The audience is told the name of the film at the end of the trailer, creating more suspense since the viewers are left on edge till the very end to find out what this film is called. Throughout the trailer, graphic shots and quick-paced editing indicate what the film will involve; but it is the title at the end, “Drag Me To Hell” which confirms it’s haunting theme. The trailer also only reveals the director of the film, Sam Raimi, since he has had past success with 'Spider-Man' and 'The Grudge' and this would appeal the audience into thinking that 'Drag Me To Hell' would be equally as popular. The trailer does not however show the names of the main actors (Alison Lohman, Justin Long) until for a split second at the very end, since neither are that recognisable in the film industry; despite Long playing the lead part in Victor Salva’s Horror “Jeepers Creepers”.
The trailer begins with a combination of fade shots and paced editing, suggesting safe themes of mystery or romance for the film. Once the film's storyline begins to unfold, tension mounts up- the music becomes bolder, the editing becomes faster and more rapid, and the most amount of action is shown. The trailer shows little snippets lasting no more than a couple of seconds, and this is what reels in the audience since they want to see more. Footage of sayonces, the curses taken over the main character, and effects of the curse on other characters are shown; and the very last scene shows the main character being dragged down by what appears to be fire or daemons; common images used for 'Hell' which relates back to the film's title.
The non-diegetic sound of the piano in the beginning of the trailer is like the build-up to what the audience is about to see. It creates tension and doesn't really create a particular theme. When the main character comes face to face with the woman who puts the curse on her, the music becomes a little bolder to signify danger, and as the story unfolds, gasping, husky sounds are used rather than music to bring an eeire and supernatural feel. Once the curse takes its toll on the woman, bold music of drums, trumpets, and a chorus are used to signify the power and dominance of the curse taking over the woman.
Several voice overs of the woman are used, with quotes such as "they're coming for me" and "how do I get rid of this?". The effect of the voice-overs whilst showing different parts of the film give the audience a chance to see as much of the film's content as possible, whilst creating a disorted and more paced effect. As the music becomes faster, the use of the quick-shots towards the end also become more rapid to build tension for the viewers, contrasting with the beginning where the pace of the trailer was slow and relaxed; probably to reel the audience into a false sense of security.
The information we are given on the film starts with the main character eager to be promoted to being assistant manager at her work. Her manager informs her that the position will require making tough decisions, and she is given the chance to prove she can do this when she is approached by an eldery woman who wants an extension on her mortgage payment. When the main character refuses, the elderly woman begins to beg and plead, and is humilated by the main character when she pushes her away. The elderly woman seeks revenge on the main character, and puts a curse on her, the "larmia, the most feared of all deamons". This part of the trailer is shown through a series of cut shots and voice-overs, showing significant parts of the beginning of the film to show how the main character was given the curse.
Once the main character is attacked by the elderly woman as she leaves for work, the audience begins to learn what curse the main character has and how it is affecting her. Several of the shots shown play in fast-motion to signify fear and the speed of the curse. Yet the audience is not shown the main character being harmed by the different deamons, simply 'followed', and tormented. She then asks how to get rid of the curse, and is told that she can give it away. From this point, the music becomes more dramatatic and bolder to signify the climax of the trailer as the audience is now shown the effects of the curse on the woman through a combination of quick-shots: she is thrown up in the air to the ceiling, gasping for air as she nearly drowns in a pool of mud, thrown across a kitchen, and finally being over-powered by deamons which clasp at her and try to bring her down.
As the trailer features main themes of hell and curses, the trailer could appeal to audiences who are interested in the supernatural and who believe that curses such as these are real. The trailer could also appeal to those who are generally interested in ghosts and phantoms, as at one point the trailer shows a shot of a seance, and parts of the trailer do show the woman trying to over-come her curse by trying to connect with another 'parallel world'. The trailer is not aimed at young audiences as it does feature some content that may frighten them, as well as scenes that they may not understand- even at the beginning with the scene of mortgage payments and what the main character's profession involves. The overall theme of the trailer would also not appeal to audiences who do not believe in Christianity- atheists, for instance, who do not believe that Heaven and Hell are real and would not believe in such curses and deamons.
