Deconstruction: Case 39

I chose to do case 39 because our group were thinking about doing a supernatural horror with a young child in it. We weren't too sure on how the little girl/boy should be portrayed so we chose films with the children being the main villain.

This video is from the beginning of the film and here you can see the two parents attempting to kill the young girl.
Immediately you feel sorry for the girl and feel anger towards the parents.
The audience feel this because of the young girls age, and how innocent she looks and sounds. (Wearing pyjamas, hair tied back, sobbing and screaming uncontrollably) By this point you think that the parents are crazy and that this child is in extreme danger but the rest of the film causes you to change your mind. 
The house looks like it is inhabited by a loving and caring family that maybe doesn't have a lot of money. The washing up is all done and everything has an orderly place but a lot of the furniture is outdated.
So in the beginning of the film the girl is portrayed as very innocent and vulnerable, but the audience do not have an understanding of why they are treating her in this way, which sets the story line for the rest of the film as you know nothing about this little girl and her family.

Mise en scene -
You can tell immediately that this is a house, and that the room that they are in is somebodies private and personal space. You immediately notice the plant that looks like it's in good health so somebody must be taking good care of it. You also notice the jumper carefully folded next to it. This gives the audience a sense of who the person is - they are more likely to be a perfectionist but also a loving and caring person; mainly because the plant being very straight and in the centre of the dresser, it is there because it is obviously important to the person and it is also very well cared for.
The second thing people notice is the locks, which makes the viewer wonder why somebody would want to lock themselves in they're own bedroom, and then it becomes clear.


I like the way the voice is distorted in this, it adds massively to the supernatural genre of the film and it's at this point that the audience know that it's definitely the young girl that is possessed. The voice is not only distorted, it is many people saying the same line and this is all layered over the top of the little girl saying it. If we need the child to speak or laugh in our piece then this is a very effective way of doing it
The thing that makes this clip creepier is the way the little girl is suddenly portrayed as innocent, she's wearing pyjamas and her hair is perfectly parted in the middle and her smile is typical of a young girl. The use of "Silly Pumpkin Head" again emphasises that she is a young child thats very immature
"I want you to love me" again gives a sense of innocence and vulnerability to the child and almost makes you forget what a crazy psychopath she is.