Group7: Title Sequence Analysis

Insidious (2011)

The text is written in a red font, which is easily connoted with themes of 'danger' and 'blood' red is the only source of colour in the dark background. The pale hue of the lamp is a great contrast against the black, also creating binary opposites of light and dark - good vs evil. This lamp also serves to introduce the most important influential figure on the film, James Wan. The light rotates 180 degrees whilst the camera angle also twists panning into Dalton's bedroom.

The dark colours in contrast with the subtle trippy yet muted psychedelic colours convey a sense of warped reality whilst the dramatic panning into various rooms give the viewer an insight into the elaborate setting of the film - signifying that this is where most of the mayhem will take place. In this opening, the background music is sharp yet quiet at points giving an overall eerie dynamic. As a result this drags the audience through the tension and already instils fear even though the film hasn't actually started yet. The tension feels so high that it could be cut with a knife.

The bright key light of the candle pulls in the focus of the viewer who then picks up on the grim outline of the 'lipstick bride' / main antagonists face.

After this the logo flashes up in a great big jarring red font complete with a screechy, loud and sudden build up of the instruments. The opening doesn't give any details of the plot away but due to the significance of the house we know that the house is of central importance and that something isn't right about it. As the only characters shown are Dalton and 'the bride' we can also gather that they're the characters in the central plot. The logo is large and shot in a slightly high angle which gives the impression as though the title is looming over, big and imposing to the audience. Again, the central colour scheme of red splashes amongst black, connoting ideas of danger and death.

After the title is unveiled, the rest of the sequence is simply monochromatic long shots of the various rooms in the house in interesting angles and perspectives. The audience questions why these rooms in particular are showcased and in the actual film, these rooms are those in which paranormal activity takes place. These rooms hold hints and secrets into where the possible jump scares will be and also accentuate the films most gripping parts such as the scene the old grandfather clock and the empty room in which a little boy wearing old military clothing is seen running through the house and sitting in the curtain ledge with Tiny Tim's 'Tiptoe through the Tulips' in the background. It's an iconic scene that leaves a lasting impression on the viewer as the song is disturbingly happy against the eerie ghost of a boy.

Throughout these still images we are introduced to the key producers and makers of the film. To make things a little more interesting, some images are actually clips showing paranormal things such as footprint markings walking along an empty corridor and a curtain slightly billowing.

The photograph here represents the main family of the house as we can assume as it's the only clear shot of multiple people in this footage. To me, the photo of what looks to be a guitar looks slightly ominous as it almost looks like a noose from afar. Perhaps the family is from the present or the family photo could be an image of the previous house hold owners who met a tragic fate due to a grizzly murder and want to reenact vengeance on the new family...

Even though the clock has already been shown once, it's shown again but this time with 'James Wan's' name written across. James Wan is the most important figure in the making and producing of the film so we can gather that the grandfather clock is also the most important and most engaging part of the film. The sequence then ends on a medium close-up of a woman face panning out before colour springs to her face and the film starts with her waking up.