The Halloween trailer follows the codes and conventions of slasher horror through the use of stereotypical paradigms and structuralism.
The trailer beings with a handheld camera slowly zooming into a large white house, in what looks like an empty road and, we can see that it is night time which is a setting paradigm. The voice over is quite eerie sounding and already creates a sense of curiosity and an unnerving mood. The white colour of the house could suggest that the house is an innocent place and perhaps has wealthy people living there, due to its size. The house is surrounded by shrubbery and trees, suggesting places to hide. The use of the handheld camera puts the audience in the scene, as if we are the ones walking towards the house.
The camera cuts to a point of view shot, looking through a mask as if the audience are wearing the mask, and we see a hand moving in a stabbing action, though it is unclear. Structuralist film theory allows the audience to understand what’s happening as we can connote that the woman is experiencing pain, from the sound and action in the scene. The diegetic sound of a woman gasping, as if she’s in pain or being hurt, backs up this idea. This could also resemble a rape scene, which is a common feature of horror films. The limited view through the mask creates a sense of anxiousness and ambiguity, which is a paradigm of masks in slasher horror films. The point of view shot is tracking through the house and out; everything is blurry and hard to see, which again, creates a sense of unease for the audience and keeps us on edge. The mise en scene in the house suggests cleanliness and that it’s a family home, e.g. the pale colours, the umbrella box and the chandelier type light.
The camera cuts to a mid shot of a child in a clown costume, holding a large knife; we realise that it was his point of view we were watching from. The fact he is holding such a large knife and has witnessed the woman being stabbed raises questions.
The camera cuts to a close up of a man talking, he uses the pronoun ‘him’ rather than giving the character a name and this creates mystery and intrigues the audience. The man looks directly into the camera as if specifically talking to the audience, making us feel included in the film and a more personal experience. He is wearing a crisp suit and tie, with a smart coat suggesting wealth and importance.
A woman sitting in her car alone, at night time is shown at a mid shot. She looks like she is wearing a uniform, implying she has finished working or is simply in costume for Halloween. The camera cuts to someone climbing onto her car, wearing a red costume, symbolising danger, and attacking her; we don’t see the attackers face keeping them anonymous and us more nervous. A handheld camera shows us the woman’s struggle in her car as she tries to escape; there are quick cuts to reflect the fast paced action. A point of view shot shows what’s in front of her car, from her point of view to show us there is no one there to help and she is isolated.
The previous scene is juxtaposed with the next scene, where we see three women walking together in broad daylight. They are wearing everyday clothes and smoking which is structural of horror films, to make the film as real as possible. They are also carrying books which, conveys that they might be going to study or have finished for the day. The camera cuts to a tracking shot of the women, from behind almost making it as though we are being voyeuristic as well as place us in the scene. When they turn around, the camera cuts to close ups of each of the women’s faces to show us their expression and reaction to what they’ve just heard.
A long shot shows a door being opened slowly, in a dark room, at night time. The furniture like, the shelves tell us that the room is probably a bedroom. We see a white figure on the other side, which has comical effect. However, the eerie diegetic sound of the creaking door makes the scene creepier.
The camera cuts to a close up of a young, blonde girl, wearing white and sitting in her white bed filing her nails. The colour white implies her innocence and purity as well as her youth, suggesting she may be the character who lives, as it is typical of horror films that the innocent, virtuous girl represents good and triumphs over evil. However, the camera then cuts to a hand breaking through the door, trying to open it; suggesting that the character might not live.
A mid shot of a woman, also in white and a darkened house with very little light shows that she has seen something that has shocked her greatly. We then see long shot of a man lying in bed in a crucifix shape. The bed head is very long and looks like a gravestone, informing us he is dead.
A tracking shot shows another character in a dark room, with only some light coming in through the windows. There are net curtains which you can see out of but not in through them, implying the character is trapped. The camera shows the character being attacked by another character, implying violence.
The camera cuts to the previous woman standing against a wall; she is struggling for breath which tells us she might have been running from something or someone, or has been frightened. The non diegetic music makes the scene edgy and builds up tension, along with the fact that the audience can see the killer appear in the dark, but the victim cannot. He is wearing a mask and wielding a knife; knives are a very common paradigm of slasher horror films as they imply meanings, such as: a murder scene, where the female victim is being stabbed is very similar to a violent rape scene in horror films and, supports structuralism.
The camera cuts to a close up of the victims face to show her expression and the diegetic sound of her screaming, adds to the edgy feel. The use of handheld camera and quick cuts reflect the action in the scene. The low angle shots of the killer imply his superiority compared to the victims inferiority as she falls down the stairs. The fast tracking shot of the woman running towards the door portrays her fear. The camera cuts to a low angle shot of the killer walking down the stairs, as if to show his power and dominance over the audience as well as the victim.
As the victim runs out of the house, it looks as though the street is empty, isolating her from help or attention. The non diegetic sound used in this sequence creates tension and the low chords resemble a heartbeat to show her horror and panic. The handheld tracking shot puts the audience in the scene with and conveys her instability and alarmed state of mind. When the camera cuts back to the killer walking towards the victim, it is almost like a point of view shot which makes us feel victimised too.
The camera cuts to a young boy sitting and watching TV in a room, with the lights off. The TV is in black and white informing us that it is not set in recent times, as does the large fireplace. The diegetic sound of the TV informs us that the boy can’t hear the woman screaming, this makes us feel very anxious and on edge. The camera cuts to a long shot of the boy and we can see he is wearing a Halloween costume and realise he is alone in the house. The non diegetic sound acts as a sound bridge with the continuity editing, to tell us that it is still the same time and place.
The Halloween trailer conforms to slasher horror codes and conventions by supporting certain paradigms such as props and characters. Also, it supports Focault and Lacan’s structuralist theory that every text has a structure.
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