Misery DVD Cover Analysis

"Empire" Magazine Cover

"Total Film" Magazine Cover Analysis

Room 1408 Poster Analysis

The mise en scene is quite subtle for the psychological thriller genre as the props are a normal hotel room, and as far as can be seen, nothing is out of the ordinary. The low key lighting at the bottom of the poster makes the audience relate the darkness with the title of the film, ‘1408’. The hotel bed and cabinets are in the neutral lighting as it shows them to be inconspicuous. Overall, the mise en scene is very unconventional and subtle to the psychological thriller genre.

The title of ‘1408’ is a strange title for the psychological thriller genre as it is a ‘stone’ type font and so is not very generic and thrilling.

Firstly the audience’s attention is caught by the red writing at the top of the page and at the start of the figure of Z that the audience’s eyes follow. This also makes the audiences eyes drawn to the slogan of the film, ‘some rooms are locked for a reason’, which is very stereotypical of the thriller genre, which entices the audience to the film. The figure of Z then follows the line down to the hotel room which sets the setting for the film. As the audience continue to follow Z, they see the title ‘1408’ that is surrounded by the low key lighting at the bottom of the room to show that 1408 is at the depths of darkness and so this is portrayed to the audience. The main characters names are also at the bottom of the Z so that the audience recognise the famous names and so are more likely to be drawn to the film. In the terminal area of the film is another slogan and logo which leaves the audience with this in their mind as they last look at the poster.

Panic Room Poster Analysis

The Panic Room poster shows the main character played by Jodie Foster lying down, whilst a dark character we associate with being someone sinister looms over her standing in a doorway. It gives the impression he is an intruder and unbeknownst to him, Jodies character has realised he is there. This gives a basic impression of the plot fot the entire film.

Technically the poster follows the rule of thirds, the hot spots outline the looming man and come down to Jodies right eye, this draws the viewers eyes to the sinister character and Jodies awarness of him. When first looking at the poster the audience read the name "Jodie Foster" and come down across the poster and then back right to read "Panic Room" this obviously highlights the films to major pulling points, its A-List main actor and the films name, and director. This will appeal particually to fans of Jodie Foster and the director. Also Foster is a well known thriller actor, this tells the audience that if she is in the film it must good.

The colour pallet for the poster is very dull, lots of dark colours including blues and greys place the film in the thriller genre and show the film to be a frightining and dark, another major pulling point. "Panic "Room is in red as opposed to the rest of the writing which is in white, this helps it to stand out. Also red as a colour shows passion and anger. This tells the viewer that the film will also be action packed.

The door the intruder stands in does just that, paints him as an intruder as we symbolise doors as entrances often to private or safe places.
The fact the doorway is wide open also makes the audience uneasy as a wide open doorways give the feeling of unprotection and exposure.

Analysis of 'Room 1408'

The scene opens with a two-shot of a mother and her daughter which immediately indicates a sense of family and relationship as well as suggesting love. The audience quickly learn that the daughter will die soon, however, the father (John Cusack) claims that his daughter will “stay here with us”, his daughter responds by explaining that “everyone dies”. Shot-reverse-shot editing into close-ups between the father and his daughter indicate that she is the most precious thing in his life. To emphasise this, the sounds of piano and string instruments can be heard to connote love as well as and danger and a sense of trouble ahead. The instruments are intentionally played in a minor key to demonstrate sad, lonely and haunting emotions. The music is conventional to the psychological horror genre. The deep voice of a man provides the voice-over for the trailer, this is conventional as it adds to the heightening of the tension. The voice-over moves the plot along as it explains that “after many years of searching, he (Cusack) no longer believes”.

The scene cuts to Cusack searching for evidence of ‘other life forms’ in a dark corridor using a special gamma-ray torch. This is a binary opposition of light and dark as suggested by Levi-Strauss. Cusack uncovers handprints on the walls, this indicates terror. The fact that Cusack has never seen a ghost before is the motive behind his desire to visit various places in order to find evidence of their existence. The use of both Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack in the film is intentional. Black actors are usually installed as authority figures, Jackson wears a suit and tie to demonstrate his power.

