Halloween
Film opening.
Halloween was a film made in
1978 and is a horror film and the sub genre Slasher. The film is rated X (18).
The director of this film is John Carpenter. The gross takings for Halloween
was $47,000,000 (USA). The film won a total of 4 awards and also had 2
nominations.
The
Narrative
In 1963 a young boy is sent to
a mental institution for stabbing his 15 year old sister to death on Halloween.
After being in the metal institute for 16 years he escapes and returns to his
home town the night before Halloween. No one knows what he will do or what will
happen except for his psychiatrist. He knows that the main character is
returning back to his old hometown. By the time the village is aware he has
returned it is too late...
Sound.
In the film opening the
incidental music is quite soft and eerie which makes it seem more creepy and
could also be setting a tense atmosphere for the audience to get them in the
mood for this genre of film. The instrument that has been used has is a piano
or keyboard and has been played using the higher pitched end which reinforces
the eeriness of the film. The speed at which the incidental music has been
played in is quite fast which means it could be building a climax right at the
beginning of the film. There is also a jittering sound in the background whilst
the sound track is playing. I think this has been used because it could make
the audience nervous as someone becomes jittery and shaky when they become
nervous or scared.
Target
Audience.
I think that the target
audience of Halloween would be people between the ages of 17-25. I think this
because people over the age of 25 may think that this film is too childish and
they may not want to watch it. I think that this film would appeal in this age
gap because I know that people of this age enjoy films like this one. I think
that the youngest age would be 17 is because there are elements in the film
that people younger than this may not enjoy watching and younger people tend to
fin slasher films scary and un-enjoyable. I think that this film may be aimed
towards males as they stereotypically enjoy horror films more and are not as squeamish
when it comes to blood and murder.
Representation
of characters and mise en scene.
In this particular film opening
there are no characters shown on screen. There is however a pumpkin. This
pumpkin relates well to the title of the film as there pumpkins are a tradition
to have at Halloween. The background of the opening credits could be done to
make everything look dark and ominous- this could also be summing up Halloween.
The dark background could also be showing the audience that this film is quite
dark in the storyline and the themes that are in this film. I think that the
bright orange font could also represent the glow in a pumpkin's mouth or Halloween-
orange is the colour stereotypically associated with Halloween. I haven't seen this film before however I can
infer that most of the characters will be wearing casual clothing like jeans to
show that they are ordinary characters in the film. However I think that he
main character will be wearing something slightly different so we able to distinguish
the main character from everyone else. I also think that his hair and his
appearance will be dishevelled to relate beak to the narrative as he escapes a
mental institution. I think that the psychiatrist will be wearing something
smart so we will be able to tell that he is a professional and a working class
man. I can also connote that the psychiatrist will also be a mid forties male
as this is the stereotypical age for doctors and psychiatrists in films.
Atmosphere
created.
In this film opening a creepy
eerie mood is created due to the incidental music that is used to build a
climax for the audience. I also think that a childish and youthful atmosphere
could be created as Halloween is stereotypically associated with young children
dressing up and going trick or treating. This atmosphere could make the
audience think that this film is childish therefore they may not be expecting
the slasher expects as much. The childish atmosphere could also be created
through the music. I think this because the piano incidental music sounds quite
like a lullaby used for toddlers and babies.
Slasher
film elements.
A main Slasher element is the
music and I think that the incidental music used in this film opening is very
creepy and eerie which is a key element used in scary slasher films. After
reading what the narrative of the film is I can infer that that the physical
weapon is a knife which is a fixed element that usually occurs in Slasher
films. I can also infer from the narrative that there would be a lot of blood
involved in the murder of the main characters sister at the beginning of the
movie. I can also connote from the narrative that blood would also be used in
some scenes to reinforce the sub genre. One of the fixed elements in horror
films is a threat. From reading about the narrative I can also infer that the
main character who has escaped from the institution is the main threat of this film. The gory storyline and the threat
from the main character is what we should expect from a slasher film.
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