AICE Media Film Opening - 'Doppelganger' - Colour Symbolism

I wanted my film to be able to make use of techniques that I've so far learned in class, in order to create an atmosphere that is more than simply meets the eye. From the very first drafts of my idea, I wanted to incorporate small details here and there to hint at a potential looming evil. Colour symbolism, I think, is a very clever way to create a foreshadowing that may initially go over a viewer's head, but click once my opening's twist reveals itself.


It seems that the general population of people who take in any sort of artistic media can agree that the colours red and black both often scream a sense of dread, even evil. The colour of red can represent blood or danger, with black creating a sense of darkness or death. These colours together, the boldness of the red contrasting against the pitch darkness of black, can help to create as sinister an environment as possible, as opposed to using any other colour, or even using one devoid of the other. 

There are several ways I want to incorporate these colours, and I think a good example in film that I can look at for inspiration is the film 'We Need to Talk About Kevin,' which is a film that features the colour red in nearly every single scene. I want to have red and black popping up specifically in items related to the main character, her wardrobe, her props, etc., as I want the viewers to subconsciously understand that she is the real danger. 

collection of scenes from 'We Need to Talk About Kevin'

As for the wardrobe, I want to have a very casual seeming red and black outfit, perhaps a red top paired with black bottoms. I want it to be subtle, as to not reveal anything too soon, but to still have the same dreadful and sinister effect.