2. Iconography…
The genre of Halloween is pretty obvious to the audience due to the fact that a knife is shown at the beginning of the film.
The knife is one important prop of the film as it used by the killer and it foreshadows the action which may occur later in the film.
The props such as costumes and pumpkins makes it clear to the audience that the film is based on Halloween.
The mask is also another important prop in the film as the killer wears it to hide his identity. This is typical to most slasher/ horror
films as the killer usually wears a mask to cover their face in order to shelter his existence. The creates a sense of foreboding to
the audience as they are keen to find out who the killer is.
The killer, Michael Myers is wearing dark clothing which which makes it hard for the audience to notice his movements.
However his mask is white which stands out, however it has a contrast to his character as he is the bad guy but the colour white
displays the good side.
The female character’s in this film were stereotypically shown as a typical American cheerleader and seen as sexually
promiscuous. The main character also known as the “final girl” is always seen wearing smart/ casual clothing, this shows that she
is an average student. She sometimes wears a skirt which conveys her feminine side. Furthermore she carries her books around
with her, this demonstrates her intelligence and the fact that she is mindful of her surroundings.
The film is set in a small neighbourhood, in domestic settings where most of the action took place. All of the victim’s houses were
shown with lack of lighting in a way to foreshadow what could happen in the dark. The darkness inside the house creates tension
and paranoia for the audience as something may pop up at any time. The moon which is a natural source of ambient lighting
creates a dark shadow/ silhouette effect of anyone inside the house. The houses where the victims were killed, had a light shining
at the front of the door to signify that the house is next to be targeted. All the houses in this neighbourhood is detached, this
means that there is enough space around the house which makes it easier for the killer to enter.
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3. Narrative…
Plot Summary:
6 year old Michael Myers brutally killed his older sister. The young boy was sent to a mental hospital in care of a
Psychiatrist. 20 years after the neighbourhood had forgotten the incident, until the Psychiatrist returned back to the
town to warn the police about Michael Myers’ escape. Michael Myers returns back to the neighbourhood and
targets a group of college students.
The film highlights a linear narrative due to the fact the every event happens in sequential order. In this way, it
makes it easier for the audience to follow and understand the plot.
However the film starts with a flash back which happened 20 years ago in the past and is forwarded to the
present.
Narrative structure:
Act 1: Where the action takes place; introduction to the characters; suggests what might happen later on in the
film.
Act 2: Key scenes involving the main character facing a series of obstacles that they must overcome.
Act 3: All plots are resolved.
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4. Characterisation…
In the genre of stalker/ horror films there are always typical characters that the audience would expect, these people are
known as the stock types.
One of the main stock types of a stalker/ horror film is the “final girl”, this character is also the main character and possibly
the only survivor who is last to face the killer. Particularly in this film, the main character was left till the end to face the
killer when all her friends were already dead.
The victims are also part of the stock types of a stalker/ horror. They are either the protagonist’s college friends or hers or
his family members. For instance her college friends are seen as sexually promiscuous in a way to appeal to the killer as
they are young and easier targets. In this film, the main character’s college friends were also involved in the killers
activities. This displays the pattern of how the killer gets closer and closer to his main victim, the “final girl”.
The antagonist, also known as the stalker/ killer “Michael Myers”, Appears out of nowhere which conveys his ambiguous
identity. In the film something bad happens in his hometown and after a few years he returns back to seek revenge on his
neighbourhood. The killer attacks when his victims are alone, this indicates that he is hidden and only penetrates when
nobody is around so that his victims cannot call for help. The killer is also usually big and unstoppable, this is shown in this
film as we think he dies many times however he soon recovers.
The police are also involved with the type of characters in a stalker/ horror genre. They are in charge of investigating the
situation and usually tries to put a stop to it but ends up dying first or is late to catch the killer before he kills everyone.
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5. Sound…
Diegetic sounds:
Silence is key to all stalker/ horror films as it presents a
mysterious atmosphere as a build up of tension towards the
audience as they don’t know what’s happening. Silence was
used in this film when a character was alone in the house, this
effect makes it seem as no one is with them however we have
this feeling that someone is coming.
