Scribd
Upload
80 views2 pages

Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978) Questions: TH TH

The document provides an analysis of various technical and stylistic elements in the 1978 horror film Halloween. It discusses how the opening scene establishes conventions of the genre through its visuals and music. It also analyzes how the suburban setting and timing on Halloween night relate to common horror tropes. The document examines how the film subverts expectations through its portrayal of innocence with the child killer and "final girl" protagonist Laurie. It discusses how Halloween's low-budget success spawned many slasher film imitators. Finally, it analyzes Laurie's androgynous characterization and debates the true motivation behind the killer Michael Myers' actions.

Uploaded by

lilymaelandell
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
80 views2 pages

Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978) Questions: TH TH

The document provides an analysis of various technical and stylistic elements in the 1978 horror film Halloween. It discusses how the opening scene establishes conventions of the genre through its visuals and music. It also analyzes how the suburban setting and timing on Halloween night relate to common horror tropes. The document examines how the film subverts expectations through its portrayal of innocence with the child killer and "final girl" protagonist Laurie. It discusses how Halloween's low-budget success spawned many slasher film imitators. Finally, it analyzes Laurie's androgynous characterization and debates the true motivation behind the killer Michael Myers' actions.

Uploaded by

lilymaelandell
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978) Questions

At the start of Halloween we see common technical code conventions of the horror genre. Within the
first scene we witness a death take place. A young boy dressed in a clowns costume and a mask is
seen carrying a knife. All of which are elements of iconography. Whilst the boy moves through the
house the camera shot changes to point of view, making it unclear for the audience to see exactly what
is taking place, putting them on edge. We also notice that the lighting of the scene is incredibly dull and
gloomy creating a scary effect. Finally we hear non-diegetic music, the music has been used to create
tension and mystery.
The majority of the film takes place on a suburban street, this fits in
with the horror genre due to the fact that it takes place in a family
home, most of the audience can relate to it. However a scene takes
place outside of a mental institution, which is stereotypical of the
horror genre. We relate hospitals and mental institutions to the
horror genre. When we look at setting we also look at the time of
day within the scenes. As well as the scene taking place at night it
is also set on the night of Halloween, which refers to the title of the
film.
From early on we see different elements of iconography showing innocence. Looking back at the first
scene we can back a connection with young Mike Myers. Children are always seen to be innocent, so
having a child commit a murder in the first scene really throws the audience. We can look at the choice
of costume. Clowns are stereotypically a form of entertainment for young children, however in this
scene a child in a clown costume commits a murder so it plays against the conventions in some
aspects. When we get introduced to the main character, Laurie, in the second scene we can
immediately refer to her as being innocent. Firstly, young females are seen to be innocent, then when
we get to know her personality better we then learn that she is very intelligent and a virgin. Which again
reflects the innocence.
The main industry impact of Halloween was that because it was such a cheap film to make which did
not require stars or special effects it became a big success, it made a lot of money. Leading to multiple
slasher films that followed on such as Friday the 13 th, Prom Night, Terror Train, Bloody Valentine, Night
School, The Burning, Friday the 13th Part 2, Graduation Day, Happy Birthday to Me, Hell Night, The
slayer, The Prowler and so on.
When it comes to slasher films, there are certain rules which are
endlessly recycled. Firstly a traumatic event in the past creates a
psychopathic killer. The killer then returns to the site of the event,
usually on a specific date in the present that allows the markers to
use a calendar motif in title. The killer then stalks and graphically
kills a group of obnoxious and stupid teens of both sexes, usually
with some kind of blade, often a garden or farm implement.
Towards the end of the film we reach the final girl who has
survived, the girl tends to be boyish and often virginal. The killer is
then never entirely vanquished.
The protagonist, Laurie, is seen to be androgynous throughout the film. We are given this impression
because of her personality. She is a very independent student who believes she is too smart for most

people. She is very mature for her age and has a bold attitude. Although she is seen as a motherly
figure in some scenes, we mainly relate her to being quite manly. If you compare the sound of her voice
to the other females in the film, youll notice that her voice is actually very deep. Also the name Laurie is
a unisex name supporting the fact that she is androgynous.
In the extract it reads a reactionary sexual agenda. This is just saying that in the 70s the majority of
young teens were having sexual intercourse. However the director, John Carpenter, counter suggests
that Halloween had a reactionary sexual agenda. People assumed that it did as during the film, Mike
Myers attacked the teens which were sexually active, and the virgin in the film survived. Yet people
forgot that Laurie was actually the original victim. The only reason why she survived was because she
wasnt distracted by things, she stayed focused.
The real question is why Mike Myers killed his sister. Often people mistake him for killing his sister
because she just had sexual intercourse. Some say that mike was manipulating the same motion but
the knife. The real reason as to why he killed his sister was simply because he was evil. There may be
some other hidden reason but from only looking at the first film we arent informed otherwise.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy