Equilibrium and narrative

Linear narrative- A narrative which includes a beginning, a middle and an end. It follows the structure of past to present to future.
Nonlinear narrative- A narrative that does not always start at the beginning. Usually these type of films jump around the timeline in which events in the story happen.

Narrative theory- Todorovs equilibrium 

   

However, sometimes horror films use a technique called reverse chronology. This means that the plot is revealed backwards to it normal sequence. This means that the first scene is the end of the narrative.