Examining elements of film in the context of horror
When Buffy and Willow leave the lecture hall, they get cut off by Riley, who starts to talk to Buffy about her dream. Willow says goodbye, but sneakily continues to observe them, tip-toeing around and hiding behind books and the like. While she does this, music, which consists of some bouncy rhythms of string pizzicato and various percussion instruments (most notably a woodblock or two), starts to play. This is an example of non-diegetic sound, but it adds to the scene by highlights this particular part of the scene by aiding the display of Willow’s playful nature.
In the scene in which Xander and Anya are arguing about their relationship, as they are on their way to Giles’ house, there are lots of diegetic sounds present: the sound of a mailbox opening, the door slamming, birds chirping, and a dog barking. They were outside at this point, so these sounds made sense. They also added a discreet level of chaos, but were also very common sounds, which helped to set the scene for such a common spat.
In the first scene in which we glimpse The Gentlemen, a few diegetic and non-diegetic sounds are implored. The clock tower clicking (diegetic), the box opening (shimmering; non-diegetic). But this scene also demonstrates a good example of mise-en-scene. At first, only the scabby, slimy, creepy hands of the monster are seen, as he opens the box. The voices are stolen from the whole town, more music and various sounds occur, and finally, the camera moves slowly back from its hands to its creepy, disgusting face, to reveal a mirthfully joyed face of one of The Gentlemen. It was quite the build-up to the first introduction of this creature. It’s slow approach to revealing itself was effectively terrifying.