Horror Opening- Halloween 1978

1. HORROR OPENING- HALLOWEEN (1978) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg3E8NhyJ74

2. HALLOWEEN 1978 Halloween is a 1978 American Independent slasher film directed and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with producer Debra Hill, starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut. The plot tells about a mental patient who was committed to a sanitarium for murdering his teenage sister on Halloween night when he was six years old. Fifteen years later, he escapes and returns to his hometown where he stalks a female babysitter and her friends, while under pursuit by his psychiatrist.

3. WHAT NARRATIVE IS GIVEN TO US, AND FROM THIS WHAT DO WE EXPECT THE REST OF THE FILMS NARRATIVE WILL BE FROM THE LITTLE INFORMATION WE HAVE SEEN? We can expect to see a deterioration in the family due to the murder of their daughter. We will expect more deaths, will Michael Myers kill anyone else? On October 31, 1963, on Halloween night in the fictional small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, six-year old Michael Myers inexplicably stabs his older sister Judith to death with a kitchen knife in their home and is incarcerated at Smith’s Grove sanitarium. We can expect that from the opening scene, we will find out what happens to the six-year old Michael Myers due to him stabbing his teenage sister. It is quite surprising that a six year old that looks so innocent would kill someone, is there something wrong with him?

4. WHO IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE FOR THIS FILM, HOW DO WE KNOW THIS FROM THE OPENING SCENE? • TARGET AUDIENCE OF 16-30 • I think that this film, from the opening is targeted towards the majority audience of teenagers and young adults, based on the fact that this audience age group would appeal to the three main characters that are also of this age.

5. HOW IS THE GENRE OF THE FILM SET UP IN THE OPENING SCENE? WHAT KEY CONVENTIONS HAVE BEEN USED? The use of low-key lighting is effective in setting up the horror genre, as it forces the audience to squint to be able to see the action, keeping them on the edge of their seat… it feels like something could jump out at any second. The dim lighting also helps to create dark shadows and unfamiliar shapes creating distorted figures being typical conventions of horror films. DAMSEL IN DISTRESS Visually in horror films a convention is dark colours. Halloween, uses dark navy blue and black colours to highlight the dark themes and scary narrative. The opening scene is filmed at night, darkness and blackness can hide crimes and criminals, introducing the fear of the unknown to the vulnerable characters. The killer is wearing a red sleeved costume connoting blood and death. • Through the use of Mise En Scene and Props the Horror genre is set up in the Opening. The killer/ Camera POV, picks up a large kitchen knife. This stereotypical blade silhouette immediately connotes death and the audience are warned as to what is going to happen next.

6. CHARACTERS During the course of the opening scene we establish Michael being as the antagonist, his sister as the victim and a short introduction of his parents near to the end. Despite tracking Michaels POV for the whole of the opening, not much is given away in terms of his characteristics. When a young boy is revealed to be the one bearing the kitchen knife and stabbing his sister, the audience is shocked. This allows for the audience to create their own thoughts on Myers before the character is developed. The fact that the main antagonist is a child creates enigma code and creates a highly distressing opening. The sister is obviously not the main character, in fact she is only shown in the first four minutes of the film. However, this young teenage girl could foreshadow the type of targets that Michael Myers could kill in the future. Her death is traumatic, she is naked in her bedroom and the audience sees the stabbing motion of the knife as well as hearing the diegetic screams of her reaching out for help.

7. CAMERA WORK John Carpenter is a camera forward director, he uses the camera to take the audience on a journey. A piece of equiptment called a Panaglide (a prototype steadicam) is used to shoot the first picture. It allowed the cameraman to move with great freedom, which had never been done before, it creates a floating movement which would become iconic to Johns style of camerawork. The effect of this camera type that is able to move freely, making the film look like it is through the perspective of someone else. The audience don’t know who at this point they are following, creating enigma and tension. The camera moves slowly around the exterior of a dark house, it seems like the camera is lurking in the shadows and hiding from the two teenagers that are inside the house. The camera shows one teenager asking ‘We are alone aren’t we?’. The audience A key moment of camera work is when we see the POV of the character behind the camera pick up a huge kitchen knife. The character walks into the dark kitchen and turns the light on, they reach into a kitchen draw and pull out a large blade. We see in the right corner of a screen a small hand with what looks like a clowns costume. The POV camera shot pans down to show the hand reaching for the cupboard. The camera close up shot denotes the long blade and it is picked up and moved out of frame. The blade goes out of focus, and the lighting is just bright enough to establish the sharp edge and dark silhouette connoting that someone is about to be murdered.

8. SOUND We come out of the instantly iconic title sequence with John Carpenters unforgettable Halloween Theme Song that sounds like a distorted nursery rhyme, to be suddenly immersed into silence. This builds tension and prepares the audience for the first fright, which is stereotypical of a horror flick. The killer POV camera shot, looks up at the bedroom window where the two teenagers have gone up to and the audience see the light turning off. A sudden high-pitched non-diegetic sound could connote something triggering the killer to go an pursuit this murder. When approaching his sister, with every step Michael takes the chord goes a note lower, maybe not a penultimate climax, but meaningful as these low monotonous chords symbolise death. Something very rare in horror is a long continuous shot, even after the murder has taken place. Although the main act has now ended, the audience are still in fear as the music does not allow you to rest.

9. SUCCESSFUL OPENING??? I think that this HORROR film opening is extremely effective. I think it well provides an introduction to the horror genre, as well as shocking and scaring the audience. The dramatic non-diegetic music is a key to creating tension and I think makes the action that much more terrifying. I also think the use of camera work on the Panaglide, is extremely effective in creating the feeling of being watched by someone lurking in the shadows. We are let into the mind of the psychopathic six year old that stabs his teenage sister extremely well.