The camera cuts to an Extreme Close-Up (ECU) of the key turning in the lock. There is a binary opposition of the dark of the door and the bright white of the light outside as the key turns. This is done intentionally to indicate that he is opening the door and about to ‘enter at his own peril’. Furthermore, the bright white colours are usually associated with heaven. This suggests that Cusack is in real danger of death by staying in Room 1408, as he was warned by Jackson. The sound of the creaking door as it opens emphasises a haunted space. This sound is conventional to the psychological horror genre. A long shot shows Cusack standing in the doorway staring into the darkness. This emphasises that he is very much alone. A pan of the room demonstrates a hegemonic setting, the room is normal, nothing is wrong- or so it seems. This is demonstrated through Cusack stating, “Is this it?” in an arrogant manner. The door is pushed closed and the camera shows the room number, the door creaks shut to again indicate terror and haunting, the screen then fades to black to emphasise loneliness, peril and ultimately death.

The terror begins with the buzzing of the clock. Music is played from it before a close-up of the clock now displaying a countdown timer. Jackson had previously stated that most residents don’t last more than an hour in the room, the timer counts down from the hour mark to show that Cusack’s remaining minutes alive are being clocked. A fade to black further emphasises the peril. Following this, there are quick fades from the action on the screen to black. This is used to demonstrate the quickened pace of Cusack’s heartbeat, he begins to fear the room. Visual effects and Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) are used to make the film more disturbing, for example a negative effect is used on a man swinging a knife at Cusack and also to demonstrate Cusack’s reaction to the attack. The negative effect is used intentionally to connote to the psychological horror genre and to further emphasise the scale of the attack. The room must be feared.

A high-angle shot shows Cusack trying to escape from the room, rather predictably the key will not turn- this is conventional to the psychological horror genre- and he is thus trapped. A close-up of Cusack’s face shows him curled up in fear, hiding from the room. This demonstrates that he now fears the room, it is unconventional for the male character to be the victim in a psychological horror, however, he can also seen as the hero as suggested by Propp’s theory. A male playing the role of the hero is more conventional. Todorov’s theory can also be used when analysing the ‘Room 1408’ trailer. The equilibrium of the narrative is Cusack’s daughter dying and him going on a quest in search of ghosts, the disequilibrium is the panic and confusion inside Room 1408. The resolution of the trailer is that Cusack manages to escape the tortures of the room but he still finds himself face to face with the ghosts of his precious daughter. Shot-reverse-shot editing into a close-up of the father and daughter’s conversation, there is a fade to black in between the cuts to close-ups, this is used to further illustrate peril. The trailer ends with the daughter asking “Daddy, don’t you love me anymore?” An ECU of Cusack shows that ‘monsters’ hands have been placed on his own as he grasps his head in fear. We see another shot in negatives to illustrate fear and confusion- this is conventional for psychological horrors- before a shot of the room door and the number displayed on the outside. There is a binary opposition of the dark colours of the door contrasting with the light, bright, gold colours of the number.

Cusack climbs through the air vent in an attempt to escape, however, he is blocked by a body that he presumes is the dead body of the last resident to have stayed in Room 1408. The body comes to life and Cusack screams in fear as demonstrated with an over-the-shoulder shot. The background music heightens tension as it goes from being slow to fast-paced music very quickly, this may again demonstrate Cusack’s heartbeat. The sound effect of the wind whistling further emphasises terror and the fact that he is alone. Cusack returns to the room which is now covered in snow and ice, he is freezing cold which is demonstrated by a CU of his face showing small icicles hanging from his eyebrows, nose and beard etc. He is speaking to a woman on his computer and asks if she has rang for help, she replies that the police are in Room 1408 but the “room is empty”. This raises suspense and mystery as the audience ask, ‘where is he?’, ‘how does he escape?’ etc. This complies with Barthes enigma theory from the 5 narrative codes. An ECU of Cusack’s head being raised from the floor to a position where he looks straight down the camera- unconventional as he is a male character and should therefore resists the gaze of the camera- demonstrates he is tired, scared and confused as well as being very much alone.

