Initial Development of my Thriller Opening Sequence

Progressing on from my initial set of ideas, I decided to pitch this Thriller Opening Sequence to my class:


The idea:

Within a dimly lit confessional booth kneels a young nun, eyes closed in prayer. A rosary is clutched within her grasp, her fingers toying with each bead as she whispers the accompanying “Hail Mary”s aloud. Very quietly, diegetic ambient sounds of monks singing can be heard in the background as she continues her prayer which quickens and gets louder - her tone becoming increasingly more desperate. Here, a non-diegetic soundtrack begins to play quietly in the background, thus creating tension. Around her, the three or so candles which light the booth begin to flicker and we receive shots of scratches and odd runes carved into the wooden room. The nun screws her eyes shut, her prayer no longer a calm whisper but practically a hiss. As she comes to the end of her rosary, the non-diegetic soundtrack crescendos to its climax and she finishes her prayer with a final, abrupt hiss. Silence fills the scene and the candles within her booth are blown out by a sudden gust of wind, leaving the mise-en-scene as nothing but a field of darkness. After a short pause, the pleonastic sound of a match being struck is heard and we see from straight-ahead as the nun lights a single candle - her eyes (which haven’t been seen for the whole sequence) finally revealed to be a dark and threatening crimson red, the flickering of the orange candle reflected in her gaze. A somewhat happy (yet oddly creepy) piece of non-diegetic music begins to play, adding a contrapuntal element to the scene as the nun offers the camera an incredibly sinister and seductive smile. “Hail, Satan” she purrs, before breaking out into manic hysterics.

Inspiration for the idea:

I thought that the song, 'Tonight You Belong To Me' by Patience and Prudence [linked below], would be really effective for the final piece of music within the sequence, as it adds a very contrapuntal element to the concept, which is exactly what I wanted. Equally, I thought it tied in very well with the idea of feigned innocence and naivety which I had in mind for the nun character that we see praying (who in turn is heavily based off of "Sister Mary-Eunice" from the tv series American Horror Story: Asylum). I also decided to pitch this idea due to the fact that having come from Catholic school, it is a concept that I know I can bring some authenticity to.

Feedback for the idea:

Most people really liked the idea, given how un-cliche it is for a thriller opening sequence. Some people were worried about the pace and how long the sequence would go on for, but those are, at least in my opinion, just small technical problems which I don't doubt I'd be able to adjust accordingly should I (or rather, my group) go ahead with the idea.