FILM ANALYSIS: Halloween (1978)

 FILM ANALYSIS: Halloween (1978)

dir. John Carpenter 

BBFC X (1978), 18 (1986), 15 (2018) , MPAA R 

Opening Length: 4 minutes

Budget: $325k 

Box Office: $70 million

Theatrical Distribution: internationally

Production Company: Compass International Pictures, Falcon International Productions

Distributor: Compass International Pictures, Aquarius Releasing

Synopsis: Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Micheal Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again. (IMDB)

LINKS: wikipedia , imdb, boxoffciemojo, artofthetitle

Trailer: 

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Possible Influences for my film: The slasher genre, the pov shots, the voyeurism aspect, the knife, a masked killer, the final girl. 

Companies/Idents: 

As it is a small budget horror film of the 1970s, there is only 1 ident lasting 5 seconds of the production company. There is a black screen and the audio-bridge of the title is heard, then the ident appears as red first and then turns orange. 

Opening Shot: 

This famous opening shot, is from the pov of the killer, or Micheal Myers. There is an audio-bridge of children singing a Halloween song, and exposition is given as the text "Halloween Night, 1963" appears on the screen before the shot. A suburban, detached house is shown, with a dark background. The house itself is lit through the windows and the outdoor light, giving it an eerie effect. The camera moves shakily towards the house, and it gets closer.

Titles: 

The titles are unconventional now as they appear before the opening shot, however this is seen often in older films. The titles play over a dark background and the Halloween theme, and are all orange and then turn red. 

The main title is in the first few to appear, and a pumpkin appears that gradually is zoomed into, until only the eye is seen. The name of the director is seen twice, which is conventional, but the names of the unknown actors are followed by "as (character name)", something unconventional, and more typically seen in TV. 

Mise-En-Scene/First Five Shots:

The shaky shot moves towards the porch and house, and a lit up Halloween pumpkin is seen, anchoring the time period in which the opening is set. It is also similar to the title credits. The use of light here and connotations of the lantern create an eerie effect. 

Through the window, the killers sister and her boyfriend are seen kissing. A sense of voyeurism is created here, and the horror conventions of sexual activity being negative are also seen. They are wearing clothes popular of the 1970s, further anchoring the setting. The shadows of the leaves onto the walls also add creepiness. 

There is a dutch angle of the window, and the lights are seen going off, with eerie synth music similar to an alarm is heard, denoting something is wrong or something bad will happen. The looking through the window also creates a sense of voyeurism, and the camera shakily pans up, as it is a pov shot. 

The dark interior is seen, still looking gloomy, mysterious and shadowy. The inside of the house is spacious and modern of the time, denoting middle class or wealth. 

The low angle here reinforces the pov of the child, representing its height. The shot is also at a dutch angle signifying something is wrong. 

Sound:

Throughout the opening, the Halloween theme made up of repeated synths is heard. There is some speech between the sister and her boyfriend, as well as ambient sound such as the leaves and wind. As the scene progresses, the theme transforms into a shrill whistling sound, and the notes are drawn out, forcing the viewer to hold their breath, creating tension.