Devil - Official Trailer [HD]

Devil utilises common production conventions in the form of its acknowledging a famous director (in this case M Night Shyamalan), its use of intertitles to build suspense for the viewer and as well as its displaying the studio from which the film was filmed. Interestingly, we as an audience recognise the names and studio with a style and quality we enjoy. Even if we knew very little about the film itself, many of us could be sold purely on the basis that its a M Night Shyamalan film, famous for their plot twists. The studio on the other hand has a different basis. Whilst I have not done enough research to say for certain that this is true, it would appear to me that by listing the name of the company we immediatly get an idea of a set quality. 'Universal 'for instance is recognised and "trusted" in a manner akin to brand awareness to the audience, whilst a film company such as 'Asylum' would largely be unknown and people warey to its standards.
In terms of the horror conventions, Devil - official trailer fulfils this rather nicely. Its general "dark" motif sets the stage for a grim and unnatural film compared to a light hearted and saturated comedy. We also see breif moments of seeming stillness broken by a breif glimpse of a supernatural figure. This "tensed spring" effect is atypical of the horror genre and is seen as a staple in almost all modern horror films. Finally it leaves the audience unknowing who and what the killer is and establishes a sense of mystery, a horror technique that leaves the audience unsatisfied and wanting more.
Ultimatly I chose to look at Devil for its effective use of spring and tension, as well as its unusual setting. Whilst the spring and tension method is of course a standard I would want to implement, the trailer intruiged me for how it was able to turn a mundane setting (e.g. an elevator) into a nightmarish and supernatural setting, something I wish to implement myself.