"Dog Soldiers" Film Analysis (Page 1)

Dog Soldiers

Year of Production: 2002

Director: Neil Marshall

Genre(s): Action/Horror/Thriller

Brief Plot Outline:

A British squad is sent on a training mission in Scotland against a special operations squad. They come across the bloody remains of the special ops squad after ignoring the childish ‘campfire’ story surrounding the area. In the end they have to battle for survival against an unlikely form of enemy – werewolves.

Which two scenes impressed you the most? Why?

The first scene I enjoyed was a scene about a quarter of the way through where one soldier, based on his own in the woods realises that he has no ammo; he then persists to run from the strange noises surrounding him. In the end he runs into a tree branch which goes right through his stomach. In this scene there is a good use of shots and collision cutting; it switches from the P.O.V of the werewolf then back to the soldier making a sense of panic. I enjoyed the ending scene also mainly due to the fact that it was quite comedic. What makes it comedic is the fact that it is very unrealistic; the werewolf and one of the soldiers get into an altercation which eventually ends up with the werewolf finally dying. This part also has a good use of camera; there is definitely a quick montage effect and a variety of fast paced P.O.V shots.

How has watching the film helped you understand this genre of filmmaking? Which features on the genre checklist did you spot in the film? When? How?

It has helped me understand that within the horror genre, a film can be widely different to other horrors. The horror genre can be considered ‘realistic’ or ‘unrealistic’; this suggests that the horror genre as a whole has many unique styles that can be produced in a film.                                                                                  
I noticed a large amount of body horror within this film mainly from the parts where werewolves were involved. Especially when one of the soldiers stomach is ripped open revealing his ‘guts’. This film also has many P.O.V shots / close ups; this adds suspense when watching and gets your heart rate up, especially when added to the use of quick montage. The werewolves can be considered as ‘quick moving monsters’ and the film has a humorous, open ending.

Which aspects of the film would you like to INCLUDE in your own trailer?

I wold like to try and replicate the body horror within my own trailer; mainly due to the fact that it shocks some audiences and adds to the suspense of a film. I would also like to have a good use of quick montage within my trailer as a feel that this is also a good aspect that gets your heart racing. This technique also gets you to focus on what is happening which I feel is really important, especially in a trailer. Lastly, I think that I will use some P.O.V shots within my horror trailer. I say this mainly because I feel that it makes films more involving; it makes you focus on what is actually happening, adding suspense.