Horror Film Teaser Trailer

I think this is a good teaser trailer for a horror film because from the first shots, establishing shots of a place that looks abandoned and burnt out, the viewer is intrigued. It is also dark, foggy and seemingly deserted in this place so the audience begins to question why it is being shown. The sound accompanying these shots is ambient, all that can be heard is birds and wind, this raises tension as the viewer waits for something to happen. We then hear footsteps quickly followed by a crash as a man appears running towards the camera. He repeatedly turns around as he runs and it becomes apparent he is being chased after some cars appear behind him. The man appears terrified and this leaves the audience confused, they don't know whether they should want the man to get away or not because they don't know who he is at this stage. The man hides in an abandoned building and his pursers get out and chase him on foot. One of the men chasing him shouts abuse and calls him 'Krueger'. People who have seen the original film will recognise the name and be interested because they now know what the situation is. People who haven't seen it will still be drawn in by the mystery. This situation becomes more dramatic as the people outside the building throw in a petrol bomb and set the place on fire. The clip ends with the factory exploding with a screen shaking crash which then cuts to black, leaving the fate of the people involved unknown and the audience shocked and hungry for more. This is a point that may interest people who have seen the original because it didn't have a scene that depicted Krueger's murder and therefore it means the remake has something new to offer.

The writing in the trailer, which tells us the names of the producer and director, emphasises the genre because the words are blood splattered on a black background, a signifier of a horror film. The writing is accompanied by impact sounds on its entrance and exit which helps to draw attention to it. The following five shots move away from showing the history of the film and begin to establish the premise. After this is almost a minute of shots divided by fast cuts. These shots don't make much sense out of the context of the film however there is a definite impression of fear given from what we do see. Fast cuts are used to build the tension to the point where the clips disappear to be replaced by the title. These clips have children singing a song about Krueger over them. Children singing is a convention of horror films and once again helps to establish the genre for people who have not seen the original. Throughout this trailer the murderer is merely a shadow but at the end we get a better look at him and hear him talk. This is unusual for a trailer as they usually keep the murderer's identity a secret as this heightens the suspense. However as this film is a remake and Kreuger's image is well known it could be argued that it was pointless to keep him hidden. The trailer ends with the words 'Don't Fall Asleep'. This is an effective ending because everyone has to sleep and so this plays on people's fear of what may happen when they are at their most vulnerable. Therefore they want to see the film and how it is resolved so they know it is safe to sleep again.