Fast-paced jump cuts then show Cusack facing trouble from all four of the elements. First a portrait of a ship comes to life and freezes Cusack’s room, a wide shot shows him struggling against the fury of the waves. Then as he tries to escape from the room he hangs from the building attempting to ‘shimmy’ along it to safety. However, the powerful gust of the wind outside ensures he is further tormented by the room as it tries to force him off the side of the building. The scene then cuts to Cusack throwing a projectile at the fireplace in anger, but this leads to his room being filled with raging flames. Lastly, after evading the collapse of the concrete structure Cusack stands in the ruins of the broken building staring into the face of the ghost of his daughter. He faces trouble from all the elements to demonstrate the power of the room and that it should not be misunderstood.

A CU shows Cusack move to grasp his head in terror, his expression is one of fear and hatred. The backdrop swirls around Cusack as he clutches his head, this is used to demonstrate his confusion and that he is lost while emphasising that he is alone. Suspense is built as a result. An ECU of Cusack’s eye demonstrates his pupil has dilated; fear dilates the pupil following an adrenaline reaction to the body’s normal ‘fight or flight’ response in a situation. The red lines of the white of his eye balls demonstrate how tired and weary he is and suggest panic. The music stops and everything becomes silent which builds tension. Silence is conventional to the psychological horror genre; it is used as the calm before any significant action. The daughter enters the room, a wide shot shows her wearing white which indicates her purity. Her father wears contrasting clothes to portray him as a stereotypical middle-aged, middle-class man. A light shines on the daughter as she enters; it is the only source of light in the room. This is done intentionally to portray the daughter as angelic and illustrate that she is already dead and her ghost has returned- this is a significant moment in the plot as it the first real ghost that Cusack has seen. A CU shows Cusack screaming, a negative effect is once again used to heighten tension and demonstrate stereotypical horror.

The use of the negative effect is a recurrent theme throughout the narrative. They are used as conventional horror tools and also provide a binary opposition between normality and paranormality, life and death. They are intentionally used at times when Cusack experiences some form of anguish to heighten tension, portray horror and raise suspense for the audience. The Hotel is named ‘The Dolphin’. This is intentional as dolphins have connotations of innocence and purity which contrast heavily to the actions that take place in the room.

Analysis of 'Room 1408'

The scene opens with a two-shot of a mother and her daughter which immediately indicates a sense of family and relationship as well as suggesting love. The audience quickly learn that the daughter will die soon, however, the father (John Cusack) claims that his daughter will “stay here with us”, his daughter responds by explaining that “everyone dies”. Shot-reverse-shot editing into close-ups between the father and his daughter indicate that she is the most precious thing in his life. To emphasise this, the sounds of piano and string instruments can be heard to connote love as well as and danger and a sense of trouble ahead. The instruments are intentionally played in a minor key to demonstrate sad, lonely and haunting emotions. The music is conventional to the psychological horror genre. The deep voice of a man provides the voice-over for the trailer, this is conventional as it adds to the heightening of the tension. The voice-over moves the plot along as it explains that “after many years of searching, he (Cusack) no longer believes”.

The scene cuts to Cusack searching for evidence of ‘other life forms’ in a dark corridor using a special gamma-ray torch. This is a binary opposition of light and dark as suggested by Levi-Strauss. Cusack uncovers handprints on the walls, this indicates terror. The fact that Cusack has never seen a ghost before is the motive behind his desire to visit various places in order to find evidence of their existence. The use of both Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack in the film is intentional. Black actors are usually installed as authority figures, Jackson wears a suit and tie to demonstrate his power.

