This trailer analysis document discusses several key elements of the Halloween film trailer through a literary and film analysis lens. It summarizes that the trailer establishes a dark tone from the beginning that fits the horror genre. Various techniques are used to convey that Halloween is when the story's dangerous events will occur. The trailer depicts several narrative stages but in a nonlinear way to build tension. Gender stereotypes are present with females portrayed as needing rescue and the male as the threatening villain.

1. Halloween Film Trailer analysis!!

2. Todrov’s Theory!
• The narrative of this film doesn’t conform to Todrovs’ narrative structure,
it doesn’t have an equilibrium presenting a calm scene to start with, there
is a disequilibrium instead of the equilibrium which sets a dark, troubled
and disrupted setting from the beginning which conforms to the horror
genre.
• The use of the 5 narrative stages in this trailer could also infer that the plot
disrupted which could connote the dysfunctional family which is shown at
the beginning of the trailer. Where there is a quote from a news paper
saying ‘’Family massacre’’ which immediately shows the audience that the
film is most likely about a dysfunctional family that is relation to some sort
of mass homicide.
• The third part of Todorovs narrative structure is the repair stage. This Is
when the slasher is caught and is sent to prison, we know is by use of
costume and mise an scene. It fully conforms as the slasher then attacks
the police man and the situation is not resolved therefore the audience
knows there is more chaos yet to come
• This trailer is somewhat linear as the stages are not in order and the
timeline flips a lot and does not have a new equilibrium. The last scene of
the trailer is left on a disequilibrium which doesn’t conform to Todrovs’
narrative structure linear as the stages are not in order.

3. Setting!
• The setting is made clear by the use of pumpkins and other
Halloween decorations to make it obvious when the film is
set, which is also made quite clear due to the title of the
film ‘HALLOWEEN’ and the fact that the colour scheme is
really focused on orange which also connotes Halloween.
• The use of the dialogue saying “be careful tonight, a lot of
nut cases come out on Halloween” further shows that
Halloween is clearly an unsafe place to go out and
foreshadows that something bad is going to happen and
that that particular ‘nutcase’ is going to come out on
Halloween night. This is then shown in the next scene as
there are several scenes of mass killings and several props
used to display this for example a machete.

4. Genre!
• Other elements within the movie trailer can help connote the genre of the film in
this case a slasher, a subgenre of horror. This is portrayed through elements of
mise en scene such as the costumes, very dark concealing clothing that helps hide
the slashers identity which also follows the Enigma code. As well as the pumpkin,
that actually connotes a human head which makes us feel uneasy and creates fear.
Lighting also helps with this, blue toned lighting also creates fear. The props also
have a huge impact of reflecting the horror genre. For example the mask made up
of human skin, it is shown repetitively throughout the trailer and definitely reflects
the slasher genre as they like to keep their identity hidden. As well the knife used
which is the typical weapon used within a slasher as it is conventional for the
slasher to use knife and machetes rather than other weapons such as guns this
also connotes that they are sexually frustrated, which is a running theme within
slashers.
• Halloweens trailer shows several different locations which also reflects the horror
genre of the film. For example the first location shown in the trailer is outside of a
crime scene, which from the beginning shows a dangerous situation which then in
turn creates more fear. There is also an abandoned house used which could
connote the abandonment and isolation the killer feels to give him the motive to
go out and kill people. As well as this an asylum is another location which also
relates to the slasher genre, as the killer tends to be psychopathic therefore the
use of a mental institution is perfect to reflect this.

5. Target Audience!
• The target audience for this trailer is probably teenagers and young adults that
range from 17-25. This is shown through the use of younger actors, all slasher films
tend to have teenagers involved with the killing as it is sexually orientated so it
only makes sense that the target audience relates to the characters. However
there may be other people who just enjoy slasher films as they enjoy the fear and
getting adrenaline from watching the trailer. Both genders watch genre of trailer
however males may be the audience as the cast includes sexualised women who
may be seen as entertainment and pleasing towards a male audience, which is also
male gaze.
• The class of the target audience is most likely working lower class. The exposition
of the characters are clear as we see at the beginning of the trailer that they are a
dysfunctional family, this indicates that they’re lower class so it gives the target
audience something to relate to. As well as this, slasher films tend to be farfetched
and unrealistic and the narrative is jumbled up sometimes doesn’t make complete
sense and lower class people and young people tend to like a form of escapism
from their normal life so may enjoy film that takes them to a different world;
higher class more educated people tend to like more meaningful, educationally
benefitting media. A multitude of nationalities are also used in the trailer too,
therefore suggesting that this trailer appeals to a wider target audience.

6. Previous fan bases!
• The company that produced this film is ‘Metro
Goldwyn Mayer’, this company is vertically
integrated with another company called
‘dimension film’ This company have done several
other slashers and horror movies; Scream (1996)
and Scary Movie (2000), two of the most well
known Slashers of all time! Because of already
having a prior HUGE fan base, this will then make
the fans eager to watch Halloween, as they’ve
enjoyed the companies previous films. This is why
it helps to include their logo in the trailer!

7. Camera shots and angles!
• There were several close up shots throughout the trailer that were used to show
the characters facial expressions, mainly to show fear and the terror on their face
to intensify their emotions, so us as the audience, could imagine ourselves feeling
that way and how scary it must be. This technique is used a lot within the horror
genre. A Theorist called Goddard believed that close up shots were invented for
tragedy, as well as creating emphasis and revealing emotions. Another example of
this would be the shower scene in the movie Psycho, there is a close up shot of the
woman's’ face before she got murdered.
• Mid shots were also used at the beginning to emphasise the chaos that was
happening within the trailer, we see a someone bleeding on a hospital gurney
covered up, (mise en scene is used in this way to show that they’re proabably
dead) and the screaming and sirens around her also connotes this. Fast editing is
also used throughout to show us how fast paced and quick things are happening
making the trailer more dramatic and tense, creating a scary feel throughout the
whole trailer. We then see a little boy in a car through the use of a mid shot, we
see him sitting alone in the car, which could symbolise him being lonely and
isolated as well as a demonic mask that appears over his face, which clearly
foreshadows who he’s going to grow up to be.

8. Representations!
• Throughout the trailer gender is portrayed in stereotypical
ways, they fit into Propps’ character types: The Villian
being the man and then ‘The Princess’, the woman that
needs to be saved. This is clearly shown by the women
screaming for help when the ’dangerous’ male is attacking
her. The blonde sexualised female is usually the one to die
first, which is somewhat true in this case as we see her
getting attacked and the last standing girl, is usually the
intellectual brunette girl that survives. These stereotypes
definitely fit in this trailer. The females are shown by high
angle shots making them seem powerless and inferior; the
male antagonist is shown through low angle shots causing
the opposite effect, making him seem intimidating and
scary.