Genre Research- The Boy

The Boy-2016

Directed by: William Brent Bell
Starring: Lauren Cohan, Rupert Evans, and James Russell
It started with a production budget of 10 million dollars and grossed over 68.2 million worldwide.
The film received mixed reviews, earning on an average 4.3/10. It was also nominated for 6 awards, including best actress and best film at the BloodGuts UK Horror awards.
In the opening of the film we can see first three production companies: STX entertainment, Lakeshore entertainment and the H. Brothers. This takes roughly one minute. After displaying the title, "The Boy," the shots begin. It opens with suspenseful music played on a piano. The incidental music is moderately paced and slowly gets louder to create the mood. The next few shots are mid-shots and close ups of creepy dolls and toys. Each of these shots also feature a name of one of the main actors. Then, a long-shots of a car driving down a long road, in what appears like the country side are shown. The black car is older looking, but well-kept and appears to be a taxi transporting a woman . The license plate of the car is white and on the front, signalling this might take place in Europe.  The next important shot is an over-the-shoulder shot of the taxi driver in which he is looking at the woman, who is trying to sleep. He looks concerned, making the audience wonder where she is going and why. More close-up shots of toys are shown with the job titles and names of the music director, editor, costume designer, production designer and director of photography. The opening ends with an establishing shot of a large, old mansion and the taxi letting the woman out. The dialogue between the woman and taxi driver imply that she was brought to the house by a very wealthy family. The costumes are modern but the house and car are much older and antique looking. The audience does not yet know why the woman is there, but it can be assumed that she is going to meet with someone very wealthy who lives very far away from others. The opening creates a suspense, as a remote mansion can usually be alluded to ominous things and keeps the audience asking why.