- Directed by John Carpenter
- With a estimated budget of $ 320,000
- Made $47,000,000 (USA) ( No UK figures given)
The film begins with the credits. To fit in with the context of the films title the only visible object you see whilst the titles roll is a pumpkin which connotes a halloween theme to the film.
The pumpkin progressively increases in size as the credits roll, the light inside the pumpkin also creates an eary effect. The tense music played increases in tempo and volume as the credits continue, the music creats more suspense as it changes the audience heart beat with the rhythm.
The titles themself change in colour from a yellow to a red. These colours can be symbolic for evil and hell.
The credits end 1min 59 secs, the pumpkin has now zoomed in so that all is visible is the the eye and nose of the object, which also emphasizes the presence of the flickering candle overall creates an evil image through the use of the pumpkin. This is quite a low budget opening and appears so to the audience however the preferred reading has been created and the audience are aware of what film it is.
The film opens with exposition by the name of a town being shown, it denotes a small town. The titles are down in white against a black screen this is a prime example of binary opposites, white and black are seen as good and evil however in this case the small amount of white can signify the small amount of good in the film compared to the vast blackness surrounding it, signifying the evil in the film.
A background noise of a children rhyme connotes what we might see in the opening of the film, its then followed by anchorage to the film, setting the date, '1973 - Halloween'.
The film proceeds with a shot of a detached white house which signifies the class we're looking at and the neighbourhood the events are going to take place in, it also creates an illusion of isolation and vulnerability. This shot has a blue tint to it, which signifies a full moon connoting supernatural or cold hearted atmosphere. This first scene is shot in the point of view of a character, who it is isn't shown till the end of the scene.
We see the figure watch through the window of a young couple together. The couple then leave the room and go upstairs.
The music then begins, a single instrument, a piano. As we watch the mystery person walk through the house the young man returns downstairs replacing his top, this signifies that the couple have has sexual intercourse. And horror code and conventions normally revolve around the idea that a girl has sinned therefore she should be punished, this can be seen in this film as the referred sexual intercourse is her sin and therefore she will be punished.
The mystery person picks a mask from the floor which he then covers his face with, this creates a smaller view for the audience to watch through. This creates more suspense and tension as the shot is emphasized again as a point of view and the audience begin to fear that an event is about to occur.
Trailer:
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