The camera cuts to an Extreme Close-Up (ECU) of the key turning in the lock. There is a binary opposition of the dark of the door and the bright white of the light outside as the key turns. This is done intentionally to indicate that he is opening the door and about to ‘enter at his own peril’. Furthermore, the bright white colours are usually associated with heaven. This suggests that Cusack is in real danger of death by staying in Room 1408, as he was warned by Jackson. The sound of the creaking door as it opens emphasises a haunted space. This sound is conventional to the psychological horror genre. A long shot shows Cusack standing in the doorway staring into the darkness. This emphasises that he is very much alone. A pan of the room demonstrates a hegemonic setting, the room is normal, nothing is wrong- or so it seems. This is demonstrated through Cusack stating, “Is this it?” in an arrogant manner. The door is pushed closed and the camera shows the room number, the door creaks shut to again indicate terror and haunting, the screen then fades to black to emphasise loneliness, peril and ultimately death.

The terror begins with the buzzing of the clock. Music is played from it before a close-up of the clock now displaying a countdown timer. Jackson had previously stated that most residents don’t last more than an hour in the room, the timer counts down from the hour mark to show that Cusack’s remaining minutes alive are being clocked. A fade to black further emphasises the peril. Following this, there are quick fades from the action on the screen to black. This is used to demonstrate the quickened pace of Cusack’s heartbeat, he begins to fear the room. Visual effects and Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) are used to make the film more disturbing, for example a negative effect is used on a man swinging a knife at Cusack and also to demonstrate Cusack’s reaction to the attack. The negative effect is used intentionally to connote to the psychological horror genre and to further emphasise the scale of the attack. The room must be feared.

A high-angle shot shows Cusack trying to escape from the room, rather predictably the key will not turn- this is conventional to the psychological horror genre- and he is thus trapped. A close-up of Cusack’s face shows him curled up in fear, hiding from the room. This demonstrates that he now fears the room, it is unconventional for the male character to be the victim in a psychological horror, however, he can also seen as the hero as suggested by Propp’s theory. A male playing the role of the hero is more conventional. Todorov’s theory can also be used when analysing the ‘Room 1408’ trailer. The equilibrium of the narrative is Cusack’s daughter dying and him going on a quest in search of ghosts, the disequilibrium is the panic and confusion inside Room 1408. The resolution of the trailer is that Cusack manages to escape the tortures of the room but he still finds himself face to face with the ghosts of his precious daughter. Shot-reverse-shot editing into a close-up of the father and daughter’s conversation, there is a fade to black in between the cuts to close-ups, this is used to further illustrate peril. The trailer ends with the daughter asking “Daddy, don’t you love me anymore?” An ECU of Cusack shows that ‘monsters’ hands have been placed on his own as he grasps his head in fear. We see another shot in negatives to illustrate fear and confusion- this is conventional for psychological horrors- before a shot of the room door and the number displayed on the outside. There is a binary opposition of the dark colours of the door contrasting with the light, bright, gold colours of the number.

Cusack climbs through the air vent in an attempt to escape, however, he is blocked by a body that he presumes is the dead body of the last resident to have stayed in Room 1408. The body comes to life and Cusack screams in fear as demonstrated with an over-the-shoulder shot. The background music heightens tension as it goes from being slow to fast-paced music very quickly, this may again demonstrate Cusack’s heartbeat. The sound effect of the wind whistling further emphasises terror and the fact that he is alone. Cusack returns to the room which is now covered in snow and ice, he is freezing cold which is demonstrated by a CU of his face showing small icicles hanging from his eyebrows, nose and beard etc. He is speaking to a woman on his computer and asks if she has rang for help, she replies that the police are in Room 1408 but the “room is empty”. This raises suspense and mystery as the audience ask, ‘where is he?’, ‘how does he escape?’ etc. This complies with Barthes enigma theory from the 5 narrative codes. An ECU of Cusack’s head being raised from the floor to a position where he looks straight down the camera- unconventional as he is a male character and should therefore resists the gaze of the camera- demonstrates he is tired, scared and confused as well as being very much alone.

