Genre Research: The Turning

The Turning was a paranormal thriller surrounding the idea that a house was haunted by its last, sexually assaulted, keepers. Its mis-en-scene was kept in the same range as many others in its same category for the most part. The costumes were more based on the 1970s to 1990s fashion, although taking place in the present day. However, a few characters were dressed more conservatively and victorian. Every main character was white and pale, adding into that victorian theme.  All main characters (characters that were living in the aforementioned house or had previously lived in it) were made up of even paler makeup, however, given dark and almost bruised eye bags. They all had a sickly look. The props included rusted, old mirrors, vintage furniture, and frightening porcelain dolls. The setting was a scary, rotting old house, with the nearest town being miles away and very small.
The camera techniques did not vary much throughout the film. The camera angles mostly consisted of close-ups, extreme close-ups, and medium shots. While sometimes a pan movement was thrown in, the only other camera element that was in the movie was jump cuts. However, sounds were used widely throughout the movie. There was an excellent use of waterphones that induced anxiety almost every time they were played. The background soundtrack was very eerie, as expected and many creaking sounds were highlighted. In some instances, a split-screen was used to show a telephone call. This occurred more than once in the film. Jump cuts were almost overused in an attempt to induce anxiety. Fades, however, were placed expertly throughout the story and created suspense.
The film included many common elements of the horror genre such as eerie music, dim lighting, paranormal phenomena, arousing disgust, and a sudden plot twist. The dim lighting highlighted shadowy figures, created tension, and made a blind spot for the audience to question what was happening. Paranormal phenomena is technically a subcategory on its own but is also an element of a wider range of horror movies. While paranormal phenomena should have been the plot, a different one arose when it was revealed that the main character who had seen the said ghosts had actually imagined the whole thing due to her mental illness. The paranormal section of the movie consisted of ghosts and dolls who would come to life. There were just two ghosts in the house though, a rapist and a rape victim. The plot twist raised many questions and left the audience members thinking even after the movie had ended. Although some might disagree, this was a very good addition to the film. The music had truly made the movie much scarier and was also a very nice touch. However, invoking disgust was unnecessary.