Establishing Horror in my Film

Setting:
The setting of the film will be shown as establishing shot of an empty city at night, therefore making it dark. This will help establish that this is a horror film, because typically, horror films take place in dark settings. The people of the city are very unsocial due to the events that occur every full moon, which emphasises that the city is somewhat empty.

Main Character:
A moving van will be shown using a tracking shot, driving into the city, but the actual characters, including the main character, won't be shown properly until they exit the moving van outside their house, so as to create an essence of enigma.

Props:
A close up of a 'For Sale' sign will be shown outside the house that the moving van has parked next to, so as to emphasise the fact that these people in the van are moving into a new house, if the audience hadn't got it yet.

Era:
The fact that the first shot is of a modern day city, with a modern day moving van driving into it, allows the audience to understand that the film is set somewhere close to modern day. This is important, for if the film is set closer to the time that the audience is actually in, then the audience will feel more connected with the characters.

Sound: Tense music will be playing as the moving van enters the empty city. This, although non diegetic, will help establish that the characters in the van may be in some form of danger throughout the film. The engine of the moving van will be the only sound, other than the music, to emphasise the emptiness within the city.