In the opening sequence of this film, many codes and
conventions of the horror genre can be identified. Before the actual film begins, the distributer titles appear on the screen in a blood red colour. There is also the non-diegetic sound of a child singing which is enigmatic. This helps create the tense atmosphere as an eerie ambience is created before the film actually begins.
The non-diegetic sound of an older Edith establishes the fact
that she is the protagonist and therefore allows the audiences attention to be focused on her. The use of overdramatic score music combined with the transition also helps to reinforce the timeframe for which the film is set.
Once the non-diegetic music reaches a peak, it begins to fade
out as the next scene begins. The young Edith is lying in bed at night struggling to sleep. The combination of low-key lighting and dark colours in the bedroom furniture creates a sense of the unknown. As the audience are already anticipating danger, a wide shot of Edith lying in bed shows shadows on the wall, combined with the diegetic sound of a ticking clock also creates an uneasy feeling suggesting that the environment that Edith is in is not stable and something could attack her at any given time.
Throughout this sequence, a quiet piece on non-diegetic music
is playing to reach a climax and then falls down at various points during the sequence. A wide shot revealing a shadow in the corridor which appears to be the ghost is combined with the same score music and diegetic sound of the ghost breathing. This confirms something may be lurking in the shadows. The ghosts black robes and veil also allows the transition from the audience noticing a shadow to be a lot less obvious hence creating more anticipation and tension.
This then cuts to a medium shot of Edith lying on her bed,
scares. The non-diegetic score music grows quieter and implies that the ghost is gone. However, the ghost suddenly places her hand on Edith. This is accompanied by a sharp, high pitched non-diegetic sound effect to heighten the reaction from the audience. A birds eye view angle is used whilst diegetic Neha Shahzad
dialogue from the ghost saying Beware the Crimson Peak is