isolation and mind bending atmosphere of films

the atmosphere of a film is purely based on the the director wants the audience to feel while watching the film. The Shining or Blair Witch Project will make you feel isolated and alone, which is what makes it so scary, by making us feel there's no one around to help you. no one to be there for you. In The Blair Witch Project the setting of the Black Hills Forest, the dense vegetation of brush and tree's whilst being unknowingly stalked by a paranormal entity that is thought to be a town myth, is purely terrifying to think about.

In The Shining, the setting of the Overlook Hotel deep into the Colorado Rockies gives a strong sense of isolation. In the opening shot of The Shining, we get an overhead look of Jack Torrance driving on a mountain road, to show us to distance the hotel is from civilization. In the book Filmish it says..."the hotel is a maze to get lost in, both physically and psychologically. as Jack spirals towards a murderous, axe-wielding frenzy, each characters ability to navigate this deceptive and illogical space dictates whether they live or die" (Ross 68). This helps me realize that location and sets of a film are extremely important to the audience and how it effects the characters ability to survive. The carpet in The Shining plays an EXTREMELY important role in the audiences mind bending and claustrophobia. (the carpet is also my phone case)

The way the carpet is designed is disorienting on its own, but it helps the audience feel lost. "This vast labyrinth of winding corridors, mysterious open doors and disorienting design, plays havoc with the audiences orientation, instilling an uncanny feeling that something is not right about the building" (Ross 68). The way the hexagonal shapes are lined up like that, the lines up and down up and down and with each hexagon facing opposite directions, shows the insanity that Jack is being hurled into the oblivion. the way it shows turning disorientingly back and forth. It also plays with the audiences emotions and bending their minds to hell. This helps me think about my future films and how i could determine the perfect location for exactly what i want to do with the audience.

using the idea of isolation, I made a short, unfinished part of my own rendition of a Friday The 13th film. i chose the woods as a setting for isolation and the feeling of being alone.

The set of The Conjuring 2 is also a great example of horror sets that instill fear into the audience. The Green Street house in Enfield, England has a very unique run down look with creaky floorboards and a very antique-y looking chair. The set pieces can have an important role in these films as well, especially The Conjuring 2 with old Bill Wilkins and his beat up chair gives the audience a memory and attachment to the piece.

question-why do you think the set's and location are important for films?