Sunday 30 December 2012

Horror Movie Research - Shrooms (2007)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1L-pJyGZhRM

This film is about 3 couples that go to Ireland woods to collect magic mushrooms on a trip out. On their way they meet some strange inhabitants of the woods and it doesn't take long until a creepy story is being told at the campfire which might be more than just a story. So strange things happen, people start disappearing, silhouettes move through the woods and the creepy story starts to melt into reality. The horror kicks in along with the effect of the mushrooms.



This film opens with the credits and a low rumbling sound repetidly getting louder and quieter like a drum. Ontop of this a violin is playing in a minor scale slowly, creating a sad, slow atmosphere.
The opening credits fade in and out quickly.





Fast, breathing is played as a black screen is shown. The sound of the breathing suggests that it's a female, which is sterotypical for a horror movie as females are seen as vunerable and weak.
The breathing gradually becomes louder and follows with a tracking shot of legs running quickly through a wooded area giving the impression that they're far away from safe houses and help.
The scene is shot at dusk and the person running is surrounded by fog. This shot contradicts the music being played as the sound and movement is tense and fast pace while the sound is sad and mysterious like.
This can make the audience worried as it gives the effect that the person doesn't know where they're running to and can make them question why they're running in the first place.



A straight edit to a shot looking up at a gloomy, big, old looking building is shown, setting the scene.
 Ambient sound builds up which sounds twisted creating a spooky affect.
The trees move in time with the music making a more spooky atmosphere.








A straight edit is shown of what appears to be either blood, goo or something of the sort, emerging slowly from a bucket creating a twisted feel to the film.






Splattered blood on the walls is shown which can make viewers feel uneven and question how the blood got there.
The shots in this openeing are discoloured and appear in a cool blue tone making the picture unclear and mysterious, linking in with the ambient sound. Also the screen picture is faded in a circle shape, perhaps suggesting that the viewer is looking through someone's eye.  The shots are put together at a fast pace as they are put together with straight edits, increasing the intensity from the viewers perspective. 





Rustling, ambient sounds are also played which creates more suspense.
A shot is shown at floor level of blood trailing towards the camera.






The next shot is showing the person's feet running again through leaves, not showing the face of the person.






A dark, gloomy corridoor is shown, suggesting that it's inside the building that was shown before. As this shot is shown, a screaching, unpleasant sound adds to the twisted, tense affect. Unclear objects at the other end of the corridoor are shown making also add to the tense atmosphere.






The next show it of a hand that is vigourusly shaking and covered with blood. This is offputting and can make the viewer question what is happening as nothing has been revealed.








A low, abnormal breathing sound is played as a blurry, dark figure moves oddly, also adding to the twisted feel to the film.








The fast breathing of the female is repeated again as the shot is showing her running another time, linking the different shots together, yet leaving lots of unanswered questions for the viewer to think about.





Some odd shots (shown above) of what looks like rope that's being moved slowly and a straight edit to another shot that is unclear to what it is showing builds the mysterious factor of this film.






A mid-shot of someone with their hands possibly tied behind their back and a mesh bag over their head is quickly shown suggesting that they've been taken hostage. 







This shot (above) quickly changes back to two different camera angles of the female running. Viewers still don't know why she's running which builds up more tention every time the camera is showing her running.


An extreme close up of a nose and mouth with a hand infront holding something is shown in a grey scale tone, keeping to a dull lighting throughout the opening of this film. The face and hand is shaking extremely quickly for an unknown reason. A squeaking sound is played when this shot is shown.






A straight edit is used to show maggots squirming grossly on mud or something unknown. This can make the viewer feel uncomfortable as what is shown is unpleasent.






The next shot looks like the camera looking through a keyhole at the shilloette standing on the other side. The dark shilloette is blurry and unclear of the gender but is clearly shown holding either a long knife, pole, bat or something of the sort.







Yet another shot is shown of the paniced girl running through the leaves. The repetativeness of this shot can make viewer think that she doesn't know where she's going and she may be lost. This shot carries on and she looks around as if something was chasing her. The camera follows her glance but the shot quickly changes.





A hooded figure (to the left) turns smoothly around to face the camera and a few creaking sounds to add to it. This changes to a straight edit to zooming in of what looks like the end of a log (below)





An extreme close up of an eye looking into the camera is shown sideways on the screen. The fact that it's shot sideways adds to the oddness of the film. The close up looks like it's a man older than 40 as he has deep set wrinckles. Around the eye is covered in blood making the viewers unsure if the blood is his or if he's the murderer and it's someone elses blood. The shot zooms into his eye and then fades out to darkness with an odd sound like whispering and creaking.

The blackness is carried out for a few seconds and the sounds fade away too. Maybe suggesting death? As the film so far has created lots of tension and suspense by using short, fast shots, joining them with straight edits and the fact that viewers don't know anything about what's happening in the plot, the suspense is built up even more so now that everything has gone quiet, making the viewers feel that something dreadful is going to happen.









Producer credits are shown in the same font and size as the start of the film.






An overhead *ding* sound is played like one from a plane and a straight edit of a sign telling passengers to fasten their seatbelts as the next straight edit is of somone putting their seatbelt on.



A slow tracking shot down the walkway in a plane is shown as passengers are seated. The shot is at night time so passengers on the plane are quiet as they may be tired and want sleep. The tracking shot stops at a two women.








 A close up of these women is shown in a two shot. To emphasis that the scene is at night, one of them has a sleeping mask on and pulls it off, squinting at the light.








A shot of a book is shown which looks like a journal and zooms into the picture in the book.






An over the shoulder shot is used of them quietly talking and another shot of closing the journal. On the front of the book it says, 'CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY DIARY'. This can suggest that her university has been on a trip or is going on a trip and this Catholic woman is recording what she does.






Shot reverse shots are used as they speak to one another about what was in the journal.


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A straight edit to a black sceen suddenly appears and a screeching sound which sounds like a plane landing is played as the title 'SHROOMS' appears on the screen. This fades out into the blackness as an instrument gently starts to play.








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