Analysis Of halloween

Halloween Opening Scene :

Camera/Editing

During the opening sequence of Halloween there is no continuity editing. It starts of with a point of view shot of the house, which then graually gets closer towards the front door, which portrays to the audience that someone is watching that house. Theere is a close up of the pumpkin outside the house, which indicates that its halloween. The point of view shot carried on all the way thorugh the opening scene. There was only two close up shots, ( one of the pumpkin and the other is of the knife this person picks up from the kitchen draw. Not much editing was used . The only visible edit used is when the mask is put on and you see his perspective through the mask.

Sound

The sound for the opening is non-diegetic, as it is used over the top of the scene. It is used to build suspense and tension, for example during the title scene, a piano sound is used to keep the audience in suspense. It is a nervy eerie tone which sets the mood for the rest of the film. And again this tune indicates to us that its an horror. As the title scene ends, the setting of the house is established and the diegetic sounds of crickets and people talking is heard. Non-diegetic sound then comes in again as the characters in the house have gone upstairs and the light switches off. Every light in the house is off, it was pitch black apart from the main doorway. More nervy music is then used to keep the audience on edge, and the piano sound continues.

Mise-en-scene

The mise-en-scene of Halloween is typical of the horror genre, as it is set at night, and the house looks isolated. The lighting is dim and mysterious, giving a scary mood and giving the effect that something bad is going to happen. Most of the scene is in the dark, which adds suspense to the scene. The house is old fashined and simple, although there are elements in which give a creepy feel, for example, the rocking chair in the dark corner. The costume of the sister and her boyfriend are casual, which adds a sense of realism, whereas, the main character is in a clown costume, and wears a mask, this makes the murder more creepy. Also after he kills his sister, we are shown that its only a small boy, which gets the audience thinking why?