Deconstruction of See No Evil (2006) Opening Scene

Deconstruction of See No Evil (2006) Opening Scene

See No Evil is a 2006 horror-slasher/thriller. It is directed by Gregory Dark and is a film of WWE studios. The narrative focusing around a maniac who goes after female victims before removing their eyes, hence the title 'See No Evil'

The first shot of the movie is a low angled shot of police officers knocking on a hotel door. They are wearing police uniforms which we usually associate with protection and safety, the idea that they have been called to this place gives it a sense of danger leaving the audience in suspense as we wonder what the police will find inside. As this is a slasher opening the audience also get the sense that someone  will die. We immediately know it will be these two police characters.

After they open the door, good use of lighting is used as there are candles making it a low lit room to create a horror effect. The use of dark lighting makes the audience scared as they can't see parts of the screen making them wonder what is there. This brings the audience into the danger along with the characters.

A POV shot is used as the police flash their torch over old pictures on the wall. This gives small lighting so the audience can just about see what is on screen. The use of the old pictures gives a sense of aging linking to the idea of slashers being set in abandoned places that people rarely go so there is no help around. Showing the characters to be helpless and makes the danger worse.

Lighting, once again is a key aspect in creating an effect. The light is purposely been postioned behind them to create a silhouette of the police. The slow paced scene makes it suspense full as they suspiciously move through the building. From the silhouette we can see an outline of a gun linked in with idea that the audience will feel the characters will be safe with this weapon as they can attack back but also shows the theme of violence in typical slasher's.

 

There is blood splatters on the wall which we see on a POV shot, as well as this there is an extreme close up of the victim's eyes with their eyes gored out by something, blood. The blood we associate with violence and is a typical convention of 'Slasher' movies, it also shows that horror and gore has happened in this location.

There is a medium shot, as the camera tracks forward, focusing on the cross. In Slasher movies we often see the killer's reason for killing people is due to an obsession with Religion. The idea of the title 'See no Evil' relates to the theme of religion as well. The idea that the camera focuses on the cross gives it importance and shows it is the killer's motivation for what they've done.

An Eye-line match is used to make the object (the picture frame) the focus of the audience's attention on the screen as the camera zooms forward, to show it is clearly an important part of the plot, perhaps foreshadowing a backstory of the killer. 

As the police open the door into where they see the killer's victim there is faced paced editing used. We don't immediatly see the danger in the scene but instead a reaction shock of the police's panic and putting their guns up before showing a longshot of the girl on the floor, huddled over in pain. 

With fast paced editing as the action picks up and the policemen are discovered by the killer, we see a silhouette of the killer behind curtains, raising an axe where the camera focuses heavily on the movement of the axe swinging down. It is typical for slasher films to include a weapon of the killer.