Analysing Horror Genre Opening Sequences - 'It'

The first opening sequence from the horror genre I am going to analyse comes from 'It' directed by Andy Muschietti.

The film opens with a child (a typical character type often found in horror films, either as an innocent victim or a malevolent presence) running outside to play. The lighting is low-key, another common trope of horror films, and the weather is stormy and grey. Both low-key lighting and bad weather (pathetic fallacy) are typically used in horror films to unsettle the audience and foreshadow the ominous events to come. 

The camera tracks the child from a high angle (typical camera movement and camera angles associated with the horror genre) to suggest that he is vulnerable (reinforced by the constant use of loose framing) and that something could be following him. This foreshadows that the child could be the 'first victim', a common horror character type I found when researching the genre, as it establishes him as very vulnerable both because of the camera movement and the fact that he is a young child. 

This is followed by a cut to another older child warning the younger child to 'be careful'; this action and dialogue is effective at establishing the genre because it further suggests to the audience that something bad is about to happen to the younger child and that he is in grave danger. The camera continues to track the boy's movements, reinforcing the idea that something is watching or following, a common way that shots are composed in horror films.

A cut to a bird's-eye-view shot further reminds the audience how vulnerable the boy is and implies that perhaps another, sinister force is possibly in control of the character's fate. At this precise moment the non-diegetic music changes from light and upbeat to more sinister. 

The setting also indicates genre as the scene takes place in a suburban street. Often, horror films take place in isolated, remote settings, but it is equally common to find horror films set in suburban streets/locations as this makes the threat seem more palpable to the audience because of the familiarity, and supposed safety, of this kind of setting. 

The director cuts to a point-of-view shot from inside the sewer; the lighting is very dark all around implying a sense of danger and the the shot hints that something is living inside the sewer and that it the boy is possibly shot from this character's point of view. Point-of-view shots are commonly used in horror films (frequently from the monster's perspective as if watching the victim) to unsettle the audience. Then there is a slow dolly-in towards the complete darkness of the sewer, harnessing the audience's fear of both the dark and the unknown; slow camera movement is commonly used to create tension and anticipation for viewers during scenes in horror films, just prior to a jump scare. 

The director conforms to this tactic with a quick cut to two glowing eyes in the sewer, intended to make both the boy and the audience jump. The monster's face isn't immediately revealed to the audience, only parts of it during the conversation with the boy, creating further enigma and fear around this character, the genre's archetypal 'monster'.

The music builds to a frightening crescendo as the boy leans into the sewer to retrieve his boat, indicating to the audience that his in danger of attack.