Fast-paced jump cuts then show Cusack facing trouble from all four of the elements. First a portrait of a ship comes to life and freezes Cusack’s room, a wide shot shows him struggling against the fury of the waves. Then as he tries to escape from the room he hangs from the building attempting to ‘shimmy’ along it to safety. However, the powerful gust of the wind outside ensures he is further tormented by the room as it tries to force him off the side of the building. The scene then cuts to Cusack throwing a projectile at the fireplace in anger, but this leads to his room being filled with raging flames. Lastly, after evading the collapse of the concrete structure Cusack stands in the ruins of the broken building staring into the face of the ghost of his daughter. He faces trouble from all the elements to demonstrate the power of the room and that it should not be misunderstood.

A CU shows Cusack move to grasp his head in terror, his expression is one of fear and hatred. The backdrop swirls around Cusack as he clutches his head, this is used to demonstrate his confusion and that he is lost while emphasising that he is alone. Suspense is built as a result. An ECU of Cusack’s eye demonstrates his pupil has dilated; fear dilates the pupil following an adrenaline reaction to the body’s normal ‘fight or flight’ response in a situation. The red lines of the white of his eye balls demonstrate how tired and weary he is and suggest panic. The music stops and everything becomes silent which builds tension. Silence is conventional to the psychological horror genre; it is used as the calm before any significant action. The daughter enters the room, a wide shot shows her wearing white which indicates her purity. Her father wears contrasting clothes to portray him as a stereotypical middle-aged, middle-class man. A light shines on the daughter as she enters; it is the only source of light in the room. This is done intentionally to portray the daughter as angelic and illustrate that she is already dead and her ghost has returned- this is a significant moment in the plot as it the first real ghost that Cusack has seen. A CU shows Cusack screaming, a negative effect is once again used to heighten tension and demonstrate stereotypical horror.

The use of the negative effect is a recurrent theme throughout the narrative. They are used as conventional horror tools and also provide a binary opposition between normality and paranormality, life and death. They are intentionally used at times when Cusack experiences some form of anguish to heighten tension, portray horror and raise suspense for the audience. The Hotel is named ‘The Dolphin’. This is intentional as dolphins have connotations of innocence and purity which contrast heavily to the actions that take place in the room.

Analysis of 'Panic Room'

The narrative is about a mother and her daughter are trapped in a room hiding away from three men who have broken into their home. It is conventional to the psychological horror genre for the villains to be male characters and the victims to be female characters as males are stereotypically dominant. A two-shot of the mother and daughter demonstrates their close relationship and indicates their love. They are trapped in the situation together.

The first shot of the sequence is a fade to black which immediately indicates terror and peril. A jump cut into a close-up of the girl’s face emphasises the terror as we witness the woman’s reaction. The sound effect of a drill is conventional to the psychological horror genre as it connotes horror; it is used to scare the mother and daughter. A fast zoom away from a close-up of the daughter indicates the panic on the faces of both characters. The male villains wear stereotypically dark clothes, long coats, gloves, hats and bandanas to connote a villain. The daughter wears pyjamas to illustrate her innocence and youth and also to suggest that it is night- it is conventional for action in psychological horrors to take place in the dark. The mother- Jodie Foster- wears evening clothes but also wears a low-cut top to highlight her breasts and indicate sexual objectification. This is conventional as the woman is objectified to the camera and to the male gaze; men look at her as a sex object. This is further emphasised by her wearing an earring- this relates to Laura Mulvey’s media theory of visual pleasure.

The room is shown in ‘false colours’ and low-key lighting to indicate danger. There is a storm outside which is a stereotypical setting for the psychological horror genre, it provides a base for the rest of the film to be built on. The weather is miserable and lightning is menacing; this film continues into the film. A wide shot shows the prop of the daughter’s medicine. This indicates that she is ill and needs treatment, the fear of men in her home cannot be good for her. The audience begin to ask questions, “Why are the men in the house?”, “What are they after?”, “How will the mother and daughter escape?”, “Will the daughter be able to cope with the stress?” These questions are elements of the (Barthes) enigma code, one of his 5 narrative codes theory. A wide shot shows that glass has been smashed which indicates violence, fear and peril. The house is littered with cameras which film the ongoing action, the cameras are linked to the panic room. They are used to give the mother and her daughter ‘eyes’ to witness what is happening in their home. It is unconventional of the psychological horror genre for the victim to know what the villain is doing.

