Horror Film Trailer AnalysisTHE BABADOOK (2014)

Conventions

The Babadook film trailer is very conventional to other trailers within this film genre. Firstly, the most conventional aspect of the trailer is the establishment of narrative and main characters. The trailer is designed to give the target audience an idea of the story and persuade them into watching the whole film, and this trailer successfully conforms to this convention. The audience expect to be able to form an understanding of the narrative through the trailer in a way that will make them want to see the film, therefore this convention and audience expectation has been met. Another convention used in this trailer which is seen throughout this media format is the establishment of genre. It is conventional for horror film trailers to make audiences aware of this from the beginning, as it immediately informs them that the film is designed to enforce the feeling of fear. The most conventional way in which film trailers do this, and which The Babadook conforms to, is through the use of creepy background music and sound effects that will make you jump. Throughout The Babadook trailer, sound effects and music can be heard that meets this convention; sharp screaming and dramatic sound effects can be heard when scary/dangerous events and moments occur, which reinforces the feeling of fear as well as the genre of horror. The third convention which this trailer has clearly been designed to conform to is the concept of audience appeal and selling points. The majority of film trailers, especially horror, will include snapshots of text in between footage which either relates to the context of the film or that will act as an advertisement in a way that makes the audience aware of the films value. The Babadook conforms to the convention of audience appeal by doing both of these; firstly, there are shots showing text that presents the director of the film and an award that the film has received. Then, towards the end of the trailer, there is a sequence of text (“If its in a word… or its in a look… you cant get rid of… the babadook”) which ends on the title of the film. This sequence of text is relative to the narrative of the film and the concept of evil and fear which is highly effective with the ending of the film title as it positions the audience to remember it. The trailer ends with the credits of the film, which again is a very conventional feature that audiences expect to see and clarifies that this is an official film being released.

Narrative

The narrative of the film, ‘The Babadook’, is introduced to the target audience right from the beginning of the trailer. The trailer begins with the establishment of the two main characters; a mother and her son in their home, which is the main setting of the film. The mother is reading a story with her son, and as she does this a haunting soundtrack has been edited to play along with this film footage. The type of music used, which sounds very eerie and like something is about to happen, makes the audience aware that the film is within the horror genre. Soon into the trailer, the narrative reveals that there is no male/father figure present in the film, as the mother clutches a photo of her son’s dad who is now dead. As well as this, the narrative illustrates significant details to do with the child in the film and represents him to have odd behaviours and is damaged in some way. The child has an obsession with the book that was read to him at the beginning of the trailer, The Babadook, but when his mother destroys the book, horrifying events begin to take place in the home. The Babadook comes to life and attacks the mother who doesn’t believe in the monster; the narrative represents evil to be within the book, which comes to life. Evil is also represented through the young boy’s behaviours as he acts abnormally to other children and the mother begins to turn insane as the Babadook monster haunts them. A clear establishment of the plot of the film has been represented throughout The Babadook trailer, leaving audiences feeling shocked and enticed to see the outcome of the events revealed.

Genre & Audience

Due to the conventions that this trailer meets, such as the use of sound effects, jump-scare shots and a narrative that enforces the sense of fear, it is obvious that The Babadook film falls within the genre of horror. The audience are aware of this as these conventions are stereotypical denotations of horror. Horror films usually have a target audience of older adolescents and young adults, as it is this age group who are most likely to enjoy the thrills of the genre and watch this type of film in groups as oppose to individually. This film is not targeted towards children as it would scare them in a way that effects them much more intensely; children tend to be gullible and easy to persuade, therefore by watching the events of a horror film they would be unlikely to be able to disconnect the film from real life scenarios. Young adults, however, are fully aware that the film is not a reality yet are still able to thoroughly enjoy the experience of watching a horror film. This experience includes forming an attachment to the narrative and specific characters, as well as indulging in the jump-scares and scarier moments of the film.