The possession opening scene analysis

Carla Castagnetti

The Possession Opening Scene Analysis

This short opening scene begins with a panning shot of a wall covered with faded photographs before revealing the silhouette of an elderly woman standing in the centre of a living room. The low key lighting paired with the slow paced zoom shots creates an eerie and deeply unsettling tone as the scene moves slowly and the mundane pieces of furniture such as photo frames and what appears to be a jewellery box are being magnified as something more thrilling. Moreover, the initial shot of the hallway with the photographs further portrays an eerie tone as the pictures are of all different shapes and sizes, this abstract framing adds to the unnerving atmosphere to the scene, putting the audience on edge from the outset. In addition, the off-screen parallel sounds of a child whispering and piano music playing further adds to the psychological horror aspect of this film as it foreshadows that something bad will end up happening to this woman. Mise-en scene plays an important role in this opening, for example in terms of props as mentioned there are many photographs and other 'normal' household items such as flowers and a cassette player, however there is also conventional horror props used such as a hammer and mirrors that denotes that something will be present in physical form that this elderly lady will need defence from.

In addition to the panning shots, zooming in and out shots are overused in this scene to create a sense that the subject is drawing nearer and getting bigger therefore more powerful; which we can identify through the prop of the box being that something perhaps a spirit is inside. Nevertheless, still shots are also used when as an audience we are meant to be focusing on the old woman's' possessed movements to emphasise how inhumane her experience is. In addition during the last shot whereby the son enters the door, the camera lens zooms out showing a bigger view of the house, acting as an establishing shot to identify how 'normal' it may appear from the outside to juxtapose with the chaotic nature of what is occurring inside the house.

The shots of both the elderly lady and the son are eye level shots in order for the audience to identify the elderly lady's fragile state and facial expressions at the beginning then at the end of the scene to identify her fear and change in expressions. Moreover this shot is used for the son as the audience therefore acts as the eye view of the door peep hole as if we are watching him form the inside whereby he can not enter, thereby the audience acting as that barrier. In addition, a POV shot is used when the woman raises her hammer in order for the audience to directly experience the fear and lack of strength the woman is experiencing shown through the hand shaking. Furthermore, the use of close up shots and framing allow the audience to view the elderly woman's' costume and makeup that contribute to the assumption of her character being weak and fragile. This is due to the fact that her face appears to be wrinkly and frail with large bags under her eyes, and her costume consists of dull colours and interestingly an apron to denote the idea of the possession occurring to an ordinary woman fulfilling her everyday chores such as cleaning or cooking, effectively scaring the audience into believing that this could occur to any one of them.

The fast paced edits of a combination of mid to long shots during the 'possession' occurs to highlight the complete out of control experience that lady is experiencing as well as using this shot to allow the audience to view her change in character across the scene. The use of sound is further used at the beginning to create an eerie tone for example through the on screen diegetic sound of the clock ticking and her footsteps being in time, implies that its only a matter of time until she is met with certain death.

 

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