Film Opening Analysis 5: Poltergeist

Director: Gil Kenan

Writers: David Lindsay-Abaire (screenplay), Steven Spielberg

Budget: $35,000,000

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Rotten Tomatoes

"A family whose suburban home is haunted by evil forces must come together to rescue their youngest daughter after the apparitions take her captive." - IMDb

Titles

The film begins with the usual idents for 20th century Fox and for Metro Goldwyn Mayer. There is then a multicoloured, almost futuristic pattern, with the introduction to the movie in a white font, over it. There is some strange movements below it which suggest a mysterious and ghostly aspect to the film. 

When the title does appear, it is the grass behind some houses and this creates a mysterious affect. 

Also, after this, a zombie, animated, breaks through and then is seen being strangled by a hand. The camera then zooms out and we see that the zombie is actually in a video game being played by a young boy on an iPad. This is almost a premonition to events that occur later on in the film, relating to the supernatural.

Semiotics

There is a good use of a high angle/ariel shot over the tops of some houses, and then behind them is a field, where the title appears.

The non-diegetic sound used is a typical horror movie sound track during the title sequence. This is in keeping with the codes and conventions of a horror film.

Narrative Exposition

The theories can be applied to this opening is Propp's character theory, Barthe's theory of narrative enigma and Levi-Strauss' theory of binary opposition. In the characters that we are introduced to in a scene where a family are in a car, it could be said that the Princess archetype is established in the older daughter. There are a few questions that are left unanswered in this opening sequence, for example, where are the family going? , who is the zombie? etc.

The theory of binary opposition is the transition from the creepy, horrific zombie to the car with the family in. This is a common feature used in horror film openings.