Final Destination Opening Analysis

Final Destination starts with non-diegetic music. The music is orchestral but creates an eerie mood through the high screeching sounds that sound like screams. The film starts with a lightning strike immediately creating a sense of danger, as it often signifies horror; the camera then pans down the window showing the rain on the window and displays the title which is written in quite plain font except for the letter 'E' which stands out, the writing is then slashed and fades away - the slash also creates horror as you imagine the writing being sliced. the opening credits also appear in this plain white font throughout the opening. I think that the writing is so plain and small because the director does not want to distract you from the actions that are occurring in the background, as there are many hints that also suggest the genre of horror/thriller: the first is the strange figure which looks harmless, but thanks to the ark light does create tension - there is then a shot of the shadow of this figure which enhances the thought of this figure being a threat.

The next shot is a very important one as it uses a plain household appliance, a fan, and makes this fan seem terrifying by using a diegetic growling sound that the fan is making as it blows and flashes past the camera. The fan is used throughout the opening, with this growling sound and blowing pages over to show images and stories of death. The camera makes certain words stand out with extreme close up shots of words like "death" and "evil".

As the fan moves there is a face that appears quickly in a flash behind it. This creates terror as the face is unclear although it looks like a clown and there is a short sadistic laugh - although clowns are not very scary in real life, the dark room and the flashing motion that it appears in does create fear in the audience.

The final shot is a close up of a page in which the words "this is the end" are written, this shot ends with a fade into darkness but the words stay on screen for a couple of seconds longer and then they fade as well - this emphasizes the phrase and makes the reader think about them more; this is also a great way to set up the film and let the audience know what the genre is.