Halloween opening sequence analysis

Halloween was made in 1978 by John Carpenter. It was an Independent film so had a small budget of $320,000 in today’s money that is around $1.5million. It grossed $47 million which today is around $150 million.

The Film is set in the fictional suburban town Haddonfield, Ilanois, USA. This was different as previous horror films had been set in city’s or foreign countries. But because of it’s setting it was relatable to The American audience giving the horror a greater effect. 

There is non diegetic eerie incidental music playing on a black screen. The titles then begin changing colours between red and yellow. This adds a sense of fire. A pumpkin then joins the titles in frame juxtapositioned to the left of the frame and there is a forward track into it’s eye. This shows that the film is set during Halloween and implies a sense of being watched.

The film starts with a long take handheld sub pov, This adds a sense that the occupants of the house are being watched. The first thing in frame is a large white house, this connotes purity that nothing wrong could happen there. There is diegetic ambient sound adding realism for the audience.  The camera moves to a window and we see two teenagers kissing. This contradicts the sense of purity the house emits. This is reinstated when the teens ‘go up stairs’.

The camera then returns to the front of the house where we see an upstairs light go off implying the teens are about to have sex. When the light goes off there is a loud non diegetic screech which generates tension. This is followed by an eerie tune on a piano which thickens the atmosphere. 

The camera then enters the house through the back door which gives a sense that the person behind the camera doesn’t want to be seen. The subject then goes into a draw and pulls out a knife. It enters the centre of frame for a prolonged period of time, showing it’s deadly nature. By this time the piano has been replaced by a long high pitched non diegetic tone.

After this we see the male teen go down the stairs putting his shirt on, further connoting sex. The subject then goes up the stairs, when they reach the top a clock goes off. This suggests that time is running out for the female teen.  The camera moves across the landing and the person behind it picks up a clown mask. Clowns cocotte fun and laughter which is the inverse of what is about to happen. Once the mask has been picked up the audience see through eye holes too increasing the realism.

When the subject enters the female teens room we se her sat naked with ruffled sheets which confirms that the two teens had sex. When she is approached she identifies the subject as ‘Michael’ this shows that she knows who he is. We then see the knife move towards her and her struggling, when Michael steps away we see her bloody corps on the floor, showing the violent nature of her death. Michael then goes out of the front of the house where two adults greet him and remove his mask. This reveals a child which surprises the audience as the whole sub pov sequence was shot from adult height. Additionally his actions go against the stereotype of a child being naïve and innocent as he just committed a violent murder. This is framed with a crane reverse tracking shot showing the distance between him and a normal child.