GD: Film Analysis - Wrong Turn

Genre:

This film belongs to the teen horror genre. While watching this genre the audience expects to see a character or storyline that they can relate to as well as sequence of horror or the building tension. Within the opening sequence of "Wrong Turn" (2003, Rob Schmidt) we see two people in their late teens early twenties rock climbing which however turns sinister within a short period of time when one of the pair finishes the climb and is killed by an unknown character whose laugh is the only thing we hear. This opening sequence fulfills the audiences expectations. The text in this sequence conforms to the characteristic of the genre because you are placed alongside with the character and are builing up tension and not mocking the genre.

Film Language:
The mise-en-scene in this sequence conveys meaning because we see the deserted location that should be an area of peace and tranquility when a small occurance turns it into a sinister location with a different mean. Also the use of the rope shows the weakness of the girl however by seeing her struggling with rope and trying to free her self it help the build tension for the sequence. There are lots of long shots which are used to show the vulnerability of the climbers as the audience can see how hight up the two characters are. There are also extreme close up of the girls hands and feet when she is climbing to show that she is struggling and finding it a challenge. The are also close ups of the rope machanism when the girl is being pulled up to building tension and show she is not in control. The sound used anchors the fear that the character is feeling as we hear the fear in her voice and the screams which is an aural signifer of the horror genre. From the characters dialogue we learn that the typical genre stereotypes are fulfilled as the male is confident and sees his friends struggling as a joke and has a relexed approach when she asks for his help. The female character plays the damsel in distress as she is not only struggling with the rock climb but she is screaming for help and wailing in fear.

Narrative:

Within the narrative the tension is created by the screaming of the girl when she falls the first time and then again when she is being pulled by the rope mechanism as screams are often associated with fear and danger. Tension is also created by the noise of the rope mechanism because the girls life is potentially under threat if she is pulled to the top of the rock face therefore by focusing on that sound tension is created. Within the opening sequence the sound is the one thing that we know about the killer of the young male therefore this creates tension as we associate this sinister laugh with danger and fatalities. From the dialogue we are positioned not to like the male as he finds his friends struggle amusing and therefore the audience may to feel a connection to this character however we are made to pitty the girl because of her whimpering and "pathetic" noises.

Representation and Ideology:

In this opening clip we see the typical American "jock" character being represented as we see a male who is pysically fit and attractive taking part in a sporting activity with a pretty girl who is relying on him to help her to the top of the rock face. We also see the typical damsel in distress who is relient on her male counter part for support. However ironically at the end of the sequence it is the "jock" that gets murdered by completing the rock climb first and the female who manages to save herself save from the same fate as her friend.

Media Audience:
The target audience would be young adults as the films certifcate is an 18 however I think it may appeal to those slightly younger i.e. the teen market because they could imagine themselves in the same situations as the characters within the film. I personally enjoyed this opening because althouth there was clearly a death it was not to graphic however I think that a slightly older male who appriciate a more graphic and obviously bloody death scene however I don't think that would work as well to build tension throught the film.

Institutional Context:

Eliza Dushku starred in this film which may have been important it gaining an audience as she as starred in other successful teen movies which would appeal to a similar audience. This film was distributed by an industrial company (20th Century Fox) which could have proved vital for the success of the film.