Analyzing the opening sequence of a horror: Halloween

As part of my research/preparation work I looked at & analysed the opening sequences of three films from the following genres: thriller, horror and romantic comedy. By studying these opening sequences I will gain a greater understanding of how to construct and what to include in an opening of the previously mentioned genres. 


The film I looked at for the horror genre was: Halloween (1978) Directed by John Carpenter. 
Halloween was produced on a budget of $320,000 and grossed $47.3 million at the box office in the United States, and $60 million worldwide, equivalent to over $203 million as of 2010, becoming one of the most profitable independent films. Many critics credit the film as the first in a long line of slasher films.

The credits for the title sequence are orange, this represents the main theme colour for the celebration that is Halloween, this gradually changes to a red, giving off a spooky atmosphere. It also has a negative connotation of blood and danger and suggests that the film will contain death. This text is put on black background, showing the audience that it is a horror film, as most horror films show a lot of black; it also shows that the film will be ‘dark’. There is also a pumpkin in the background while the titles are being shown. At the beginning the pumpkin is shown from a distance, however slowly the camera zooms in to possibly represent an animal slowly approaching its prey, getting ready to attack. (Throughout the film Michael creeps up on his victims in the same way). The pitch of the music often changes from high to low within the title sequence, this creates tension.

The beginning of Halloween uses an establishing point of view of shot. It establishes that the scene is going to take place in the house, as this is what Michael is looking at/walking towards. The scene has been shot using a hand held camera, as it gives off the sense of realism, from his point of view. The point of view shot continues throughout his walk of the house, highlighting various points e.g picking up the knife and hiding as his sister boyfriend is walking out of the house. The focus changes of Michael killing his sister onto the knife. He then walks back through the house, outside until the camera angle changes for the first time in this scene. The camera changes to a zooming out crane shot of Michael standing with the knife, still in his hand and his parents standing next to him.

The editing for the opening scene of Halloween is seamless editing, as the shots are hardly noticeable. The scene is represented as one shot through the eyes of Michael therefore any cuts are hidden. An example of this is when Michael puts the mask on.

For the first couple of minutes sound is not used except for dialogue between characters.  Once Michael has moved away from the window, non diegetic music is used when the light turns off upstairs, drawing attention to that room. Slow tempo music at a high frequency is played while Michael is walking up to the kitchen. Once he enters the kitchen the music, slightly changes as it has gotten louder. For the rest of the scene high pitched music is played. Diegetic sound effects are then used for the stabbing noises. Once Michael ventures outside and his parents see him the music gets louder and more dramatic. The sound that was used gives off the scary atmosphere and builds up tension throughout the opening sequence. 

The lighting is dark at the beginning as Michael is outside at night. The lighting in general is dark, which is a common theme in a horror movie. The lighting changes once Michael goes inside the house as he switches the light on in the kitchen. Once he goes upstairs the lighting changes to dark again.

As the beginning is a continuous point of view shot we do not get to see what Michael is wearing. However once Michael is about to enter his sister room, he reaches down to pick up the clown mask. We can now see that he is wearing a clown outfit, so this shows that he is a child and it’s Halloween.

The setting is based in a suburban area, we can tell this from the area which the house is located. The location is a real life location.  The main prop used in the beginning is the knife as this is what Michael fetched out of the kitchen, so that he could murder his sister. There are quite a few occasions where we see Michael looking at the knife, so we can tell this is what he will use. He is then seen carrying it with him out of the house, while his parents discover him holding it. Another prop is the mask he picked up and placed on his face while he murdered his sister. 

Here is the opening sequence to Halloween: