Horror Film Analysis by Lauren Hodge

Shot Reverse Shot between the janitor and the children.

The children are reading quietly and the silence is broken by the janitor slamming the door open.

This particular shot shows the emotion on the mans face as well as the children's. The man is angry at them, the children curious but not at all scared.

When the janitor speaks his voice is gruff and sounds slightly drunk, he becomes more hysterical as the shot continues.

The lighting is natural, along with the lights of the class room.The janitor is wearing a typical orange jump suit one that also has connotation of prisoners. The children are dressed all in white that matches their hair.

His position is working near kids as he is employed by the school. While he is not in a position of power he is still has a certain amount of control over the children making him more scary/dangerous.

This shot is a medium shot and shows the janitor becoming more violent towards the children jabbing his wooden brush at the children and threatening them.

The shot shows the janitors facial and partial body expressions. He’s loosing himself to his emotions and his actions reflect that, he’s coming closer to bodily harm. He looks crazed.

The janitor threatens the children saying ‘I got a gun too’ he thinks the children are abnormal and are ‘wrong’. He talks about someone climbing on to the roof and ‘picking of you little bastards.’ However the children are completely unaffected and just stare at him, this clues the audience in that there is something different and perhaps unnatural about the children due to the fact there is no response from them. The stereotypical children would be afraid.

This shot is a close up and shows the janitor striking the boy with the brush. The seems to hate the children due to the fact they were ‘conceived’ during the ‘Blackout’.

The mans haggard looks makes the man seem more dangerous, but he is unaware of how dire the consequences will be.

This shot starts of with the janitor thinking he’s in control of the situation, he’s an adult and has a weapon. He’s physically bigger so could control them that way. He’s abusing the authority that his position in the school gives him.

The only sound really heard is the mans demented ramblings.

After he hits the boy the music becomes low and tense, this represents how much of a dangerous situation that the janitor is in. It’s only now that he becomes aware of how much a threat they are.

This high angle shows the children's dominance over janitor. This subverts stereotypes as even though he’s an adult the children have more control.

What makes this shot even more scary is that the children react simultaneously. After the boy was struck they all stood up. They show a untied front, almost as if you hurt one you hurt the rest of them.

One of the boys David hesitates slightly before standing, he is the only unpaired out of the children and the most human like. The other children notice this later on and say that his developing of human emotions is regrettable.

I think the fact that the children are so alike in looks and clothes makes the film more scary as it shows how different and separate from the other town members they are.

This close up shows the ‘leader’ of the children using his powers along with the rest of the others in the background. This shows us again how unlike the rest of the town and even humanity they are.

Special effects are used in this shot to show us the children using they’re powers. Their eyes turn bright green and there pupils pulse.

A shot reverse shot is used between the janitor and the boy showing the boy using his powers and the man falling under his control, though the fist few seconds are of the janitor’s face in shock.

You can hear the sound of the children using their powers as well as the janitors small gasp of shock, then his breathing. He’s scared and is starting to regret casing trouble.

The janitor is finally realising that he was never in control of the situation the children were looking for an excuse to strike. I think that this situation worked in the children's favour as if anyone says anything they can claim self defence.

This over the shoulder shot shows the man backing out the class under children's influence.

His facial expressions shows a combination of horror, confusion and detachment. He’s horrified at how different the children truly are and what he’s being made to do. He’s confused as to how they are controlling him. And the detachment comes from the ‘mind control’.He holds the

brush in front of him perhaps as some sort of defense, a part of his mind knows what happening but he’s trying to protect himself.

For every step the children take forwards he takes one back.

Music that can be described as sci-fi plays in the back ground quiet and slowly, showing how deadly the children are,

The tracking shot is used to follow the children out of the door. It shows them advancing on the janitor.

The children are all paired off except David who’s partner died at birth, they automatically gravitate to their partner.

The children are very alike in their movements and mannerisms, they walk huddled together in some form of misguided protection.

They are looking for revenge upon the janitor who struck their leader. They wish to cause him the same pain he caused the boy, though they magnify it.

Only David looked hesitant at attacking the janitor but follows them because they are ‘the same’ as he later tells his mother.

This long shot shows the janitor being forced to walk up the ladders backwards.

Sound perspective is used, you can hear the tap tap tap of him climbing the ladder and then when the camera focuses on the children you can hear them using their powers.This shot also

looks to be a low angle showing how the children are in control. He’s subordinate to them now as they can make him do whatever they want.

One thing that makes this scene more scary is the setting a school, a public place anyone can see the children using their powers but they don't care. It shows that they have faith in their powers and don't feel threatened by the other people.

This low angle shows the man being forced to impale himself on his brush after falling of the roof.

Moments before his fall you can hear drums and the music gets louder and more insistent, showing that this scene is the demise of the janitor.

Again special effects are used in this shot to show the children's eyes turning red simultaneously. The red colour fits them well as red gives connotations of blood, insinuating his death will be messy and blood. Red is also the universal sign of danger.

There is little to no sound when the man is falling save when he smashes in to the windscreen of a truck. You hear the glass shatter and a yelp from the man.

The janitor is found by the children's teacher who is also Mara's father just seconds after impact, he knows that the children, his child caused this and is scared of them.