Solo Trailer Review: House at the End of the Street

Name of Film: House at the End of the Street

Year Released: 2012

Genre of Trailer: Psychological Horror

My Mark (After Viewing): 8/10

What happened in the trailer?

It starts with the main character walking down a road before getting into the car of the other main character. They talk, setting the backstory of the male character and presenting the antagonist. Then we see a montage of events from the film, cultivating with the main female character being attacked and trying to escape from a house. The trailer then ends on a jump scare.  

Which positive, clever or interesting aspects do you think you could include in your own trailer? What generic features are fulfilled well?

-          The montage in the middle of the trailer heightens the tension and excitement of the film, reinforcing that it is a psychological horror film.

-          The creepy setting of the trailer, a house in the middle of some woods, is very effective is this trailer. It highlights the secluded feeling of loneliness as well as the feeling of being unable to escape and there being nobody around to help.

-          The jump scare at the end of the trailer helps give the trailer a lasting impression on the viewer, helping the trailer stay fresh in their minds.

Which aspects of the trailer did you think were unsuccessful, and would put off its target audience? How is it disappointing?

-          The pacing of the trailer is very dragged out, making the first half of it rather slow. This can make the viewer bored and could cause them to turn off the trailer. It also provides an overload of information on the characters and the plot, which could instead have been reduced to more basic information to keep the trailer short and snappy.

-          The plot seems fairly cliché in horror terms. There is a house in the woods. The protagonist is a young woman trapped in the house trying to escape. It is a plot that has been used several times over and could therefore dissuade the audience from viewing the film itself.

Why did it receive that mark?

I gave this trailer an 8 out of 10 as I thought the pacing was good, the trailer kept the suspense and fear up throughout its entire length and the jump scare at the end was well used.