How does Thompson create an atmosphere of threat in the school yard?

Throughout this scene there are many threats created in different ways, the main threat shown is of rape. The male in this scene. One of the ways that sexual tension is used in a provocative manner is when Max Cady has been seen walking up to Nancy, the girl in the car, as he is walking up to the car he stops at the edge of the pavement. Before moving on he takes a cigar out of his mouth and places it back in again. Because of his past this placement of the cigar connotes pathetic fallacy. It also increases the views of the audience in that this man is a threat towards her while she is alone. As she is being chased into the building the camera is at a mid-shot of the male’s crotch. This is also a form of pathetic fallacy because although not telling the audience directly that he is going to rape her, the use of a mid-shot on his crotch shows that he might just do that.

The diegetic and nondiegetic sound in this scene also connote a threatening atmosphere. As Max is walking towards Nancy he passes some fountains, the fountain gives of a hissing sound, just like a snake. Because of this noise that's been given of and also the commonly known knowledge that snakes are a dangerous animal, the audience can tell that danger is just around the corner.
As Max is walking towards the car, there are jump shots to what she can see and what he can see. When the camera is in the car, showing what Nancy can see, there is music playing. The music is quite calm and common which wouldn't arouse the audience suspicions, connoting that she is safe in the car and she should stay in there. This music then changes to a more sinister tone, which uses chromatic sound which gets louder as he gets closer to the car. This is a complete contrast to what was just seconds before, showing how things can turn so easily. Later on in this scene, the girl runs out of the school and into Max's arms thinking he was in the building, as this happens the non-diegetic sound of a discord is played loudly. This sound is played in this way to show the shock on her face after thinking she has got away and it is also played to connote that the build-up to the threat has finally come around.

Mise-en-scene is also used in an effective way during this scene along with non-diegetic and diegetic sound. Because of the known past of Max Cady the audience already know that he has been in prison for offences similar to this. Because of this Thompson has placed metal bars outside of the school, but, these bars are themselves threatening because they have spikes placed on top of them and in them which is unlike normal metal bars surrounding schools. As Nancy is running away, she presses her body up against the bars to look for someone to help her and also to see the whereabouts of Max. In doing so it suggests that is helpless and cannot escape the upcoming danger. It also reminds the audience of his past and how much danger she is actually in. ‘A hero with a past’ is also a commonly used factor in late thrillers, although Max is not the ‘hero’ he is the past of the ‘hero’ Nancy’s dad and that past is playing a part in his life at the moment.

Cinematography plays a big role in creating a threatening atmosphere and also one in which the audience are made to feel sorry for Nancy. One way the audience is made to feel this way is when Max is walking towards the car and she has no clue on what is happening. Before she finds out that it is Max walking towards her, the camera is showing her point of view and where max is in relation to her. Because the camera has tracked the movement of max we, the audience, know where he is. This makes us want to stand up and shout to her where he is which backs up the audiences ideas of how threatening he actually is. As well as this, it also provides the audience with a feeling of uncertainty, one of the key features of the thriller genre, because up until now he hasn't done anything wrong.