A Nightmare on Elm Street

The trailer opens with an establishing shot of a Diner. The shot is set at night time and it is raining. This instantly informs the audience that it is a trailer for a horror film as it seems eerie and creates a feel of unease. This is further reinforced by the fact that one of the letters in the sign for the diner is flickering. This adds to the tension and fear instantly created in the audience by this shot. It also instantly indicates that things are not right, that something is out of sync, the normal order of things is about the be disrupted. We are then presented with a close up of a male character. There is an effective use of lighting in this shot, where a red tinted lighting from within the diner is reflected over his face. This suggests to the audience that something bad is about to happen to him, that evil is soon to surround him and that he is in danger. The location is a typical Slasher location as he is alone and isolated, although, as the camera subtly pushes in on him, we are given the impression that someone is nearby, about to close in on him. His isolation is further presented to the audience through a pan of the deserted diner. This increases the tension within the trailer as horror fans will know this a bad sign that something bad is about to happen.

The audience are then presented with the male character entering the kitchen. The tension is further build up by the dead silence in the diner, except from the intensified diegetic creaking of the kitchen door, which opens painfully slowly to maximise the suspense. This is a typical convention of horror films. There is a wide shot of the kitchen where there is a pan on fire. Any Slasher horror fans will instantly relate this the to antagonist, Freddie Crougar, and his back-story. It suggests to the audience that Freddie must be lurking and it won’t be long until the characters are suffering like he did. It also connotes impending danger and hell. This suggests that all hell is about to be unleashed on the male character, and that this is the beginning of constant hell for the other characters in the film. There is an effective use of camera movement in this section of the trailer. A pan combined with a crab shot is used to show the male character slowly investigating the kitchen. The use of the slow pan and a crab shot creates the feel of someone watching him. This reinforces the tension and idea in the audience that Freddie is lurking. This is effective in pulling the audience to the edge of their seats. The tension then reaches a climax as the first jump scare is used where the audience first see Freddie. The jump scare is further emphasised through the intensified diegetic sound of Freddie’s knife slashing his hand. This is a common convention of Slasher horror films as by intensifying the sound of the knife, it emphasises the sharpness of the weapon and the fear and the gruesome death the victim is about to endure. The action then cuts back to the male character in the diner as he appears to have been asleep. This comforts the audience as they think he was just asleep and all is now fine. However, this relaxation is disturbed by a close up shot of the male character’s cut hand. This informs the audience that the nightmare has become real and this is only the beginning, while we have the first main indicator if the idea that Freddie is a monster that strikes while characters are asleep and at their most vulnerable.

We are presented with the logo of Newline cinema. This informs the audience that the film has been created by a well-known and successful institution. Also, as this is a form of institutional information that the audience are presented with at the beginning of a film, it informs the audience that the horror is only just beginning, there is more to see and the worse is yet to come. Following this, the audience are shown a Wide shot of a school. This is a typical Slasher location as Slasher antagonists always target teenagers. This also makes the film even scarier for the audience, as the Slasher target audience is made up of teenagers who are still in school. This allows for the audience to relate to the characters, adding to the terror created by the film and heightening their sense of their own vulnerability. At this point, a diegetic voice-over kicks in and is carried over onto multiple close up shots of the main characters. This is an effective and regularly used feature of horror trailers as it builds the tension and gives the audience a better insight into the narrative of the film. In this particular trailer, the voice-over is of a boy on the internet talking about his nightmares. The voice over is carried over onto multiple close up shots of the main characters as he says, ‘Is there anybody else this is happening to?’. This suggests to the audience that these are the characters who are going to be tormented by Freddie, and experiencing the same horror as the character speaking in the voice –over. Multiple slow fades are used between each of these close ups. This is an effective editing tool that helps to emphasise the horror that is to come and symbolise impending death. It also helps to inform the audience that the darkness and evil from Freddie Crougar is coming for the characters featured in these close ups.

The voice over then changes to the Final Girl, Nancy; ‘Every time that I dream, there’s always this’. This suggests to the audience that the person both the male character and the final girl are talking about is the same antagonist they saw at the beginning of the trailer. This would create fear and tension among the audience as they already know the suffering that he will cause. This tension is further built up through the use of camera. The audience are presented with a close up shot of Nancy’s feet in the snow, which then changes to a wide shot of it snowing in her room. This will add to the fear and tension among the audience as they realise she must be dreaming, which means Freddie is lurking. To add to the tension, soft and eerie non-diegetic sound is combined with the voice-over. Both the non-diegetic music and the diegetic voice-over is suddenly cut by a close up of Kris, and the diegetic dialogue of her finishing the voiceover with the word ‘man’. The dramatic entrance of this dialogue reflects the sudden emergence of Freddie Crougar himself. Kris’s distraught facial expression emphasises the fear the characters, and the audience, have of Freddie. It would also make the audience feel empathy for Kris and the other characters as they would know there’s only one way it will end. There is a sudden stab of non-diegetic sound when the shot switches to a close up of Freddie’s hand scraping the wall with sparks flying from his fingers. This emphasises the utter power he has in his knife-like fingers and the kind of damage, danger and destruction they have the potential to create and the fear and inevitable pain caused by Freddie’s presence. It also instantly informs the audience that the hand belongs to the ‘man’ Kris and Nancy are referring to. This is the point where the non-diegetic sound becomes more eerie and intense as the trailer takes a turn and the dark times the characters are soon to face is indicated through a shot of a female character silhouetted in the distance…

There is medium long shot of Freddie scratching another wall with each of his knives. This is the first time in the trailer that the audience get to see Freddie properly, even though his face is in shadow. The mise-en-scene in this shot is typical of Slasher horrors. The lighting is very dark and dismal, with a slight spotlight coming in from the left of the frame, placing Freddie in a silhouette. This reinforces the idea that pure darkness comes from within Freddie. Also, the fact that we cannot see his face adds to the tension and unease felt by the audience. His costume is typical of a Slasher antagonist. Although he doesn’t wear a mask, his severe burns mean that his face is unlike a normal human’s face, similar to a terrifying mask. This allows him to be easily identifiable to the audience, but also allows him to fit in with the conventional Slasher antagonist and to appear both more horrifying and demonic. His weapon, a mechanical hand with knives instead of fingers, is clear iconography for the Slasher sub-genre. Slasher is associated with weapons that cause pain, lots of blood and gore and make the victims deaths as long and painful as possible. Freddie’s weapon would do exactly this. The fact that the weapons are literally attached to him also suggests that evil wrong-doing and causing pain are intrinsic to him, a pure part of who he is as an individual. His costume is also clear iconography for the Slasher sub-genre and Slasher fans would instantly know that Freddie Crougar is a slasher antagonist. His striped black and red top is synonymous with his character and will be recognised by those who have seen the original, while the colours featured symbolise evil and hell, darkness and danger. The stripes, meanwhile, could indicate a character that breaks rules and is always on the wrong side of the law. This diegetic sound of Freddie’s knife, again, is intensified to make the sound more effective and emphasise the horror the weapon can cause. The audience are then presented with a high angle shot of Freddie leaning over Kris as he torments her, a use of camera angle that reflects her vulnerability and that she is under threat. The shot cuts back to a close up of Kris screaming in the classroom. This is another effective use of jump scares as the audience would literally jump out of their seats after being lured to the edge of them by Freddie tormenting Kris. A fast-paced non-diegetic sound is then introduced. The fast pace of this NDS would reflect the fast pace of the audience heart beat after the jump scare. This is an effective tool of drawing in the audience and making them feel like they are in the trailer.

The first strap features at 1.18; ‘From Producer Michael Bay’. Like the Friday the 13th trailer, the strap is

presented in an red uppercase cracked texture font. This instantly reflects the Slasher sub-genre. It will also

draw in the audience and make them want to watch the film as true Slasher fans would know Michael Bay’s

success at producing classic Slasher horror films. As this strap is presented, a non-diegetic heart beat kicks in.

