Comparison between "Sorority Row" and "Orphan"

The main structure of these two trailers is very similar, almost the same. Firstly both trailers begin with a positive and upbeat ambience that is emphasised through the use of gentle and angelic music. Also the diegetic sound of dialogue can be heard before the character who is speaking is seen, this introduction to a trailer is used for both trailers that I have researched so far. The main structure of both trailers begins with a positive sequence of shots that uses high key lighting and ambient light, this mood then rapidly changes to a much more negative sequence with a fast editing pace that contains very low key lighting and sharp, high-pitched music. The audience soon become unperturbed and at ease when these horrific shots return to a serene nature with calm music or content characters. But for the final time the atmosphere on screen changes back to a shocking, negative condition that leaves the audience wide-eyed and breathless. I think the switch from a positive atmosphere to negative, then back to positive and finally ending on a negative note works well at maintaining full attention from an audience as they are experiencing an emotional roller coaster throughout the trailer.
The main aspects that both horror trailers have used include very low key lighting for the negative sequences, fast paced shots, high-pitched and intense music, black and white flashing shots, fading transitions, many close-ups and also the use of phrases that appear in black and white during sequences.
The use of phrases between shots highlight the thoughts of the audience but also provoke questions in the viewers minds. Every cut to a phrase puts short breaks between the shocking images on screen and builds tension amongst the audience.
The black and white flashing shots that have been used in both trailers were created in different ways but still produce the same effect. The shots in "Sorority Row" were created by using black and white images that rapidly flash up on screen, the same effect was acheived in "Orphan" but through the use of lighting that flickers intensely rather than short black and white shots.
Another similarity between the two horror trailers was that both ended with loud, intense music before the title of the film was shown then one final short scene played before the shot cut to another shot stating "coming soon" in the centre of the screen. Both "coming soon" shots of each trailer showed the font slowly zoom towards the screen before it goes blank.
The age of the main characters of whom are suspected or shown to be the murderers or villains of each trailer are different as "Orphan" features a young girl who appears to be an innocent child where as the murderer in "Sorority Row" is a male in his late teens. In my opinion neither of these characters follow the forms and conventions of most horrors as adults are usually the main actors for the villains. However I think that this unconventional take on each film will increase the verisimlitude of the narrative as audiences are not used to seeing younger murderers.
During the trailer for "Sorority Row" the audience are shown a murder but no deaths or murders can be seen in the trailer for "Orphan". There are advantages for both including a murder in a trailer and for resisting the temptation. I think that if a murder is shown it will have a more horrific and memorable effect on an audience but if a trailer does not contain a murder then it leaves more to the imagination of the veiwers who are left wanting to see more. An unusual aspect of the trailer for "Sorority Row" was that a group of teenagers witnessed the murder and were all involved, where as in many horror films only the murderer is present at the scene. An unpredictable take on this trailer was that the murder occured almost by accident. This makes the audience even more interested to find out what is going to happen, and therefore go and see the film.
Overall I think both trailers were very effective and worked well at keeping the audience interested. I feel that "Sorority Row" was much more intense and provided a clearer narrative than "Orphan". There was a lot of key information about the film in the trailer and the variety of music helped to keep the atmosphere alive.
On the other hand the trailer for "Orphan" retained key elements and details about the film, it also contained more fast paced shots showing the horrifying action but not giving away too much about the plot.