Halloween Opening Essay

The opening titles of the film are in black and orange, and they are stereotypically spooky colors. Along with these, there is a pumpkin which has suggestions of being spooky and evil as well as being a key symbol of Halloween which is linked too the film this pumpkin then slowly zooms in to fill the shot. Tense, creepy music plays in the background during the titles, this is a typical convention of Horror films. During the rest of the opening, no other sounds are used, besides footsteps and screams. This builds up uncertainty, and the silence of the scene makes the audience feel the suspension.

The establishing shot is a long shot of a house in the dark. Low lighting is used to create lots of shadows. It plays with the viewers mind, and they look around, supposing something to be hiding there and it is built up for something bad to happen. A point of view shot is then used as the camera goes around the side of the house. We have not yet seen this person, but we are seeing from their perspective and they are creeping around in the shadows, it creates an anxious feeling and we feel as though we are intruding. The shot then shows two people through the window of the house, and they are unaware that they are being watched. This is used to create suspense.
The point of view shot then changes so that we are seeing the shot through the eyes of the killers mask. And because of this, we can’t really see what is happening, which makes the audience nervous and gives an uncanny feeling. Around this time, it is shown that it is the killer who’s mindset the viewer is in, which means that it breaks the typical conventions of Horror. I know this because, it is unusual as the viewer is usually made to relate to the victim, meaning it to be that the killer is just as creepy and scary to them as though it was actually happening.
Mainly long shots are used in this opening   and is effective for two reasons. One reason is that it that with fewer close-ups, the viewer doesn’t...