This appears to be a very common convention of Slasher trailers. This may be due to the fact that as Slasher

trailers effectively use jump scares to terrify the audience, a non-diegetic heartbeat reflects the heartbeat of

the audience as the trailer becomes more intense and terrifying. This sounds effect certainly help to build up

tension and to heighten the audience’s fear too. The editing speeds up at this point with numerous quick

shots including a close up of the street sign and the characters. This reflects the change in the narrative and

suggests to the audience that the horror is getting even worse. The trailer follows a typical narrative structure,

with this point of the trailer focusing on the characters attempting to resolve the problem. There is a wide

shot of a character in a factory. The use of basic lighting makes the character appear as a silhouette, with fire

bursting in the corners of the frame. This links to and reminds the audience of Freddie’s backstory. It suggests

that Freddie is going to keep on his reign of terror until everyone suffers like he did. The characters appear to

be trying to find a solution, saying to each other ‘don’t fall asleep’ . This creates a symbiotic link between the

trailer and the poster, which features this as the tagline. It also builds the tension as the audience would

realise their solution is one that isn’t long-lasting as they cannot stay awake forever, especially as one of the

characters claims that he is ‘dreaming with his eyes open’. The audience will realise that there is no hope for

the characters and their attempts at escaping Freddie will be futile: they will still die. The characters tone

builds up the tension and fear as the characters appear desperate. They, like the audience, are fully aware that

hope is gone and their time is almost up.

The non-diegetic sound then cuts out on a shot of Nancy getting in the bath. This reflects the characters losing focus and giving in as the audience see Nancy falling asleep. Here, the audience will recognise the height of Nancy’s vulnerability, suggested by her slip into slumber and her nakedness as she sits in the bath. The silence during this shot builds up the tension among the audience as they know something bad is about to happen as she drifts off into sleep. This is followed by a stab of non-diegetic sound as the audience see a low angle shot of Freddie’s hand emerging from the water. This suggests to the audience that if the characters have even one moment of weakness and vulnerability, Freddie is there instantly to take advantage and dispose of them. The use of camera angle is hugely effective here, as it makes Freddie’s knifed hand look more large, dangerous and imposing as it moves towards Nancy. She, meanwhile, is dwarfed within the shot, an indication of the fact that she is fully under threat. This shot is followed by another slow fade combined with the re-introduction of an even faster heart beat. This reflects the fact that the audience are being even more drawn in through the trailer and are even closer to the edge of their seats. It also suggests to the audience that the horror is about to climax. This is further emphasised by the speed of the editing, which matches that of the NDS. The audience are presented with a fast montage of different shots. This reflects the build up of torment and suggests to the audience that the victims are on the edge.

A second strap is featured, presenting the audience with the release date of the film: April 30th. On this specific strap, all sound is cut out. This may perhaps be to emphasise the importance of the information. The audience are then presented with a close up of Jesse in a warehouse as he realises he is dreaming. There is diegetic dialogue of Jesse saying ‘oh my god.’ Then Freddie replies ‘No. Just me.’ This links in with idea that Freddie has come from hell and is the absolute antithesis of all that is good, pure and holy. There is also a certain arrogance to this statement and sick humour, as if Krueger is suggesting he is one the same level with or mocking God. This idea is further reinforced through the mise-en-scene. The lighting in this shot is very dark and dismal, with hints of orange. There is also fire featured around the setting in this shot. This further connotes hell and also reminds the audience of Freddie’s backstory, as he was burnt alive in a warehouse. This suggests to the audience that Freddie is bringing his victims back to where he suffered and to ensure they suffer even more. Another strap is featured after this shot saying ‘Welcome’. Unlike the first one, non-diegetic sound is featured on this strap to suggest to the audience that the following information will be far from welcoming. We see a medium shot of Freddie from the perspective of Nancy before another strap saying ‘To your new nightmare.’ The NDS is cut out again to put all the audiences focus on the sentence. The use of direct address is effective in building up the tension and pulling the audience in and making them fell vulnerable too. The audience are then presented with a fast montage of action shots before the title of the film, with a voiceover of Freddie laughing, which sounds sinister. A montage at the end of the trailer is an effective and common convention of trailers. It adds to the tension created by the film and gives the audience an quick insight into the main action scenes. Another convention the trailer uses is a Sting. We see Nancy in the hospital receiving an injection that will ‘put her straight to sleep.’ This last stab of horror is effective inkeeping the audience lured in until the very last moment. The trailer ends with a final strap saying ‘Don’t fall asleep’. This is an effective tool of ensuring the audience are terrified and the fear continues after only seeing the trailer so they willwant to watch the film to get the same adrenaline generated by the trailer. With this order presented in front of them, they might also feel that they too will be in danger if they fall asleep.