Deconstruction of Mise-en-scene in The Possession

The scene opens with a panning shot of a wall of photographs, this shows the house is homely. There is also high key lighting showing the naturalness of the setting.


There is a close up shot of a wooden box which is the focus of the scene. This is placed on a mantelpiece which is sparsely decorated which focuses attention.



A low angle shot shows a ticking clock, suggesting the powerfulness of time and what it can achieve, this is later confirmed by the lady changing to a possessed animal within seconds.

A close up shot shows a vintage cassette player which shows nostalgia and want for how things used to be.

 A close up tracking shot of a hammer displays violence which is commonly seen in the horror genre.

The woman is shown with lowered key lighting. Her eyes are wide open and blood is seen coming from her mouth. She looks possessed and is 'thrown' around the room she is in.



Through this sequence mise-en-scene is frequently used to create an enigma, for example with the use of the box. This creates suspense through use of camera angles which are important to the effect that the mise-en-scene creates.