The Cabin in the Woods Scene Deconstruction

This scene was taken from the 2012 horror film The Cabin in the Woods directed by Drew Goddard. 

• The opening high angle, overhead shot shows the two characters "making love" on the ground. Despite this, the audience immediately gets the feeling that something is going to go wrong, specifically something gruesome and frightening which conforms to the horror genre. This feeling is conveyed to the audience through very low key lighting with the focal characters only lit by ominous moonlight. 

• The non-diegetic background music is quite ominous and consists mainly of two consecutive notes, resembling a heartbeat. This background music crescendos as the overhead shot pans towards the floor. The music also includes a high pitched droning sound which also crescendos to add to the build of suspense and the eeriness of the sequence.
• The non-diegetic background sound stops suddenly at the height of the crescendo which leaves the audience in suspense which leaves them expecting something to make them jump. 
• The camera pans downwards on to the female character's (Jules) outstretched hand as the non-diegetic music comes to a sudden stop at the height of the crescendo and remains as a close-up shot. 

• The quick cuts between shots after Jules is stabbed in the hand make create a very high visual tempo to the sequence. It also makes the sequence have more of an action feel towards it which grips the audience and creates suspense but a different kind to the previous build up.
• The continual and persistent screams, which outweigh most of the different kinds of diegetic sound, conform to the horror genre as these sounds are heavily linked with films of the horror genre.
• The close-up shot of Jules' eyes as she watches the saw move in front of her face makes the audience appreciate the frightening and gruesome feelings the sequence conveys through mise-en-scene. The audience is made to fully understand the horror Jules is going through. The emphasis on Jules' eyes and how upset and scared she looks puts the audience on Jules' side even though they can tell what may happen next.