Summary of my ideas for the film

What is the film about?

The film is generally based around a group of friends who come across an abandoned house and explore. They decide to use this house as their domain and a sanctuary for a place to party and hang out together. They believe that the property is inhabited and has been for a long time, however there is something or someone in this house other than them. When two of them disappear before the rest of the group can get there, the new arrivals soon realize that they are being targeted and all is not what it seems.

What will the opening show?

The film starts with a blank screen, and a voice that is clearly expressed as a phone call telling someone to meet her in 10 minutes, the person and place she mentions is left unknown to build questions instantly. The camera then opens up to the girl standing by an alleyway, which actually leads to the abandoned house. Its clear she’s waiting for someone. The person who received the phone call then becomes apparent and is introduced as he walks towards the girl. They greets each other. Questions are once again aroused as the girl excitedly says ‘come and look, its perfect’ the audience still don’t know what she’s talking about. The boy follows the girl down the alleyway and the abandoned house soon comes into appearance and answers some of the audiences questions however they still don't know what the point is and why its perfect. The couple then begin to explore the house and look around, talking as they go. Tension is aroused when the girl screams from another room, the boy rushes in, but its all clear. She just fell over. This calms the situation down again.  The boy then goes outside and leaves the girl in the house. Outside in the garden the boy makes a phone call. This introduces Jack as a character. They talk about how they have a perfect place for a party, and Jack tells the boy that he’ll arrange everything.  Whilst the phone call is going on camera work builds tension as it becomes evident that someone’s watching the boy. The audience doesn’t know who it is, it could be a new character, or the girl. Sounds such as scurrying, movement, and heavy breathing build up this suspense to give away that it's something bad. The boy calls out thinking the girl is playing tricks with him. Cameraworks are used at all angles as the boy looks around. This shows that he's isolated. When the boy calls the girls name again he is cut off dramatically when something grabs him. What grabs him is unknown to the audience. (This builds suspence and a storyline plot. Leaving it's identity a secret makes it more scary for the imagination, as we think of all the possibilities). Dean shouts out but his cry is muffled by the person and he gets dragged off. The camera then goes back to the girl inside the house, who is oblivious to the events that have just occured outside. She's still exploring the house with interest when she comes across a message, (writing) on the wall, that she hadn't seen before. The message says 'thee who seeks, prepare for God'. The sign is in red - which is actually blood. With curiosity, thinking its dry, the girl walks closer to the wall and touches it. She's then shocked to find that it's still wet. This builds up a number of emotions -shock, confusement, anxiety, and fear. Her thought instantly turn to the boy. She starts to shout his name growing more anxious as theres no reply. As she stumbles through the house and is about to go passed the stairs, something grabs her. She is then dragged up the stairs, screaming, completely into darkness, (and the unknown). The camera then cuts into darkness, expressing the end of the opening sequence.

How does this film fit into genre conventions?


I think that the main idea is the fact that this is clearly a subgenre of a thriller classed with a horror. It carries lots of conventions of a thriller film such as:

• thrills and shocks when the boy and girl get taken. - blood on the wall.
• A cliffhanger is used at the end of the opening sequence, creating an intrigue into what happens next
• The opening sequence is enough to capture the audiences attention to maintain viewing throughout to see what happens and how it concludes.
• Mysteries, puzzles and enigmas are apparant. For example we dont know who the attacker is, or what it is. 
• Theres a build up of questions from the begining to capture iterest.
• Dark, moody and impressionalistic lighting are easy to come by due to fact that the abandoned house is dark, with the only source of light sweeping through the windows. Theres still enough light for filming though. 
• Another convention is the use of victims. Followed by lots of intrigue as we dont really know what happens to them. A clue to the boys fate is outlined by the blood on the wall, but the girl is left on a cliffhanger where we can only guess her fate.

With lots of thriller conventions this is a good sign to produce it as a thriller. However i would include horror as a sub genre due to the fact that it may be borderline horror with the fact that it deals with the idea of death in a stronger way than thrillers would. Extreme agression with the dragging upstairs may also count. Although there are no clear focus on the attacks i think that the audiences may see a bit of horror within the thriller as body count can increase and the potential of gore could do too as the plot unfolds. As i've also researched, i think the audience may view themselves in the boy and girls situation and fear for that situation rather than what is happening to them, making it a horror thriller.