Genre: Horror

Genre - Horror

Textual Analysis of: 'Lights Out'

'Lights Out' follows several typical conventions of a horror short and is a simple yet effective short film. The classic childhood fear of being scared of the dark is used as the basis for a terrifying story line. The camera angles consists of a mixture between medium to long shots to show the mysterious character along with the main character to emphasise how physically close the two of them are; further suggesting that the two of them will come face-to-face. The other shot type used is a close up to show the shocked and terrified expression on the main character's face as well as to show the face of the mysterious character to terrify the audience as it terrifies the main character. The framing of the shots either include just the main character or the mysterious being both to be in the centre, but when both of them are in the same shot, the main character is seen to be directly in the middle, suggesting that not only is she the main focus of the audience but also to the mysterious character lurking in her flat. The editing consists of a mixture of short paced and long paced editing, the short paced representing the quick thinking and hysterical mind activity going on inside the main character's head and the long paced editing showing the gradual movement of the mysterious being as it slowly grows closer and closer to the main character. The mise-en-scene is rather stereotypical within this short film as it follows the typical story line of a helpless young female alone whilst being watched by an unknown figure. The classic example of switching the lights on and off can be closely linked to a fear many people had when they were young, by re-switching on the light to make sure no one was around. The surroundings within the short film are very basic, making sure the reader pays attention to the characters within the clip only and to feel the full force of also coming face to face with the mysterious figure as the main character does, opposed to being distracted by the surroundings. The sound in the clip is additionally rather basic, consisting of only music to build tension, leading up to climatic point where the main character, and the audience, come face to face with the unknown being, leading them into an even more dramatic situation of being scared and anticipating the inevitable themselves. The other use of sound is the diagetic screams that occur often from the shock and scare from the main character in their terrifying revelation of discovering the mysterious figure.