From the trailer of the 1978 classic ‘Halloween’, we can instantly see the structuralist attitudes of the film’s director and script writer, due to the clear codes and conventions of the film.
The Camera shots and angles throughout the trailer conform to that of a stereotypical horror movie. Firstly, we see an establishing shot of the setting; it is a blurred shot of lonely looking house. The shot is unstable and a handheld camera shot, giving the impression of a point of view shot of a possible threat/killer. This shot stands by the codes and conventions of a horror movie. We are shown an unsteady point of view shot looking through what appears to be a mask. The combination of the unstable shot and the idea that the audience can only see part of the surroundings as we are looking through a mask is used to unsettle the audience. The use again of a handheld camera is very conventional of a horror movie.
We see the use of another handheld, unsteady shot when Curtis is running to the house across the street; She looks back, and we see a blurred dark shot of the house and Michael Myers coming towards the camera gradually. The shot only allows us to see the bright whiteness of Myers’ mask coming towards the camera, as the shot is very dark and Myers is wearing dark clothing, almost giving the impression of him being headless. The idea of Myers being headless very much conforms to the codes of horror movie.
The canted angle, distorted shot of Curtis falling down the stairs is very conventional of a horror movie, as it again shows instability and imbalance for the viewers. The trailer contains a very conventional shot of Curtis cowering in a corner, and Myers slowly coming out of the darkness behind her. The light from the window is shining directly onto Curtis, showing her innocence and acceptance in society. Whereas Myers hides in the pitch black setting with barely any light at all, showing his impurity and dark side. The majority of camera shots throughout the trailer are in near enough pitch black, with the only source of light coming from the windows through net curtains, conforming again to the codes and conventions of horror.
The idea of young Michael Myers wearing a clown costume, whilst murdering his family, is of a very structuralist attitude, as it plays on the common, public fear of clowns. Curtis wears a white blouse and very pastel coloured clothes throughout the trailer, confirming her ‘innocent victim’ role, which is very common in horror films. However, when she pictured with two of her other friends, all wearing civilised, covered-up clothing, she contradicts her ‘innocence’ by smoking. The use of props such as pumpkins, whilst conforming with the theme of the film, is a very stereotypical horror prop, therefore conforming to the codes and conventions of slasher movies.
The use of the bed sheet covering the whole of Myers’ body as he creaks open the door is very conventional of horror, and is commonly used by children to create a sense of horror, but in a less serious manner. The use of it in the trailer paints a surface childlike, unserious manner to Myers, when underneath the sheet is where the danger really lies. A prop such as the bed sheet in a horror movie is rather unconventional, as it shows a less serious, more playful manner to the horror genre, but could also be translated as more of a psychological horror theme, as Myers still has the mind and mannerisms of a child, but is still very dangerous to society. The religious imagery used in the shot of the girl lying dead in her bed is very conventional of the genre; She is laying on the bed similarly to the way Jesus was pinned to the cross. Horror is often linked to religion due to the uncertainty of religion in society and the themes of hell and evil in religion.
Throughout the entire trailer, the use of high-pitched music creates suspense for the viewers. The music builds and builds until Myers strikes and attacks his victims; The music turns into a high-pitched squeal, which is very unsettling to listen to, similarly to the way watching Myers attack his victim on screen, is unsettling to watch. This type of tension music is very conventional in most types of horror, not just the slasher genre. The sound of the door creaking open as Myers pushes it open, covered head to toe in a white sheet, is also very conventional of horror movies. The slow, draining sound of a creaking door is unnerving for the viewers, as there lies the uncertainty of what is on the other side; Similarly to the way that creaking floor boards are used in the horror genre.
Halloween Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljchb1tsLfs
