Costumes for Possessed Girl

As we are looking at the idea of using a possessed girl in our supernatural film opening we need to explore every element to do with that idea including make-up, costume, special effects etc. I decided this week to look into costumes and what a possessed girl in a horror film is typically seen wearing so that we have an idea of how to dress our actor if we decide to go through with this as our final idea.
Firstly I did some research to see what was conventionally shown in films, this was what I found:

This is the little girl from 'The Possession' (2012). A young girl buys an antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. The girl's father teams with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child.

 

 

 

The girl here is shown just wearing a plain grey t-shirt with wellington boots. This is effective as she stands out from any ordinary girl that age that would be expected to be wearing a normal outfit, it brings attention to the fact that she is possessed or has some kind of demon affecting her behaviour. It is also plain and simple, which suggests that is what we should aim to create for the costume of our girl in our opening.

Here are some more examples from films I looked at which featured a possessed girl including 'The Devil Inside' (2012) which is about a woman who becomes involved in a series of unauthorized exorcisms. 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' (2005) which is about a lawyer who takes on a negligent homicide case involving a priest who performed an exorcism on a young girl. And 'Intruders' (2011) which is about two children living in different countries who are visited nightly by a faceless being who wants to take possession of them.

All of these films also show plain and simple costumes used, nothing has been used which stands out and most of them are something that you would go to sleep in, plain pyjamas or a nighty. After finding this out I then tried to create some examples myself that could be effective for when we begin filming ourselves.

 

 

I used one of my little sisters as the possessed girl, firstly I tried the idea of using a plain grey coloured t-shirt like they did in the film 'The Possession'. I think this was effective as it was large on her so did not look natural for her to be wearing it, it also brought more attention to her and her features rather than anything else which is what we will want once we have done the special effects make-up etc.

 

 

 

 

I then tried using plain some plain clothes that could be pyjamas or something she has purposely been put in to wear if she was being observed for example, such as the film 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose'. I think this was effective as it was very simple and again brought more attention to her.

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

 Finally I put in more pyjama styled clothing that looked more like something you'd typically see a little girl wear to bed, similar to the outfit the girl is wearing in 'Intruders'. I think this was effective as it adds realism to the scene that possession has happened to an ordinary child, there was also a rip in the trousers which I think made it look even better.

 

Deconstruction of Possessed Little Girls in Supernatural Horror Films

Little or young girls are a common choice for a possessed character in horror films, especially in the supernatural horror genre. This choice of character in horror films is effective for a number of reasons. Firstly, the audience does not associate someone as seemingly innocent as a young girl to be something so possessed and brutal when they are possessed. Secondly, since the Victorian era, the use of children and children-associated objects such as children's toys and old-fashioned prams have played a major part of traditional ghost stories because of the creepiness and eeriness it conjures up to the audience. 

• This is a screenshot of the main character of the 2002 horror film The Ring in a possessed state. 
• What makes this character conform to the horror genre is how her long hair is completely covering her face. This creates a sense of anonymity and mystery as the audience is unsure of the true identity mainly through the lack of visuals. 
• The character's long and old-fashioned clothing is very minimal and resembles old-fashioned clothing which conforms to horror and possession. 

• This is a screenshot of a possessed character from the 2007 Spanish horror REC. 
• Unlike in The Ring, this character's face is uncovered and reveals bloods stains and rashes or other types of reactions caused by the virus she has been infected with. 
• The girl's dark and blood-shot eyes are also one of the main aspects of the visual image which makes it eerie and frightening for the audience. 
• The girl's messy and un-groomed hair also conforms to the horror genre as it suggests that the character has been infected with a virus and perhaps a more savage environment for a significant period of time.

• This is a screenshot of a possessed character from the 2007 horror 30 Days of Night.
• Although this film is of the vampire-horror genre, which is very different to the supernatural horror genre our film opening is going to be based on, it uses the same type of character to create the same horror sense. 
• The blood around the character's mouth and on her dress strongly conveys horror and that the girl is very dangerous. 
• The use of a teddy bear as a prop emphasises the young age of the girl and also gives an eerie and creepy sense. This is because it creates a juxtaposition between the vicious acts of the little girl and the fact that she carries a children's toy.

