Chernobyl Diaries is a horror film directed by Oren Peli
(Paranormal Activity) set in the region of Chernobyl, which was devastated by a
nuclear disaster. A group of tourists and their guide travel to the region,
where they discover unusual creatures that try to kill them.
The Chernobyl Diaries trailer opens with several
tourist-style scenes, in front of several landmarks, including the Roman
Colosseum and the Eiffel Tower. The next scene shows the group talking around a
table, and one of them suggests a trip to Chernobyl, which the others agree to.
The camera angle looks up at the group slightly, suggesting that (at least in
their minds) they are the ones in control and in power.
The next series of cuts show news readers, and the military
actions taken at Chernobyl. The text on-screen describes what happened at
Chernobyl, for the members of the audience who did not know.
One of the main sound-effects used is the crackling of a
Geiger counter. Geiger counters are often used in areas of high radiation, such
as Chernobyl, to determine whether an area is safe or not. In the trailer, one
of the characters (the guide) also carries a Geiger counter, for this purpose.
The guide states that they will be safe because they have it. This turns out to
be completely false, and is a reversed form of foreshadowing.
The next scene features the guide playing a practical joke
on the rest of the group, pretending something in the water attacked him. This
is misleading, not only for the characters on-screen, but also for the
audience, who would have been expecting an attack.
The next few shots show the group taking photographs, using
a series of quick fades to black. At the end of these shots, one of the group
zooms in on a photo, to see their first, blurred glimpse of one of the
creatures. At this point it starts to get more dramatic, with the non-diegetic
music becoming more dark and sinister-sounding. Everything starts going wrong
on-screen as well, with the group’s van breaking down and stranding them in
Chernobyl in the middle of the night.
More fades to black are seen, and the group make the mistake
of leaving their shelter to find out the source of strange noises. The
silhouettes of creatures are seen, and then a long streak of dark liquid, which
is presumably blood, is shown on the floor. This, along with the dramatic
music, instils more of an atmosphere of horror in the audience. The
non-diegetic crackling of the Geiger counter can be heard again, to reinforce
the setting of Chernobyl.
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