Deconstruction: Black Screens in Horror Trailers

Suspense and tension is one of the most desired emotions to be created when audiences watch a film of the horror genre. The aim of such films is to scare or excite the viewer, which can be achieved by having an unexpected event in the trailer and making the audience jump; this is where the black screens (or blank spaces) come into play. 

Using Black Screens (Spaces):

For example, in a trailer there may be a scene of calm, adhering to Todorov's theory of equilibrium, which fades into a dark screen and then immediately following would be a brusk chaotic scene, potentially of the killer attacking the victim, along with a faster paced parallel soundtrack in order to frighten the audience. This is a highly effective method of keeping the audience intrigued and wanting to watch the film as they would want to know what happens to the victim in the end and also, in many cases, the adrenaline caused by the fright entices the audience further into watching the film or trailer. Alternatively, there maybe a chaotic event, such as an attack, which then cuts to a black screen and returns to a state of calm, also adhering to Todorov's theory; take Scream 4 (2011), for example:

Time line of Black Screens in Scream 4 Trailer (2011)

In Scream 4, near the end of the trailer, there is a montage of 'scary' scenes from the film which, finishing with a final low angled shot of the killer attacking a girl (the climax) and then the screen cuts to black. This scene then fades into a calm scene of the two girls pictured above; this method of editing also conforms to Todorov's theory of equilibrium and creates a lot of tension and suspense for the audience, making it a successful trailer. 

Scream 4 Trailer (2011)

Alternatively, they can be used to create the illusion that time has passed. This is used in horror trailers by showing a montage of scary scenes to the audience, separated by these black screens in order to build the tension and create enigma, thus making them want to watch the film. A successful example of this is the Sinister 3 Trailer (2015):

Time line of Black Screens in Sinister Trailer (2015)
Time: 2:07 - 2:14

As the image attached above details, there is a period in the Sinister trailer whereby there is a montage of different scary clips from the movie separated by a black screen, each one becoming more frightening than the last in order to increase the tension. The quick cuts used in editing makes the audience feel on edge and a little disorientated as they do not know what to expect, creating a tense filled atmosphere and setting the scene; it is a successful example of black screen usage for this reason.

Sinister 2 Trailer (2015)

Evaluation:

Using black screens to separate different mini clips from a movie in a trailer is a very quick yet successful way of building suspense and enigma for an upcoming movie. They are also common conventions of the horror genre and thus, would be an effective technique to use in our own trailer.