Assessment 2 Analysis of Halloween Opening Sequence

Assessment 2 Analysis of Halloween Opening Sequence

The opening sequence of Halloween starts off with an establishing shot of the house, which gives the viewer an indication of where the action is about to occur. A medium close up is also used, followed by an extreme close up of the house to make sure it’s the main focus as that’s where the events are about to unfold. As the camera moves towards the side of the house to focus on the characters through the window a tracking shot is featured. When the camera focuses on the couple through the window, a long shot is included as the audience can see the characters but can also see what is happening in the background at the same time. As the house gets closer, and also inside the house it looks like the camera is hand held, and the pace of the camera shot quickens, and for a brief time shots seem blurry. Also it seems like someone who is not professional, this is known as steadicam. Another medium close up occurs, towards the end of the clip as it appears that the young boy is the culprit for stabbing the woman. He is shown to be holding the knife and you can also see the reaction on his face.
Many different editing techniques are used throughout the clip some of them include a zoom in from the street to get closer to the house. A cut zoom when a hand is shown opening the kitchen draw to pull out a knife, presumably the weapon which is about to be used. Various visual effects are included such as the camera looking like a pair of binoculars and the viewer spying through them to see what is happening. When this occurs only a hand holding a knife and part of the woman’s body can be seen and the woman being stabbed. No identities are revealed so the viewer doesn’t see who it is. This adds to the excitement as it keeps the viewer guessing and lets them predict what is about to happen next.
The mise en scene includes low key lighting and a lot of darkness which is a typical feature of a horror film. Also the street and the house don’t look very well lit, and the house looks rather old fashioned and haunted which adds to the horrific atmosphere which is being created. At the front door and also at the side window a couple are seen kissing, they then go upstairs to bed, however after a while the man is seen mysteriously disappearing out of the front door. Almost the whole house is in darkness apart from the kitchen and the hallway and the lights that are on seem dim. The interior and décor of the house is old fashioned and out of date, also there looks like there’s a lot of dampness throughout which is typical of an old fashioned house.
Then there looks like there’s binoculars up against the camera and the viewer can’t see what is happening apart from a hand holding a knife stabbing a woman’s body and a lot of blood can be seen afterwards. After that in the street a young boy is seen holding a knife and he could well be the culprit and is presumed to be judging by the look on his face as he looks quite shocked.
The clip starts off with a prolonged silence until the camera reaches towards the side window and incidental music starts with strings, which is also called non-diagetic sound. Then diagetic sound is featured when the couple are on the sofa kissing. However the audience can’t hear exactly what is being said and it sounds like they are just laughing and generally having a good time but the viewer can see the action what is happening. The incidental music and non-diagetic return when the woman gets stabbed towards the end as the audience can hear what is happening however they can’t see it. They can only see certain body parts they can’t see identities or facial expressions but certain actions can be heard such as the woman screaming and the knife being stabbed into her countless times.