Textual Analysis – ’28 Days Later’

Introduction

The first shot of this film introduce the sense of disequilibrium. The shots are full of fear and violence and this conveys the negativity because it’s shot from a high angle which makes the woman look inferior with no dominance. Also the pain on her face connotes pain and determines an awful event has occurred.

Antagonist

The antagonist in ‘28 Days Later’ is shown instantly which enables the binary oppositions theory to be conveyed with the range of the antagonist shot. The ape smashes the cage violently which depicts they are evil and oppose good. It also conveys Propp’s character types with a character opposing all that is good.

Point of View

This point of view (POV) shot shows disequilibrium with the frantic and quick panning of the camera which conveys the animalistic features of the possessed creatures. This POV shot also shows the fear of the female and elicits a response from the audience as this shot appears like the ape is coming towards the audience in a disturbing manner.

Ideology of Horror

The ideological themes or horror are shown in this shot. The violent blood splattering conveys evil and dark themes of the film and depicts the horror genre. Disequilibrium is shown with Todorov’s narrative theory showing the normal balance is being disturbed.

Extreme Close Up

This extreme close up shot allows the antagonist to be shown more as it in details shows the darkness and evil. The red in his eyes relates to danger and negative connotations and this is why the director has used it as it conveys evil.

Conclusion

The director has ordered this opening sequence to portray the horror genre effectively but also differentiates from a slasher horror film as this is based around a contagious disease. The introduction uses dark footage that show the negative connotations of the horror genre. The point of view shot shows the frantic and evil aspects of the antagonist and the blood splattering shot conveys all the typical horror themes evidently. The binary oppositions theory of good versus evil are shown because the female opposes the contagious apes. Also Propp’s character types theory is shown because good is represented by the animal rights protests and the evil by the contagion. The sequence shows blood several types relating to darkness and evil plus the use of extreme close ups shows the horror genre thoroughly.