been mislead by the antagonist after she is neglected by her family.
Institution - This film was produced by Alliance Films and distributed by Summit Entertainment who distribute a lot of horror films.. It was written and directed by Scott Derrickson who has directed 8 films, all of them horror/sci-fi films including the very popular "Deliver us from Evil" and "The day the earth stood still".
Audience - This film has and age rating of 15 immediately ruling out anyone under this age. I feel like this film would appeal to a younger audience as when it came out the trailer promoted the scare-factor, making it appealing to young people. However it does feature Ethan Hawke playing the main character so there is a chance that it could also appeal to a slightly older audience who would recognise and be appealed to the actor.
Representation - The film represents punishment. It is about punishing the father for his selfish behaviour. This could be seen as re-enforcing Christian values as selfishness is a sin in this religion. The antagonist is seen to be an interpretation of the devil who misleads the young daughter, and as the parents pay her no attention they do not help to lead her back down the right path, and inevitably the whole family ends up being punished for their selfish ways. The main character is represented as selfish and focused on his work. Even at the point where he has to choose between his family and his work, he chooses the work. He has a helper throughout the film in the form of a young deputy police officer. He is represented as the calm advice giver as he initially overwhelmed to meet the main character, he then proceeds to give him advice and eventually solve the murders before the main character, warning him of what is going to happen next. He is a warning to the main character and can be seen as the good character who tries to save the protagonist from their selfish ways, but it inevitably too late. The other officer is initially represented negatively as in the beginning of the film as he insults the protagonist who the audience initially wants to stand up for. However as the film goes on we soon see that he was right all along and our impression of him changes from good to bad.
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