Week 1-The Lodger

One of the most intriguing scenes to me from The Lodger comes (time stamp 10:47) when the Lodger/Avenger first meets Daisy and her family. I believe this scene paints the picture of how scary the Lodger really is. It is one of the most effective scenes that imprints the Lodger as someone to be feared and we notice this creepy aura about him which sends shivers down our spines.

All we see of the Lodger when he approaches is an ominous hand reaching for the door, in the dark, gloomy and foggy night.  Daisy’s mother comes to the door after hearing the knock and opens it to see the Lodger standing in the fog completely covered with only his eyes showing behind his scarf. The fear in her eyes is indescribable (time stamp 11:07), instantly running through her the very moment she sees the Lodger standing in the foggy night. The fear is written all over her face. Showing how happy and normal everything is in the house before the Lodger comes into the picture adds to the feeling that there is something about him that is offsetting, something that immediately changes the whole mood of the scene. The Lodger moves in a slow and eerie manner showing all his emotions through his eyes. The father even falls off the chair he was standing on, and the coo-coo clock goes off the moment the Lodger comes in and discusses the room for let, all foreshadowing and warning of the danger of the Lodger

The way this scene uses the different camera angles, framing, and the contrast between light and dark is what successfully makes the audience have this uneasy feeling about the Lodger, an underlying feeling of fear that stays within us at all times when watching the Lodger. By only showing the Lodgers hand at first reaching for a doctor, gives him a detached almost inhuman feel that is only compounded when the camera focuses on the mothers face once she opens the door seeing the Lodger. The way the Lodger is shot standing in the night, with all the fog surrounding him and only being able to see his eyes makes him seen as if he no ordinary individual.  Focusing in on the Lodgers eyes after, we notice them opening wide, gleaming in the night as if to foreshadow that he has found the location of his next victim. The way his eyes react, reminds me of Nosferatu, and sends the same spine tingling feeling as if we have just come face to face with Dracula himself. To add to this overwhelming feeling of fear, we even have a change in music once the Lodger is revealed. A change from happy upbeat music, to a sudden deep and dark overtone that strikes even more fear into us, making our heartbeat faster and begin to sweat. The Lodger moves in a slow and eerie manner showing all his emotions through his eyes. Filming the Lodger in an almost constant shadow adds to his dark and mysterious mystique. This scene leaves the audience in suspense and wondering what danger is to come from taking in the Lodger.