There is a running theme of good vs evil, male vs female and light vs dark through the film; this is a binary opposition as suggested by Levi-Strauss. The daughter is represented as being innocent, victimised and very scared. The mother has to act as the guardian, the hero. Richard Dyer suggested that they way that a character was represented suggests how they would be treated in the narrative. The daughter is innocent and frightened and is therefore treated as the victim throughout the narrative. The mother is loving and brave and is therefore represented as the hero. This complies with Propp’s theory of 8 character traits existing in a narrative; the daughter is depicted as the victimised princess with the mother being portrayed as the hero.

The room is being gassed by the villains. An Extreme Close-Up (ECU) zooms in on the hose, the camera tracks the movement of the gas inside the hose as it moves towards the room, this builds tension. The camera then moves inside the hose as the music becomes fast-paced to suggest a heightening of tensions. The camera shows the shadow of the air vent projected onto the floor, the image looks like prison bars. This is done intentionally to suggest that the mother and daughter are trapped. Shadows are conventional to the psychological horror genre as they demonstrate mystery and a build in suspense. A two-shot shows the mother higher in the frame than the daughter to demonstrate her dominance and that she is in control. An over-the-shoulder shot shows a gas fireball as the top of the picture. This is an indication of fear and peril, the bright colours are not usually associated with psychological horrors but victims fighting back is conventional of the genre. Smoke and rubble fill the room as a result of the attack; it is the calm after the action which is also conventional to the genre. There are further examples of binary oppositions here, light vs dark, good vs evil and male vs female are all emphasised further.

A two-shot close-up shows the mother and daughter embracing indicates togetherness but both terrified at what is happening. A fade to black followed by a fade from black into an establishing shot demonstrates the heavy, stormy weather conditions outside. The rain pours down on the building to emphasise misery, we hear it hitting the metal piping to illustrate loneliness. The camera then moves inside the pipe and we see the daughters face and a close-up of her hand. The flickering lights emphasises anguish fear and peril. The mother sits clutching her head to indicate fear, the roles are reversed as now the daughter is acting as the hero trying to find possible escape routes. The daughter uses a torch as a tool to signal for an SOS. There is a binary opposition of light and dark, the SOS indicates that the females are in danger and need help in this case from the man across the street in order to escape. It is conventional for a female to want the help of a male as men are usually portrayed as the heroes. The SOS is a stereotypical, recognised as a sign for help, however, the call for help fails and the characters are forced to battle on their own. This is conventional of the psychological horror genre.

The villains are gathered for a meeting at the foot of the stairs, the mother escapes from the room and heads towards the phone. The sounds of action, movement and dialogue vanish and are instead replaced with the slow-paced sound effect of the wind whistling, this has ghost-like connotations. The action is also edited in slow-motion. This demonstrates an increase in the mother’s heartbeat as both she and the audience fear for her, we know this is a dangerous move but her love for her daughter drives her into pursuing the idea. The audience ask questions, “Will she make it back to safety?” This complies with Barthes theory. The mother grabs the phone but knocks over the light in the process causing the villains to hear her movement. This raises tensions as the mother has to race back to the safety of the room, the music becomes fast-paced as a result. The door shuts and hegemonic sounds of dialogue and movement return. Barthes action code and cultural code help the audience understand the plot better. The mother gains access to the phone and is able to call for help, however, as expected in the plot of a psychological horror, the mother is unable to finish her conversation with the recipient of the phone call as the phone line is cut. A two-shot close-up shows the grief on the faces of both the mother and daughter.

