Microelements in Horror - Carrie

In the 2013 version of the horror movie, Carrie, there are certain elements that make this movie a horror, these are the micro elements. The miseducating-en-scene, the cinematography, the editing and the sound. The scene I will analysing for this is towards the end of the film. Carrie has just been crowned prom queen and then a bucket of blood gets poured on her head. She is angry and goes out to find the teenagers responsible.

The setting of this scene is a road near a petrol station, and there are no cars to be seen other than the car that Billy and Chris are in. The lighting is dark, suggesting the time of day and also creating an eerie look. There are three characters in this scene; Carrie who wears a simple, purple dress which in this scene is hard to distinct as the fake blood spilt over it and the lighting has a red hue; Billy who wears a leather jacket and a black shirt and Chris who has a similar look of a black leather jacket. The outfits of Billy and Chris suggest that they are the 'cool' kids and the bullies of Carrie. Carrie's hair is drenched with blood which sticks to her face, covering it slightly, creating a creepy look and with the blood on her face and dripping from her eyes almost acts a mask which brings out her dark side. As for Chris and Billy, their hair and make-up is contemporary until they both die and Chris's face is covered in blood with sharp shards of glass stuck into her skin and Billy has blood all over his nose and mouth. There aren't any props used in the scene other than the car as there doesn't need to be as this car is the main focus of the scene. The character expression and movement vary due to the character. Carrie walks slowly, slightly hunched, with her arms parted from her body, almost like how a monster would walk. She has the same look on her face with eyes widened and she tilts her head to make it look creepy. Chris and Billy start off as confident, arrogant characters who are laid back but that soon changes when the car is under the control of Carrie, so different facial expressions such as panic and fear are shown as they start screaming. Body gestures are also used to exaggerate.

The cinematography used is vital in a horror movie. Establishing shots are used to show the setting and so the viewer can work out what is going on. A crane shot is used to show the car driving off into the distance. A close up of Carrie's face is shown, showing her emotions yet she looks emotionless even though she's angry. Dolly shots are used to follow the road that is cracking up to the car and to show the movement of the characters, creating suspense. Medium shots are used to get a wider view of the action going on and how Carrie is controlling the destruction with her body. A POV shot is used from inside the car, showing what Billy and Chris are seeing. Over the shoulder shots are used to show the different expressions from the two characters in the car as well as over Carries shoulder to see what she is doing to the car.

Sound is also important in a horror film. It creates the tension and suspense and often gives away the idea of a jump scare or something scary is about to be revealed. Without music a horror movie would have a different perspective. There is dialogue throughout the scene, and it's a conversation between Billy and Chris. There is no Foley, narration or soundtrack in the scene as these are unnecessary for the scene, however score is included. It appears to be an orchestral sound, mainly strings which gets high pitched and fits the scene perfectly. It jumps to a higher octave when it gets intense. It is an example of a classic horror movie background track and isn't used the whole way through. There are sounds such as an explosion and the car engine and screeching as it crashes that have either been added in after or recorded live. 

The editing of a horror movie is key as it is at this point, what is decided to be kept in and what is being cut out. Despite only one transition used, cut, the scene doesn't need to have anything fancy because it would take away the suspense. By having lots of short jump cuts, showing the key parts of what's going on, creates more tension and fear to the viewer, making it more fearful. This is important because it. There is a lot of match on action shots and cross cutting in the scene as this gets a key part of the scene from different angles, showing different perspectives. This is important because we get a better understanding of what's going on. Shot/reverse shot is used in the car when cutting from one character to another as this shows the characters expressions and movements at different parts of the scene. As the focus of the scene is a car crash it is difficult to get a shot of it as it happens so quickly, so they have specifically slowed one of the clips down to emphasise the effect of the crash. It makes it more intriguing to the viewer and it's easier to decipher what has just happened.