H.C. Analysis of the opening sequence of 'Halloween' (Carpenter, 1978)

Genre:

• Halloween (Carpenter, 1978) is a thriller horror which depicts an escaped psychotic murderer who stalks a teenage girl and her friends.
• The opening sequence displays conventions of thriller and slasher which, in spite of the terrible acting exhibited by the bit parters, are used to great effect to create a chilling opening sequence with the use of a promiscuous but vulnerable teenage girl and her violent and bloody murder. 

Form and style of opening:

• In this opening, Carpenter has created a sense of abstract tension through the use of a continuous point of view (p.o.v) shot. This is effective in creating a sense of foreboding as the attacker's identity is unknown, yet we see the action unfolding, creating a sense of dread.
• The p.o.v is also used to establish the protagonist and antagonist in this scene, as it shows the murderer spying on its victims. The exposition of the teenage couple also helps to portray this concept, as it is a common convention of slasher horrors. The title 'Halloween' has obvious links to the annual festivity in which millions of people use to replicate horror. 

Film language - telling the story:

• Camera and mise en scene are used in conjunction with one another to convey meaning in this sequence through a number of stock concepts. The sequence is set in what appears to be a secluded house in suburban America, a stock location for slasher films.
• Other conventions such as the use of props in the form of the knife and the exposition of the teenage characters, help to make this an iconic opening.
• The continuous use of the p.o.v shot builds tension in the scene because it makes the scene feel more realistic, as the audience is able to relate to the supposedly continuous advance of the antagonist.
• Sound and mise en scene are used together to anchor the action on screen. As the lights of the house go out, they are met with a high pitched unnatural sounding string screech, forcing the audiences attention and pointing out a significant change in events. From this point onwards in the sequence the screeching strings are present which build tension, as they are an iconic sign of impending doom.
• The soundtrack builds to an alarming low pitched brass sound when the antagonist attacks the female teen, another common convention of this style of horror, designed to make the audience jump.
• The revealing of the antagonist at the end of the sequence creates a twist, as it breaks from the conventional pattern of the rest of the opening. The murderer is in fact the female protagonist's younger brother. In horror, children are used generally as protagonists because of their vulnerable characteristics. However in this sequence Carpenter presents the opposite view, with the aim of chilling his audience as he presents a residual ideology. 

Narrative:

• As the sequence opens, the audience is instantly placed with the antagonist, thanks to the use of the p.o.v shot and so the narrative unfolds from this perspective. However, we identify with the two teenage characters, as they are placed inside, clearly in view, where as the antagonist's identity is concealed, so we are alienated from him. Determined violence is presented in the narrative, as the antagonist is outside, preparing for the right time to make his attack. Tension is created and maintained as the antagonist makes his progress slowly to the victim. 

Ideological discourse and media representation:

• The audience make value judgements of the two teenage characters in this sequence, as they conform to stereotypes of young people in that they a promiscuous and sexually active when they are alone together. 
• Younger people are the main characters represented in this sequence, as they are the significant characters that are involved. The dark side of the young is presented in this opening, which can be argued as both an emergent and regressive ideology. The emergent ideology would be the display of dominance shown by the young boy over his older sister. The regressive ideology would be concerning the stereotypical view that young people are violent and twisted. 
• It is likely in this sequence that Carpenter was aiming to present the regressive ideology, as he would like his audience to read the text as a recognition of madness within a person. This also ties into the title 'Halloween', as it connotes images of the evil inside youth.