Notes on past AS coursework-horror genre

In various pieces of coursework such as Red Christmas and Black Nightmare the students have used POV camera shots with trees/branches in the frame, signifying a character watching the victim, whilst hidden behind something. Looking at the openings i found this one of the most effective techniques used to portray the killer/stalker character and create narrative enigma. I feel our opening may benefit from using this effect. Another element i picked up on was the effective use of teenage slang, for example in Camp Ivy the blonde scream queen character says "I can't be arsed." this uses verisimilitude to the teenage world and helps fit in with the target audience of the horror genre of teenage\young adults.
             In Red Christmas in the opening titles and first opening sequence is dominated by a non-digetic audio dub of an eery whispered voice narrating a christmas carol. I thought this was very effective as it immediately puts the audience on edge, making them unconciously hold their breath. The way in which they have linked the idea of christmas in with the horror genre is also effective, using binary opposition and portraying a slightly more disturbed scenario. The audience instantly links christmas carollers with innocent, young children, which really enforces this new distorted image of christmas the opening gives.
         The negative points I picked up on were the mis-use of ellipses within action shots, missing out key scenes, for example in Red Christmas before the girl character gets stabbed, we see the killer following her, and then the next scene is of her on the floor being killed. The scene could have benefited from a scene of the killer literally coming up behind her close before killing her as it looks as though it has jumped a bit.