The daughter is diabetic; she has dropped below her level of blood-sugar. This is dangerous as it can kill her as demonstrated with an over-the-shoulder shot of the daughter’s expression. This further heightens tension and adds to the plot as there is now another way that the family can perish, the audience ask “Will she survive?” (Barthes) The prop of a gun strikes fear in all the characters. Guns are conventional in psychological horrors as they are recognised as tools of death. Altman suggested that genre can control an audience’s reaction as it is predictable and has connotations, for example horror demonstrates fear. Props such as guns can emphasise this reaction. A mid-shot shows the mother and daughter embracing once more to illustrate a sense of family and love. The mother lets out a scream of anguish, it is conventional for emotions to be released through sound in psychological horrors. The daughter has a diabetic fit; an ECU of her toes scrunched up and of her tense face indicate that she is struggling. The beeping of her watch- which is a prop used to show her blood-sugar levels- emphasises the state of panic and fear that both mother and daughter are in. The audience once again ask questions as to whether the daughter will survive, the dialogue from the mother saying “strong girl, strong girl” further emphasises the panic of both characters and also the situation they are in. The composition of camerawork positions the mother higher in the frame than the daughter to suggest the mother’s dominance. The fit ends as breathing slows, an ECU of the toes uncurling indicates the end. The mother has to leave the room to collect the daughter’s medicine. An ECU of the medicine is paired with the music beginning to quicken as time begins to run out, instruments are played in low-key to further connote horror. The medicine is a macguffin (plot device) as it moves the plot along. The audience again ask questions, “Will the mother get back in time?” “Will she get caught?” (Barthes).

A close-up of the girls face shows that she is pale and sweating heavily. This indicates her illness which is further emphasised by her heavy breathing. The camera moves into a two-shot to show the man higher in the frame than the girl to suggest male dominance. One of the villains is forced to give the daughter a shot to keep her alive, he is the dispatcher as he is moving away from the conventional villainous mindset as suggested by Propp. It is conventional to the psychological horror genre for a ‘bad’ guy to ‘come good’. The black villain’s voice becomes distorted as the camera moves into a point-of-view shot (POV) of the daughter. This is done intentionally to further emphasise her illness and to also indicate that she is running out of time. The man stares down the camera which is unconventional as he should not be objectified to the gaze of the camera. A mid-shot of the mother moving away creates a shadow on the wall which adds mystery and builds suspense. The mother has a gun but has clearly never used one before, it is conventional for the hero to act in fear rather than strategically in psychological horrors.

A POV shot from the mother looking through the spy hole in the door shows two police officers; the officers are figures of authority and are therefore superior in society. Railings on either side of the shot look like a gateway to safety, however, the mother knows that she cannot escape and leave the daughter. The lights of the police car provide a binary opposition between light and dark. The white of the police car illustrates a sense of safety, by reaching it a hegemonic society can be restored once more. The red lights of the police car indicate danger. It is conventional of psychological horrors for the hero to reject outside help for whatever reason. Heavy breathing and slow-paced organ music implement a sense of horror and terror. Organ music is conventional to psychological horrors as it connotes fear.

A CU of the daughter shows her hands covering her ears as the drill moves through metal. A fast zoom from the daughter into a two-shot of the drill and the daughter to display the action. The sound of the drill is conventional to a psychological horror as it connotes fear. A two-shot shows a white man higher in the frame than a black man which illustrates white superiority. The black man has done all the work while the white man sits and gives orders. This is conventional as historically black men were slaves and were commanded by white men. This is emphasised by the black man wearing work overhauls.

