The document provides an analysis of the 1978 horror film Halloween. It summarizes the film's plot, classification, marketing poster, trailer analysis, a clip analysis, production details, critical response, and target demographic. Specifically, it notes that the film has a low budget but grossed $70 million, received positive reviews for setting the standard for modern horror, and targeted teenagers by using relatable young leads while broadly appealing to both male and female audiences aged 15-24.

1. A2 Media Studies Research Project

2. Film Synopsis
On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old
Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-
old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked
away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978,
while being transferred for a court date, a 21-
year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes
Smith's Grove. He returns to his quiet
hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he
looks for his next victims.

3. Classification
‘Halloween’ was awarded an 18 rating.
This was due to the strong threat and horror throughout the
film.
Halloween does not feature as much gore as other slasher films,
however the BBFC found that the threat and violence was too
severe for the film to be rated 15.

4. Marketing – Film Poster
The film poster shows a large knife being held by a
clenched fist. The clenched fist has connotations
with violence, as a person will clench their fist
either in anger or ready to punch somebody. This
then suggests that the person wielding the knife is
angry and/or violent.
The only other image on the poster is a pumpkin.
The pumpkin has been carved with menacing eyes
which further suggests that the film will feature
something or somebody evil. The bottom of the
pumpkin also appears to have pointed edges, like
teeth. These long, pointed ‘teeth’ again makes the
pumpkin appear threatening and scary. The eye and
nose holes are also glowing, as if it were alive.
The slogan “The Night He Came Home!” reveals
small details about the plot, such as the gender of
the killer, but without spoiling the synopsis.

5. Trailer Analysis
https://youtu.be/xHuOtLTQ_1I

6. Sound/Dialogue
The repeated motif of string music throughout the trailer
makes the situation appear eerie and tense. This atonal piece
of music will make the audience feel unsettled because of it’s
lack of tone.
The music in the trailer also features a small piano tune, which
has a minor key.
The dialogue in the trailer is mainly the police officer
explaining the Michael Myers case. This gives the audience an
insight into the plot.
“what was living behind that boy’s eyes was pure evil”
Frequent screaming is heard throughout the trailer.
Thunder crashing/ pathetic fallacy that creates tension and
fear for the audience as they know something bad is going to
happen.
The voiceover from the police officer switches between
diegetic and non diegetic sound.
Mise En Scene
Setting is a normal, suburban area which could create a false
sense of security.
Costume – a young boy wearing a clown costume wielding a
knife. The use of a child and a clown costume is contradictory
as children are innocent and clowns are supposed to entertain
children and should be associated with being safe and happy.
Costume – Curtis’ character, and the other girls, are wearing
appropriate and fashionable clothes for the time. This
supports the idea that they are just normal young girls.
Costume- The mask (Michael Myers mask) obscures the
identity of the killer, creating mystery.
All of the scenes that violence occurs is a night – pathetic
fallacy. Darkness is associated with mystery and danger.
The killer emerging from the darkness/behind doors/around
corners. This creates suspense and fear because the audience
do not know when the killer is going to appear.
Editing
The clips in this trailer are longer than most, as it
shows a whole segment of the film in which Jamie-
Lee Curtis’ character is trying to escape a house with
Michael Myers inside. The clip even shows her being
thrown down the stairs and running across the road.
This is not common in horror trailers, which usually
only show quick shots in trailers to avoid giving too
much away.
The cuts fade to black throughout the trailer.
The black fade may symbolise the dark themes that
are explored in the film. Black and dark colours are
associated with danger and death, which are
common themes in Halloween.
Cinematography
The first shot looks as if it is from the character’s (Michael
Myers) point of view, as the camera is shaking and moving as
a person would walk.
Tracking shot following the child (young Michael Myers) out
of the house
Tracking shot in front of Jamie-Lee Curtis’ character and her
friends as they walk down the street talking.
Panning shot as Jamie-Lee Curtis’ character runs across the
street for help. This shot emphasises that there is nobody
there to help her, making her appear isolated even on a
residential suburban street.
Close up of character’s faces, this shows their reaction when
they are face to face with the killer. Or when they are wary or
frightened.

7. Clip Analysis
https://youtu.be/b_ZinNz0s34

8. Sound/Dialogue
The eerie soundtrack continues
throughout the clip, increasing the tension
with crescendos and diminuendos
throughout. The music gets very loud
towards the end, leading up to the climax
(this being Laurie attacking Myers)
“I killed him” “You can’t kill the
bogeyman” foreshadowing that Myers is
not dead just before he appears. This helps
builds tension.
Mise En Scene
The scene is set at night, this use of pathetic
fallacy makes the scene dark and atmospheric.
The final girl hides in a closet, which is isolated
and she cannot escape. This creates tension for
the audience because there is little chance of
survival for the final girl.
The use of innocent children in this scene
creates a greater sense of fear in the audience,
as they will want them to survive perhaps more
than the older girl.
Editing
The cuts between shots are all jump
cuts. This may have been done to retain
the pace of the scene, which in turn
retains the tension building throughout.
The jump cuts also prevent the
audience from focusing too long on one
shot, which could disorientate them.
Cinematography
A high angles shot is used whilst Myers is
breaking down the closet door. This is used
to represent that the final girl is helpless
and Myers is more powerful.
Over the shoulder shot looking up at Myers
as he appears behind the protagonists
creates a jump scare for the audience.

9. Production and Distribution
• Director: John Carpenter
• Producer: Debra Hill
• Writers: John Carpenter
Debra Hill
• Production Company: Compass International
• Distribution Company: Compass International
• Budget: $300,000 - $325,000
The budget was considered low for the time, and therefore
there were many aspects of the film’s production that were
done with very little cost. For example, Mike Meyer’s famous
mask was in fact a ‘Captain Kirk’ mask that cost the crew $1.98
that they manipulated to look frightening.

10. Critical Response
• Halloween was first released on October 25, 1978
in Kansas City.
• Overall the film grossed $70 million, $47 million
being in the United States.
• Rotten Tomatoes rated Halloween 93%, with
critics claiming it was “Scary, suspenseful, and
viscerally thrilling, Halloween set the standard for
modern horror films.”
• Critics also compared ‘Halloween’ to Alfred
Hitchcock’s 1960 film ‘Psycho’ on more than one
occasion.

11. Target Demographic
• The main characters in Halloween are teenagers, which
suggests that the film was targeted at that age bracket.
• Using teenage characters in a film aimed at teenagers
made the characters more relatable to the audience.
• Horror films are most popular with young people aged
15-24.
• Halloween would have appealed to both male and
female audiences, as the strong female lead through
Jamie-Lee Curtis’ character makes it more appealing to
female viewers. However, the main demographic is
young males.

12. Target Demographic (continued)