Analysis of the first five minutes of The Grudge

1. The Grudge Opening Sequence
Camera
A tilt is used at the very beginning to show the location of where the film is set; it
also introduces the first character/victim. An over the shoulder shot is used
when Peter is looking out the balcony and his partner is in the bed, this shows
how he is confused and it shows his emotions. A zoom in is used when Peter is
falling to the floor; the camera zooms in to the floor so that it is as if we are the
ones falling. A pan is used along with a tilt so that we can see the emotion on
Peter’s partners face and we can see that people around the area where he died
are gathering to see what happened. A high angle is used when she is at the
bottom of the stairs, this makes the audience aware that something is going to
happen and she is the victim.
Editing
At the very beginning we see the two companies that have came together to
make this film. Text comes up before we see any camera work, and some of the
text gets highlighted in red “Curse”, “Fury” and “Death”. This hooks in the
audience because it makes them want to know who dies, why and they want to
know what the curse is. After we see the first victim, more text comes up telling
us the companies that produced the film and the directors and actors, etc. When
we see the title of the film, a hand comes on and touches the name; ripples then
appear as the name disappears. While everyone’s names are coming on the
screen, hair on water is used to introduce them. This gives the audience a clue to
what the film is about. The titles then continue in while we are introduced to the
next character.
Mise-en-scene
When we first see Peter, he is wearing his nightwear and he is acting all
confused. This makes the audience aware that something is very soon going to
happen to him and he is acting like he is possessed by not caring what he looks
like when he dies. When we see the area that Peter lives, it look a little bit run
down which shows us that they don’t really have much money and that can link
in to something later on in the film. When we first see Yoko, she is riding her bike
and is wrapped up warm, this shows us that it is around autumn that this film is
taking place in and it shows us that she is fairly active by riding her bike to work.
When we see Yoko with Emma, Emma look scared and confused and we can see
by the mess of the house that she is unable to take care of herself.
Sound
When the movie first starts, we can hear quiet music in minor key, this makes the
audience tense up straight away because it matches what the text is saying about
death. The music goes louder as the text goes on which links to the genre of the
film- Horror. The music then cuts off and we hear ambient sound as we are
getting introduced to Peter. When Peter’s partner talks to him she sounds
concerned because he doesn’t talk back and he is acting strange. As Peter is
falling we hear he wind around his like on a rollercoaster and this just
emphasises the speed that he is falling at. The music then starts up again and it

2. sounds more miserable then what it did the first time because it is louder and
straight after his death. When the names are introduced we hear the same music
but occasionally you hear the sound of water and that could link to where The
Grudge comes from. The music continues throughout the clip but does quiet
down but it makes the audience feel tense and it makes them wait for something
to happen.
The opening sequence for The Grudge creates suspense for the audience. The
opening sequence keeps the audience on the edge of their seats because they are
ready to either be scared or jump. The music helps add to the suspense because
it isn’t happy music; it is music that makes the reader want to keep watching.
The text at the beginning makes the reader want to know about what has
happened in the past and what the effects are. With the camera movements and
angles, we are shown the area that is Japan and in Japan people believe that a
house is cursed if someone dies there, this however does not explain why Peter
died unless he had seen The Grudge. When we see Peter suddenly die, the
audience wonder who he is and if he has any significance but later on in the film
we know that he had an affair with the grudge before she died.