FILM REVIEW: Alone (short film)

Title: Alone

Main actors: Candice Wilson, Emil Pinnock

Year of production: 2010

Company: GrindWorks Pictures

Produced by: Spencer Longmore, Candice Wilson, Emil Pinnock

This short film is about a young woman who is left alone at home due to her boyfriend coming home late. As a result of this she becomes a victim of a masked killer.

This short film fits into the horror film category because it uses many conventions which are frequently present amongst horror films, for example the fact that she is trapped and alone is a prominent aspect of the film. It is well explored through the use of camera techniques at the start of the film such as the slow subtle zoom that occurs when she is on the phone with her boyfriend and the sudden change to a point of view shot which continues to zoom into the women giving off the impression that she is being watched, and that the person stalking her is getting closer to her, which is shown through the camera’s technique. Diegetic sound of the phone conversation is used in the scene to support the fact that she is alone and increase the vulnerable aspect of the character since we as an audience know from the conversation that the boyfriend will arrive later than usual and consequently, whoever is watching her also becomes aware of this.

 In addition to the previously used camera techniques the director also makes use of a point of view mid close-up shot of her face which has a quick and slight shake, indicating once again to the audience that she is not as alone as she thinks she is. Point of view shots are commonly used in horror films to show the point of view of the antagonist and shows the audience that the victim is being watched, which is how POV is being used in this film. In addition to this technique, asynchronous sound of the killing scene in the horror film she is watching helps to build up the horror film atmosphere and the audience’s anticipation for something to take place in the actual film. The fact that the film she is watching has the antagonist as a serial killer instead of a vampire or ghost helps to foreshadow that she will also be attacked by a serial killer as well.

The idea that she is trapped is further explored though the use of a panning point of view shot where the camera is placed outside of the window causing the bars of the window  resembles the bars of a cage in the shot. This gives of the impression that she is caged inside her own house, which makes her seem defenceless since her house which should protect her is actually being used as tool by the killer, this generates sympathy from the audience as they hope that her boyfriend will not be too late.

The film suddenly stops working and the TV noise amplifies blocking all the other sounds around the room. This idea of the TV invading our ability to hear what is going on around the house mirrors the idea that the person who was once outside now has invaded the house and has used the TV as a diversion. The same thing is done again when the TV sound is replaced with the sound of the water tap running heavily which is accompanied by quiet eerie non Diegetic music that sounds like long chords that are repeated again and again. This constant repetition of background music and of effects which distract the main girl conforms to the convention of serial killer movies where the antagonist plays with their victims diverting their attention to various different parts of the house before finally killing them.

The extreme close up of the main girl’s feet helps to show the audience that floor produces no sound when somebody walks, which could explain how the killer is able to move around the house teasing her without being noticed. This in a way goes against the horror film convention that the film is set in a house that is very noisy, with wood floors that make cracking noises for no reason, acting as a distraction to the main character. However this film still uses an exaggerated diegetic sound for the doors opening and closing especially in the kitchen scene where even the fridge door makes a noise that it normally wouldn’t make.

Non diegetic sound is used effectively throughout the film in order to build up the tension and create various jump scares for the audience. The first example of this is when the silence is sudden interrupted by a loud rough knock on the door which is accompanied by loud cymbals which fade away. This effectively shows how the main threat is not yet gone, and it is too late to relax and feel relieved, which was what the silence beforehand symbolized, calm before the storm. The cymbals and the knock on the door, was sudden and unexpected which is why it was a good example of a jump scare and served as a wake up call to the main girl and audience.

The second example non-diegetic music successfully building up the atmosphere and tension in the movie takes place after the threatening phone call, there is a repeated loud banging noise that goes on until she hides under the pool table. The non diegetic sound heard is a typical sound heard in horror films when the killer is coolly chasing after their victim while banging the weapon on the wall. This gives off the impression that the antagonist is getting closer and might soon take action, symbolising that the film has reached its climax. This banging sound reappears and gets louder as the main character approaches the car signalling that instead of moving way from danger she is getting closer to it. This allows the audience to predict that the killer is inside the car; this is because this is one of the conventions of horror films, where the main character tries to escape using a car but doesn’t check the backseat where the killer is hiding. This theory is further confirmed when the final bang is louder than the rest and synchronised with the closing of the car door giving of the impression of that she has reached the end of the line and causing the audience to anticipate when the attack will take place.

The lighting in the film also follows horror film conventions. This is especially the case when the main girl is in the kitchen; she is confronted by electrical problems when the lights begin to flash on and off before becoming stable, this type of electrical problem is often present in horror films such as paranormal activity.

Another way in which the lighting in the film conforms to convections is through the use of low key lighting which obscures the view of the house behind during the mid close up shot of her looking inside the kitchen. This prevents us as an audience from knowing if there is something or someone approaching from behind. Which makes it more mysterious and adds to the audiences’ anticipation.

The mise-en scene further explores this idea of obscuring the audiences view of what lies beyond, in the scene of the car where the car windows are extremely dusty preventing the audience from seeing if there is anybody inside the car waiting for her. This makes it a convenient place to hide as the main character is too scared and preoccupied with her phone to think of looking behind.

An additional aspect of the mise-en scene which helps to further develop the close similarities between this short film and ‘Scream”. Adding on to the fact that she has received a threatening phone call of somebody who has changed their voice, the killer is also wearing a mask just like the main antagonist in the film 'scream' and coincidently in the film 'Halloween' which she was also watching previously. This gives off the idea of real life mirroring fantasy, which is something I will be incorporating into my film.

The narrative structure of the film is Linear with an open structure the film has a clear beginning with the phone call, a clear middle where the climax takes place and the killer teases her by making her move around the house and at the end it is clear that she did not survive however the fact that we don’t know whether her boyfriend will die as well are if he has arrived and the killer is still in the room prevents the film from having a closed structure which is why it has an open structure instead.

Alone conforms to the Levi Strauss’s binary opposites theory, since there is a clear clash between two opposing forces in the film, the women who is trying to escape and find a safe place to stay by calling her boyfriend, the police and getting inside the car and the killer who has invaded her house and is trying to kill her.

The female lead subverts to the stereotype that women are weak. This is shown when she isn’t afraid to confront whatever is after her by going outside to check who knocked on the door with a knife for self-protection and when she decides to leave her hiding place to do something to help herself rather than staying there to wait for help.

I believe this film should be rated PG because there is limited detail to potentially dangerous behaviour that children can copy, for example when the bag is placed on her head the scene is very quick and short and doesn’t show her struggling or any other extra details of how that might kill someone.