American Horror Story Textual Analysis 2

Season 1 Episode 2

This is a close-up at eye-level. The camera is steady. The lighting is low-key to reflect the situation and increase the tension.

The camera switches to this close-up at a bird’s-eye view. This gives the viewer more power over the character, signifying how powerless the character feels.

This is a mid-shot at eye-level. However, the male character is looking down at the viewer and the female character, signifying that he has the most power in this scene. This makes him intimidating. The camera continuously switches between the male character and the female character to reflect their conflict.

Though this wide shot is at eye-level, the character’s head is pointed low and she is looking up. This signifies that she is intimidated by the male character and is powerless towards him. Her clothing and furniture are the colour white; this connotes her innocence.

This is a mid-shot at a low angle. It directs the audience’s attention towards his face and makes them more intimidated by him. The colours in this shot are darker than the previous one, which signifies the dangerous nature of the character.

This close-up of the woman’s face is used to increase the audience’s sympathy for her.

In this scene, the male character holds the majority of the power over the female character. The female is presented as the victim, and the audience is made to feel sympathy for her. The audience are made to feel intimidated and horrified by the male character. This is a typical trope used by horror and crime genres, as women have traditionally been considered the weaker gender by society and, in turn, the media.