JP. Analysis of opening sequence: Halloween (Carpenter 1978)

Genre:

• This film is an iconic psychotic stalker/thriller, Halloween includes conventions of this genre such as a knife, a female victim and a psychopathic killer who doesn't want to do the murder but is being 'controlled' which in this case is the little brother.
• These characters are stock characters of horror films, visual signifiers of the psychological horror are represented through pov shots and props such as the mask and knife

Film language:

• A point-of-view shot looking up the stairs is used to build tension after the teenagers go upstairs, this combined with the continuous editing makes the clip more immersive. This shot was very effective since we couldn't see the antagonist so we had no idea who or what it was, especially not the little brother. We only find out it is the little brother through dialogue, the first major piece of dialogue is of the girl saying the little brothers. This dialogue is important to us since it is when we first learn that the girl has a relationship with the antagonist.
• Mise-en-scene is used a lot in this opening; props such as the knife set the scene for the audience. The urban house with just the teenagers in give a sense of isolation which is typical to these kind of films, we also see vulnerability when the male teenager leaves through a pov shot.
• Sound is also used in this opening such as the diegetic sound when the antagonist is outside, we can hear crickets and other ambient sounds. Non-diegetic sound is also used for example when we see the lights turn off in the window and a sudden high-pitched alerting sound is matched, this is done again when the antagonist spots the girl. These sound effects are visceral and so keep the audiences on edge.
• The opening is done without any pro/post filmic effects and has very minimal editing to it apart from the cuts and music.

Narrative:

• The audience is always placed with the antagonist since we see almost everything from their pov. The first scene is off the sexually promiscuous teenage couple on the sofa and one of them asks if they are alone, this idea of isolation is strongly expressed in this genre of horror. 
• We then see the antagonist picking up a knife from a pov handicam shot and he progresses into the stairs where we see the male teenager leaving the female along.
• We then follow the antagonist up the stairs and into the girls bedroom where he kills us, this matched with the non-diegetic sound creates an immerse atmosphere.

Representation and Ideology:

• We instantly see two teenagers who are sexually attracted to each other, in most horror films the couple are murdered rather fast, just as they were in this opening so this stereotype was met.
• Carpenter tries to express the vulnerability of youth at the time by making the first characters to die the young characters.
• Many antagonist's in these genre's of film are children or women so this stereotype was also met, similarly it was set in an isolated house and the victim was a girl.

Media Audiences:

• Halloween (Carpenter 1978) was aimed at the core audience of 16-30 since it is mainly teenagers and young adults who enjoy horror movies, especially since the protagonists are young as well.
• There are mainly two different perspectives that Halloween was interpreted in, one was that the boy had mental issues/possession and it was not really him doing the actions and the other was that she had been targeted due to her sexually promiscuous attitude and so we sympathise with the boy. I personally interpret the film as the boy being possessed since when the mother comes home he asks normal again.

 

Institutional context:

• Halloween premiered on October 25, 1978 in Kansas City
• The film grossed $70m
• The film had no big A lister's in it, some of the opening was even played by the producer
• It was produced by Falcon International Productions and distributed by both Warner Bros Pictures and Compass International Pictures.
• Halloween has become increasingly iconic for the psychology genre as it has become somewhat of a cult film and inspires many inspiring ideas.