Film Review 2 - Husk

Film Title – Husk

Year of Production – 2008

Director – Brett Simmons

Genre – Horror (Drama / Thriller)

Brief Plot Outline:

A group of five friends are stranded near a desolate cornfield, when their car breaks down.

They try to find help, as one by one they go missing or are dragged off by an evil spirit

embodied in the scarecrows of the cornfield.

Which of the two scenes impressed you the most? Why?

Scene 1: Scott and Brian find the house in the cornfield (which looks suspiciously like the interior of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre house). They hear something upstairs and realise that Johnny, their missing friend, is sat in a dilapidated room at a sewing machine, not responding to them. I liked the way this scene built tension, through the rhythm of the sewing machine and at Scott and Brian's attempts to get Johnny's attention.

Scene 2: Chris is trying to jump start the car in the cornfield when the scarecrow attacks the front of the car. The thing that makes this scene stand out is the relentlessness of the attack, with the scarecrow smashing its head against the windows. There is also an added plot twist, when it turns out to be Johnny attacking Chris. Plus, the addition of a second attack right after the first was unexpected and a good choice.

How has watching this film helped you to understand this genre of filmmaking?

Which features on the genre checklist did you spot in the film? When? How?

Modern horror movies, like this one, use the convention of fewer characters trapped in one

confined space, with no means of escape. They have also utilised the 'Teen Slasher' idea,

using young characters and lots of gore. As an overall view, particular attention is paid to

the small details of horror, such as the nails in their fingers, as opposed to relentless blood

and violence. The film starts during the day, but very quickly the sun sets and the rest of

the film is in near darkness, adding to the chiaroscuro effects of light and shade.

Features of the genre checklist:

1: Mise-en-scene:

- blood, gore (body horror)

- restricted narration

- creepy location

- low key lighting

Scene example: The setting of the house and the scene in which the group first hears noises coming from upstairs. After investigating, they find the empty room with the sewing machine.

2: Sound

- parallel music

Scene Example: Running through the cornfield, away from the scarecrows and the tempo increasing as their running speed increases

3: Narrative:

- unhappy and open endings
Scene Example: All but one of the group survives. The final survivor calls out to warn a couple who have stopped by the road. However, they don't see him and the narrative starts again when one of them goes to explore the field.

4: Editing:

- quick montage

- slow montage

- collision cutting

Scene Example: Chris is attacked by the scarecrow whilst trying to jumpstart the abandoned car.

5: Cinematography:

- close-ups

- canted angles

- handheld

- point of view

Scene Example: There are numerous POV shots from the various characters as they run to meet their friends.

6: Characters:

- quick moving monster

- female victim

- male hero

Scene Example: The opening scene shows the group of friends quickly established into their stereotypes and the central 'romance'.

7: Themes:

- violence – fear of death

- loneliness – fear of being trapped

Scene Example: As the whole film takes place in the cornfield over one night, there is no escape and no way of finding the other characters, unless it's a coincidence.

8: Ideologies:

- sexism to women (very small amount)

- feeling outside the Cultural Dominant Ideology

Scene Example: The men think Natalie should not be left alone and one of them acts as her chaperone.

Which aspects of the film would you like to INCLUDE in your own trailer?

• Good use of chiaroscuro, which adds to the drama of the scene and can make any
  location seem creepy
• The establishment of a variety of characters, making you feel sympathy if they die
• Restricted narration, adding mystery and suspense
• A combination of slow/quick montages, building up to a climax
• Handheld camera shots with audio to give the impression you're seeing things from a character's point of view
• Close-ups to show emotion or to point out something important
• 'One-liners' to create a false sense of comedy and to relieve tension
• A girlfriend/boyfriend pair- stereotypical, but works well

Which aspects of the film would you AVOID in your own trailer?

- The film included a character who supplied us with a back story, when he repeatedly

kept getting visions of the family who owned the house. This became repetetive, boring and really didn't need to be included.

-The use of a fast moving monster is unneccessary. I would try to avoid showing the monster at all, to create mystery. An example of this being the 'Cloverfield' trailer.

What was the best aspect / more enjoyable moment in the film? Why? Can you recreate this in your own film? How?

The most enjoyable aspect of the film was the way in which each of the characters broke their stereotypes by the end of the film and each one had acted as a hero in some way. In particular, Natalie, having been put down by the other men, works hard to save herself and her friends and is one of the final survivors. Similarly, the final survivor, who has been having the visions, is seen as a kind of nerd. By the end, however, he acts as the male hero. I would like to include these aspects in our trailer. As our group only consists of three of us, each of us female, this could be difficult. It does, however, defy boundaries, as one of us will have to act as the female 'hero'. There will also be no men to 'save the day'.