ANALYSING FILMS: Bride of Chucky

This post explores different aspects of horror film openings and includes detailed analysis of Bride of Chucky. I will be looking directly at:

-The opening shot
-Idents
-Mise-en-scene
-Central narrative + the protagonist 
-Transition to the main body of the film
-Sound
-Genre representations

Bride of Chucky (Ronny Yu 1998)

Genre: Horror
Produced by David Kirschner (Indie movie)
Distributed by Universal Pictures and Good Machine
Budget: $25 m
BBFC 15

LINKS: wikipedia , IMDB , Box Office Mojo 

Synopsis from IMBD: Chucky, the doll possessed by a serial killer, discovers the perfect mate to kill and revive into the body of another doll.

Trailer: 

Key features of the opening:

1. Ident with non diegetic music, subtly done as it is string based (in the style of many of Hitchcock's movies)
2. The bubble font highlights the comedic aspect of the film.
3. Ominous thunder and lightning (pathetic fallacy) links back to Frankenstein telling us its a super natural film and blue tint highlighting the ominous mood, signifies supernatural. Unnatural and eerie atmosphere like in Halloween (1988)
4. Intertextual references: Jason and Michael Myers mask, Freddy Krueger claws. 
5. Low duct angle alludes to the dolls appearance. 
6. Sticking the camera inside the locker is very effective and simple effect, can be used for jump scare. 
7. Ellipses: slams shut the locker door and we go straight away into the car driving. The door slams one way and the car goes the other. He looks at bag and cut straight to a shot of the bag makes us identify with him. 
8. Short takes due to targeting younger impatient teen audience
9. Teen slasher movie usually show adult figures of authority are shown as useless 
10. We can easily replicated the splashes scene and the lightning and thunder effect in our film opening. 
11. 'curiosity killed the cat' foreshadows him being killed. Jump scare, almost truck crash 
12. Uses the knife to file her nails, playing with gender roles.