A mid-shot shows the father sitting in a chair. He is holding a gun and a lamp as protection. There are binary oppositions of light vs dark and good vs evil. The lighting makes the father look almost ghost-like as if he has appeared from the dead, this is emphasised through his blood-spattered clothing and blood running from his cuts and nose etc. Suddenly he is in control; he is the dominant character which is a role-reversal of before. A CU of the mothers lower body and the tracking of her movement show that she is carrying a weapon. The music begins to speed up as the mother moves closer to the villain, this heightens tension, before organ music is used to signify the mother hitting the villain with the weapon. The organ music is intentional as it suggests that the villain is dead as the music is similar to funeral music. The sound effect of a window smashing is conventional to the psychological horror genre, it illustrates panic and the need for movement. The sound of a police siren emphasises terror and suggests that help will arrive soon. A CU of the black villain’s feet slipping on the slippery wall indicate his struggle to leave. A CU of his face shows that he has heard the gun shots inside the house, he goes back in to save the family as he is the dispatcher, the hero as suggested by Propp. The swirling wind blows the leafs around to illustrate the confusion and panic. Tracking is used to show the villain using the hammer as crutches to ‘worm’ his way across the floor towards the helpless mother. The sound of the hammer hitting the wooden floor indicates the mother’s raising heartbeat which is emphasised by fast-paced organ music which is conventional to the psychological horror genre.

Shot-reverse-shot editing into CU illustrates the struggle between the mother and the villain. The male villain is on top of the female victim, this is conventional as males are dominant over females and he is therefore higher in the frame. This also has sexual connotations of rape etc which is emphasises the males role as the villain. One light illuminates the room to indicate terror and the fact that the mother is fighting for her life. The audience ask “Will she survive?” “Will she escape from the villain?” There are also binary oppositions of light vs dark, man vs woman and good vs evil. The fact that the villain’s face is hidden by his hair further emphasises his position as the villain. Tension is heightened as the music builds pace, a mid-shot shows the mother being slammed to the ground before the daughter tries to rescue the mother but fails. The roles are reversed as the daughter becomes the hero (Propp). Shadows are used to suggest mystery, “What is going to happen?” (Barthes). A low-angled POV show shows the villain with the hammer preparing to kill the mother before the black man kills the fellow villain. The black man emphasises his position as the dispatcher- Propp- this is demonstrated through his dialogue “You’ll be safe now.” The black man is positioned lower in the frame than the white man to suggest he is subordinate. A low-angled shot shows the villain getting shot through the back of the head, blood spews from him- this is conventional to the psychological horror genre- as he falls to the floor. The music slows to silence to demonstrate a significant point in the film and also to indicate the end of the villain’s life. Low-key lighting adds to the atmosphere, the danger has now gone. The SWAT Team enter the building after the conclusion of the attack, it is conventional for help to arrive after the conclusion of the action.

An over-the-shoulder shot shows the black man on his knees after being caught by the SWAT Team. There is a binary opposition of light vs dark. The black man is lower in the frame than the authority figures to illustrate he is subordinate. He is told to open his hands and as a result he releases the $20 million that he has just collected into the air. A low-angle shot shows the black man looking dominant but also under pressure as the light beams down on his face. The money swirls around him in the storm to anguish him and illustrate his loss, it mocks him. He is arrested even though he is the dispatcher and the hero- it is conventional of psychological horrors to implement a ‘no rewards’ ending for those that do ‘come good’. A fade to black indicates horror, the music fades to silence to further emphasise this, the audience ask “What is going to happen to everyone?” (Barthes). A long shot of the daughter lying on the mother’s lap at the end of the film demonstrates that they have recovered and their relationship is stronger than ever before. The daughter is the most precious thing in the mother’s life, a sense of family and life exists as they are restored to a hegemonic society.

Perkins indicated that stereotypes reinforce peoples places in society. Stereotypically, women are subordinate or inferior characters to males. ‘Panic Room’ emphasises this as for the majority of the film the male villains dominate over the female victims. However, the conclusion of the film is conventional as the victims are saved but it is also unconventional as the gender roles change and the female victims dominate over the male villains. Furthermore, the ultimate hero is the male dispatcher who comes good at the end to save the family, as indicated by Propp. Throughout the film there are running binary oppositions of light vs dark, good vs evil and male vs female as indicated by Levi-Strauss.