Thriller Opening- Location

Click here to see the location post on Jack's blog..

I think this location will be very good in creating suspense via many factors. For example, the long drive helps to give time for audience to imagine what may happen to this vulnerable character as they see the overwhelming building at the end of it. Also, there are many trees surrounding the house, many of them without leaves. This makes the place quite unapproachable with the sharp and ragged shapes of the trees with no friendly green covering them. Also, the fence that runs along the drive gives a feeling of confinement once somebody has entered. Also, the building has pillars at the front, these connote power and strength, suggesting the superiority of the character(s) living there over the boy.

An example of a similar location is in the film 'The Others', amongst other thrillers. Within this film the family the audience follows is trapped inside this building. The ventures they take outside into the misty gardens, that have similar features to ours, end up unsuccessful and there seems to be no way out. With stories like this surrounding locations such as this, some of the audience will expect something to be lurking inside the building in our thriller. This is helped with the sighting and flashes of the girl. So, with the story not surrounding the characters inside, instead following the pizza delivery boy, they are in suspense as they hope he does not go near or inside the house due to threats that they suspect.