Rooms In Possession Films (Exorcisms)

• Though it is significantly dated, this image (right) taken from a scene from the 1973 classic horror The Exorcist gives a good and prominent example of a room where the possessed individual is being kept. In this image, the main object within the scene is the be which has no duvet or overlying layers and just a mattress. This is a commonly used object within a possession scene, especially where the subject is being exorcised. 
• The padding around the bed frame acts as a cushion and protection during the exorcism. These details make the room seem more like a setting for an exorcism or possession in general. The room is made purposefully dark with the only lighting being small lamps around the room. The darkness of the room is designed to be eerie and create suspense. The lighting created by low-lying lamps creates prominent shadows on the walls of, most notably in this image, the exorcist and the bed. 
• Overall, the room pictured is quite plain but this is done purposefully so that the lighting can create the main eerie effect. The room is also plain because the possessed subject is usually the main focus of the scene and the lack of objects in the room means that the subject has the audience's full attention.

• Similar to in The Exorcist, this screenshot from the 2010 horror film The Last Exorcism gives a good example of the setting and the contents of a typical exorcism room. 
• The room pictures uses the same main object of a double bed to carry out the exorcism. This is quite a typical piece of furniture to use during an exorcism within film. This is because it creates a composition which allows the audience to clearly see who is getting exorcised and the exorcist who is usually standing over the possessed individual.
• The setting created for this film seems to have incorporated more religious and spiritual elements including candles. This is effective as religion and spirituality is often a commonly used theme in supernatural horrors, especially when an exorcism is involved. 
• The room as a whole seems old-fashioned, notably the four-post wooden bed and the floral duvet cover. This creates a sense of, and relates to, old-fashioned ghost stories such as those of the Victorian era which is known to be effective in creating a spooky and eerie atmosphere. 

The Rite Deconstruction

I found a scene from 'The Rite' to deconstruct as we are looking at the idea of possession for when we make our supernatural film opening. Also after we had completed our media survey many people chose the option of having a religious element in our opening or a religious prop to be used e.g. a bible or a cross. The Rite is a religious based film featuring possession so I thought it would be a good idea to look at it in particular to get an idea of how we could use religious elements within our own work effectively. This is the scene I chose to look at:

 

The scene begins with a man sitting down looking quite distressed, his skin is an unnatural looking colour and he seems very agitated. There is another man standing up opposite him holding what looks like some sort of cross symbol in his hand, he says "in the name of Jesus Christ I command you speak your name" he is talking very powerfully, this appears to be some kind of exorcism. Low key lighting has been used and it looks as though they are in a very dark and empty room. The camera is using a panning shot, circling continuously around the pair of them so we get a full view of what is happening. As well as the diegetic noise of the man speaking there is also low non-diegetic music playing in the background.

An extreme close up shot is used showing a metal cross symbol hanging from somewhere, this image is only on for a second but it is very effective to show us that religion is playing a key part in this scene and is a big part of the exorcism that is taking place. The man who was talking originally is continuously repeating "I command you give me your name", his voice is becoming more and more aggressive as it continues and you hear it in the background of this cross being shown. There is still non-diegetic sound being played in the background but it is very low and quiet as more emphasis is being put on the voice of the man.

We are then shown for the first time a full close up shot of the possessed mans face. His skin is an unnatural red colour and his veins are clearly shown through his skin, his eyes also clearly show that he is not in a natural state at that moment. The man next to him continues to shout at him holding the cross directly at his face "give me your name" he is becoming more aggressive with his shouting as it continues, and the non-diegetic music becomes louder.

After the build up of him continuously shouting at the possessed man and getting no response he eventually sits up from his possession and shouts loudly, we cannot clearly hear what he is shouting but he sounds as though he is in some kind of pain. He's eyes roll backwards as he struggles in his seat and throws his head backwards whilst he screams. Whilst that is happening straight cut edits speed up and begin to switch to different images around the room that have some reference to religion, a large wooden cross is shown shaking as if the noise is having an impact upon it, it is brought to the audiences attention that they are in a place of religion.

