Panic Room Elements

Elements of Panic Room that Inspire

Theatrical Release Poster

Panic Room is an American film made in 2002 and is a captivating dark thriller about a  mother and daughters struggle for their lives and the safety of there homes. 

Plot:

The plot of the film is not the typical horror/thriller plot of the distressed woman being hunted down by a ghostly figure but is more realistic and more believable to watch. The film see's a woman who just divorced her husband and had recently brought a house with her 11 year old daughter. The previous owner of the house had installed a 'panic room' in the house for the safety of the home-owners. The panic room is secured by concrete walls on all sides, has a thick steel door, has a security system with surveillance cameras and a separate phone line. On the night of the move their house is broken into by robbers who are looking for $3million dollars locked in a safe in the panic room. The mother and daughter reside to the panic room for their own safety as the robbers try to get to the money. The daughter Sarah who has diabetes suffers from a seizure and has to get  her jab before the matter gets worst. As the mother leaves the panic room to get the injection, one burglar enters it and has to help Sarah. After many attempts at trying to contact help it fails but in the end the robbers get caught and the mother and daughter decide to move to  a more fitting home. 

Characters:

The characters in the film are very basic and showcase the casual family unit in the modern 21st century society. A divorced couple with a daughter to look after. 

The mother, Meg a strong woman who is good headed and wise.

The father, Stephan a trying willing man.

The daughter, Sarah an 11 year old girl, brave and suffers with diabetes.

The roles of the characters many people can relate to and find find the film more appealing to watch.

Setting:

A home in the upper west side of New York City.

Lighting:

The lighting of the film throughout is a dark, mysterious cold blue with cloudy greys and blacks. The colours reflect the darkness of the plot and the matters the characters are face with.

Here are some shots of the film that show the dark colour pallet.

Camera Shots:

The camera shots in this film are very much a range of distances, angles and positions. In the film there are many close ups of the characters face to show expressions, wide shots of the area (normally in the house), midway shots two shots and many more.

Here are some examples of camera shots.

High angle, wide shot

Closed in, two shot, close up

Close up

Low angle, two shot

My most favourite part of the film is the part when Sarah has a seizure, the part is so well acted out and all the elements to make a moving picture- mise en scene, sound, camera, editing and lighting are all used to make the scene as real as possible.

Here is the part of the film where Sarah suffers from a seizure whilst locked in the panic room.

Panic Room inspires to make an opening to a film sequence using the same features as it does 

The lighting, characters, plot and timing of everything work in unison with each other and creates a great thriller film, that's good to watch.