R6- TEXTUAL ANALYSIS: ABE
The movie opens with a
consistent house style on a plain black background immediately reinforcing the
horror theme as the silence makes it tense and creates an atmosphere of suspense
leaving the audience with an expectation of being frightened.
ABE opens with an enigma code, grabbing the attention of the audience as the establishing shot of the curtains and the chains is rather peculiar and opens in a mysterious way. The curtains and lack of in an isolated room are conventions of the
horror genre as they are typical icons used throughout horror films as it connotes the idea of secrecy and induces a level of fear in audiences. The icons could be used to foreshadow the scary scenes that are yet to be discovered by the audience.
The shadowy effect created alongside the low key lightning is a key convention of horror films which creates a spooky setting, the film plays with typical conventions of horror films to draw in its existing audience as McLellan uses the fear of the unknown - as audience's are left intrigued and curious as to what lays behind the curtains, their own interpretations of the chain and curtains and what they are used for is possibly worse in the audience's imagination that what actually happens.
The panning of the equipment which was sharp, heavy and metal denote the agony and pain the victim could possibly go through, again the dear of the unknown is used.
The shadowy effect created alongside the low key lightning is a key convention of horror films which creates a spooky setting, the film plays with typical conventions of horror films to draw in its existing audience as McLellan uses the fear of the unknown - as audience's are left intrigued and curious as to what lays behind the curtains, their own interpretations of the chain and curtains and what they are used for is possibly worse in the audience's imagination that what actually happens.
The panning of the equipment which was sharp, heavy and metal denote the agony and pain the victim could possibly go through, again the dear of the unknown is used.
A moth is used to portray a short, yet insignificant life this may be used to represent the victims life. In addition, the moth also represents the ideology that they are attracts to what kills them, as the moth flies around the light which will eventually end it. The cruel characterisation of the robot slashes the moth, perhaps the director is foreshadowing what will happen to the victim. The use of violence and harsh 'punishment' is also a key theme which is reoccurring in many horror films.
Binary opposition is used to create sympathy as the victim is wearing a
pink dress which represents her youth and innocence, this is directly
contrasted with the barbaric setting she is placed in. The restrictions on her
mouth, hands and legs is a connotation of her helplessness and lack of power.
The director used the conventional bright red blood which is associated
with danger, fear and death. The splattering of blood signifies the agony in
which the victim felt, sadistic characters are of a main focus in
horror films that fall into the sub-genre of sc-fi and psychological horror.
The sting associated with the robot enhances the visual imagery as the slow, mid pitched sounds of piano and continuous loud drones makes the movie sound scary, sound is used throughout the movie to create fear and a tense atmosphere. The movie ended with the robot having a flash back, in which editing is used to create a hazy yet vivid picture of how he spent his life, reminiscing the past experiences which helps the audience understand from his perspective and perhaps justifies his actions. The movie ended with the frame fading into black, connoting the ending of a life, as well as scene. The house style of the front is sustained from the titles, to the credit.
It relates very well to the horror genre as it carries an enigma throughout the film, the location, mes-en-scen as well as the sharp music and hollow sounds all link and create a tense atmosphere.
The sting associated with the robot enhances the visual imagery as the slow, mid pitched sounds of piano and continuous loud drones makes the movie sound scary, sound is used throughout the movie to create fear and a tense atmosphere. The movie ended with the robot having a flash back, in which editing is used to create a hazy yet vivid picture of how he spent his life, reminiscing the past experiences which helps the audience understand from his perspective and perhaps justifies his actions. The movie ended with the frame fading into black, connoting the ending of a life, as well as scene. The house style of the front is sustained from the titles, to the credit.
It relates very well to the horror genre as it carries an enigma throughout the film, the location, mes-en-scen as well as the sharp music and hollow sounds all link and create a tense atmosphere.
