Film Studies Analysis (The Grudge – 2004)
The sequence starts with a mid-shot of Yoko entering a dimly lit house, the use of low-key lighting creates a natural atmosphere and gives a sense of eeriness to the audience, we feel quite uneasy as darkness presents an element of the unknown. Furthermore, in this shot Yoko is placed on the far left therefore alone with dead space to the right of her, I think this shot was used to indicate Yoko’s deceptive isolation whilst she is in the home, this leaves the audience questioning whether she is actually alone or there is something in the house with her, creating suspense within the scene and making it more clear that it is a thriller/horror.
This shot starts with the camera tilting upward, tracking a close-up shot of Yoko as she hears a suspicious noise, the diegetic sound emphasises the tension in this shot as we are now aware that Yoko isn’t alone in the house, presenting an element of mystery to the audience due to us beginning to question what this noise is, making us feel uneasy. Furthermore, I believe they chose to use a close-up of Yoko to shed light onto her expressions, by being able to see her emotions during this scene, her nervous demeanor and unsure expression may change how the audience feels too, with a close-up I believe we are more likely to be engrossed in the details such as facial expression and how they create life in the scene as this shot brings our attention to them more.
In this shot, Yoko investigates the noise by climbing into a small cupboard and opening a small hatch. The god’s eye view of this shot shows Yoko from another perspective and we can look down on her whilst she is investigating. The use of this angle makes us view Yoko as vulnerable because we can perceive her as timid and powerless, giving us an insight into her character, I believe they used this angle as an audience would feel more tense, thus building the suspense in the scene, suspecting Yoko is/might be in danger. The mise-en-scene used adds to the creepiness of this shot, with spider-webs showing that no one has entered inside of the attic for a long time, emphasising the danger that Yoko is in. Additionally, Yoko uses a lighter to see up into the attic, the use of low-key lightning all throughout this scene distinguishes that it is a horror, as we are kept on edge by the dark lighting and mystery element.
For the final scene, the camera pans upwards tracking Yoko as she enters the attic, followed by a medium close up of Yoko, here we see her nervousness as she instigates the pitch black attic with only her lighter in hand, emphasising her isolation and fear, as we see her clutching the lighter for comfort. The camera then slowly pans right as she explores her surrounding area, to further emphasise her nervousness and leave the audience in anticipation of what will happen next. As Yoko freezes, harsh non-diegetic music can be heard, causing the pivotal moment where the ghost of Kayako Saeki is revealed in a flash of harsh lighting, causing the viewers to reel in shock and surprise. The non-diegetic music is used to add to the climax, the scene so far had been very diegetic and organic, so having a harsh piece of music to pit the tension at its highest would raise the fear factor and scare the audience. Having Kayako placed in an over the shoulder shot with Yoko presents her as more significant and incredibly threatening , no longer being able to see Yoko in this shot, I believe this shot creates increasing anxiety for the viewers and ultimately foreshadows Yoko's demise.
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