There is a important dialogue between the Michael Myers’
Physiatrist and the Police officer. In this dialogue the
Physiatrist says “Prepare for him, start planning your own
funeral”. This sends out a reminder to the neighbourhood
about a killer on the loose. This also foreshadows the further
events that will occur when the killer arrives. In this
Non- Diegetic sounds:
conversation we are able to understand what the killer is
capable of and what to expect which creates suspense to the
In the beginning of the film, there was a sort of repetitive sound
audience making them over think the killer’s appearance.
which played consistently through a collection of transition
The natural ambient sounds in the background contribute to
cuts. This is could the main theme song of the film as it is
the tension built within the film. You can hear a quiet
constantly played at certain stages of the film.
environment, cars driving past, kids talking loud, screaming,
There weren’t much sound dubbed into the film. However
heavy breathing, dogs barking etc.
whenever the killer appeared, you will always hear a sound
The heavy breathing was created in the killers perspective as it
motif which associates with the killer. The effect of Crescendo
connotes that the killer is ready to strike and can also show
was used to build a climax in order to show the actions and
how sexually frustrated he is. When the silence is combined
personality of the killer.
with heavy breathing we already know that something bad is
A major reason for the success of Halloween is the moody
going to happen as it almost sounds like a predator seeking its
musical score, particularly the main theme. Lacking a
prey.
symphonic soundtrack, the film's score consists of a piano
The screams were coming from the girls that were being
melody performed by director John Carpenter. The music was
attacked by the killer. This displays the weakness females
relatively simple and unsophisticated, which was one of it’s
have over males and it also creates tension to the audience as
strongest assets.
they feel sympathy for that specific character.
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6. Cinematography…
Like most horror films, the beginning starts with an establishing shot displaying the domestic setting of the house which
could be key to the main plot of the story. In the opening scene of Halloween, there is a Point of view shot of the killer
showing his movements but not revealing his face. The fact that we don’t see him, it gives the audience something to
question about it which makes us want to watch the rest of the movie.
The POV shot combines with a fast handheld shot in order to establish a shaky real life effect. This develops a build up
of tension as the audience sees what the killer sees. When the film actually begins, there is a tracking shot of a woman
walking across the street, this shot is important as it could suggest that she is the main character which most
slasher/horror films may have, known as the “final girl”. There is also a tracking shot of the killer, however his face is
cropped out from the frame in a way to hide his identity which is common in slasher/ horror films.
An over the shoulder shot was used of the killer looking over the woman which makes it seem as she is his first victim.
We do not know why he is following her at the moment , however throughout the film we notice that he stalks her more
often getting closer and closer to her and her close ones. To build suspense the film relies on constantly changing POV
shots. The characters point of view shot intercuts with a objective shot, allowing multiple views in different scenes. The
most scariest scenes in Halloween follow this pattern.
There was also many long shots of the killer at a distance which gives the audience a view of where he is located and
what he intends to do next. As the films goes on we are able to clearly see the killer from a close up view. This creeps
the audience as we do not see his face through the duration of the film until now. Despite the fact that we cannot see
his facial expressions as he is wearing a mask which is quite strange.
Tilts and low angle shots were used to represent the status of the killer. This shot makes the killer appear bigger on the
screen which suggests that he is a dominant character. On the other hand the high angle shots were used in
perspective of the killer to show what he sees which makes everything look smaller and weaker than him.
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7. Editing…
Throughout the whole film there were a lot of quick cuts between different scenes to show the tragic events
that were happening. There were also many fade in and outs between different scenes in order to create
suspense for the audience.
In the beginning of the film, there is a silhouette effect of eyes in perspective of the young boy who is the
killer. This shows his movements around the house and it always creates a real life dramatic effect. Many
black screens came up with writing on it to break up scenes. This was done to insert text on the screen to
let the audience know about the credits and especially the title of the film.
In the scene where Michael Myers picks up his mask, it flashes into the scene where he wears the mask.
The editing technique tries to show different angles of the scene in order to build up tension for the
audience who are watching.
In addition, the beginning only shows quick glimpses of the action to make sure that it doesn’t give away
much of the plot as it will be introduced later on in the film.
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