1408 and Final Destination 3 opening scene analysis

We did a analysis of the opening scene of 1408 and Final Destination 3 to give our group more ideas for our final film opening।

First of all we looked at a print out about our genre (Horror)। This says that Horror films inflate whatever anxieties a society has। However in recent times, horror openings have become more of a shock-factor using more gore and action. They also use real life people as the killer instead of the old werewolves and vampires. This may be because the society has adapted to these unbelievable characters in films and need more to impress. Other films have started to use psychological horror that rely on character fears, guilt, beliefs and emotional instability. Well known psychological horror films include The Sixth Sense and The Blair Witch Project.

1408 starts with a man driving his car through a storm at night where he is lost. The title of 1408 comes out of the glare of the cars headlights, this then scrolls down the page like blood. The other titles then come up over the action and still scroll down the page to give the sense of death. The opening scene has all the conventions of a usual horror film with a old haunted house, a storm and a surrounding forest. There is also non diegetic music in the background, this music is very tense and adds to making the reader know its a horror film. The main character in the scene is very laid back about the whole thing even when the hotel managers tell him the room he is staying in is haunted. He is a very mysterious man but as we find out he has a past which he doesn't want to share. This film is aimed at a audience which is 18+ and maybe more at males. This film gave us an idea to our final piece because we liked the way the titles scroll down at the end like blood.