Halloween (1978) - Analysis

Halloween is directed by John Carpenter who dedicated his career to horror. It is an independent film and it overtook 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' as the top grossing independent film ever. The whole film was completed in twenty one days and the actors wore their own clothes so there were no costumes planned. Halloween also has the most recognisable conventions of the 'slasher' genre. It is heavily influenced by the film 'Psycho' and there was a deliberate attempt with minimal reliance on explicit violence and gore.

In class we looked at the opening scene of Halloween (1978) and I decided to analyse it closely considering the types of camera shots used. Below is a Prezi I created which goes through the stages of editing, music and mise-en-scene used in the opening scene to create suspense for the audience.



There is also a negative representation of femininity in this scene for example the sister is portrayed at her weakest and most vulnerable point. Michael is seen to be looking down at his sister which shows he thinks of her as a sinner and decides to murder her. The reason for her death could be because she was impure and not innocent by taking part in such sinful acts with her boyfriend. Michael also sees the boy leaving but decides to leave him unharmed whereas the sister is murdered.