Deconstruction - The Devil Inside Opening

Deconstruction - The opening of The Devil Inside

Sound

• A building non-diegetic sound, strings/orchestral sounding - builds tension and makes the audience feel uneasy and on-edge
• Dialogue between a 991-operator and a character. Made to sound like a voice recording. Off-screen. Makes the situation feel more real and will therefore affect the audience more, as they believe that this a real situation which could have happened.
• Non-diegetic sound of a phone going dead / being hung up. Adds to the suspense of the sequence and makes the audience feel like something bad has happened
• Non-diegetic sound of the video camera coming on / working, works with the visuals of the shakey camera shots the audience sees. Makes it seem more realistic, and adds to the 'based on a true story' idea.
• Throughout, a low note (non-diegetic), which constantly makes the audience have a bad feeling in their stomach.
• Diegetic sounds of man talking and tripping over things, things being moved around - again for authenticity and realism.

Editing

• Has production company and title at the start, plain black and white. Music starts when The Devil Inside appears.
• Uses editing to make this appear like a real story, almost like a documentary - 'The Vatican...', makes the audience feel like this is going to be truly shocking
• Made to appear like a police video, with a low-quality camera sort of filter, grainy, hard to make things out - adds to the realism
• Straight cuts to show the most important information - makes the video seem more authentic for the audience
• Date and time seen through the 'home made' video - realistic

Mise en Scene

• Lighting throughout is low-key, adds to the atmosphere being created - a crime scene - where something has gone terribly wrong
• Moments of naturalistic / ambient lighting - to make it seem realistic and authentic.
• Use of weapon to make it seem more realistic also, making the audience feel scared as the circumstances are becoming clearer
• Costume for police officer/ homicide detective - suit with the gun holders, makes it clear he is an official man
• Coroner Uniform - serious issue, death, realism, scares audience
• House made to look cluttered with different props, adds to the plot and story-line, makes the audience asks questions

Camera angles / movement

• Zoom used to focus in on objects, show the audience something important - the weapon
• Shot like a police tape, so unsteady and unclear - looks amateur, adds to realism

Demonic Girl's Diary Page

Handwritten and scruffy pages in a diary or on pieces of paper for example are used prominently in supernatural horror films where the character who has written them is possessed. These notes are usually very crudely written as they are written by a possessed individual. This means that for when I make my page of possessed notes, I will make them purposefully crudely written and drawn to create an authentic sense of possession. 

As they are written by a possessed individual in a supernatural horror, the notes usually have and are most likely to hold many references to religion and various deities. This could perhaps be through quotes from the Bible or pictures of religious symbols- especially those which are linked with paganism where there are strong references to new religious movements which attempt to reconstruct historical religion. While researching paganism, including modern paganism, I found various symbols (right) which could be used in my own practical creation of a possessed diary entry page. 

Strong use of quotes from religious books, primarily the Bible is, for me, a must. This is because I feel that if the possessed individual who has written the diary page is strongly involved and linked with religion, their interest in religious and Biblical quotes would be prominent and strong. Through research of quotes linked with 'supernatural', I found a website (http://www.openbible.info/topics/supernatural) which gives a list of quotes which I think I could use in my piece. Some notable and relevant quotes I found from the website include, "For the good Lord does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants his prophets" and "He stretched out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing". I thought these types of quotes would fit well into my piece as they link to religion and the Bible and also include elements of the supernatural. As well as biblical quotes, I found I could create the possessed individual's phrases and sentences which link themselves to a specific deity.

This is a photo of the possessed notes I created

As well as using the website to gather biblical quotes which link into the supernatural, I also found a website which gives details of a real man's notes from his diary who claimed he was possessed. An image of the website can be seen below. After seeing some of the quotes from this webpage, I felt they would fit well on my practical piece as they definitely have eerie and creepy connotations.

I scrunched the paper up slightly to create a more authentic looking page of a person who has been possessed. I also made random and scribbles and lines to add to the possessed feel and the eerie way a person who is possessed in a film would act.