'Halloween' (1978) textual analysis

Mise en scene:
Just like many typical horror films, 'Halloween' is set in the night time to add suspense due to the stereotypical mystery that surrounds the night time. As Mike Myers is approaching the house we can clearly see that it is dark outside and begin to think this is due to him wanting to lurk in the shadows due to him not wanting to get caught whilst doing what he is about to do. This is also highlighted by the antagonist circling the house and looking through the windows all whilst trying not to be seen. The setting of the time of day makes the film scarier as it is also Halloween and this is a day is a stereotype of killing and terrorising. This means that the audience do not believe that it will be a one off event due to Halloween taking place more than once.

Additionally, the mise en scene used when Mike Myers is walking up stairs into the darkness- when the outside of the house is a bright white- highlights the danger which the woman is in as her husband has just gone to the outside- where white connotes safety and purity- whilst she is left in the dark- which portrays mystery and even death. This magnifies the fact that the woman is in danger- which conforms to the traditional stereotype that woman are in danger, more so than the male. This use of mise en scene makes the audience believe that the aggressive act towards the woman will take place upstairs in the house rather than anywhere else as it is the darkest area of the scene.

Camerawork:
The handheld camera shots whilst the credits are on the screen which slowly zooms in on the pumpkin. This is to emphasise that the film is based around Halloween in order to make the link between horror films and a time dedicated to horror. This makes the film appear scary as the audience begin to think about other Halloween stories they have heard and begin to remember the effects they had before and are beginning to get tense.

Furthermore, the point of view shot/handheld shot which is used at the very start of the opening scene whilst walking up to the door  makes the film appear more realistic and makes the audience feel like they are in the antagonists position of stalking the house which creeps them out as they feel uncomfortable in this position. Without putting in the point of view shot the identity of the antagonist would have also been revealed too early which is a main component of building suspense in the opening. This means that it is intentionally done in order to build suspense.

Editing:
In the opening credits of the film the writing which tells the audience who the film is directed by etc. changes colour in order to look like the flame inside the pumpkin which flickers. This also connotes a sense of death and pain as the main colour used is red which connotes death and blood. Also the theme of fire shows rising tension due to the heat of the action rising. In the film the bright colours contrast with the dark background which shows the juxtaposing personalities of the protagonist and antagonist.

In addition, the one long continuous shot which is used throughout the opening helps to keep the narrative flowing and show everything from the scene without jumping around. The continuous editing also shows everything through the antagonists eyes and the perspective he had of the film and the harsh killing of the girl in the scene. This means that the action is all building up with the thoughts of the antagonist rather than anyone else, this therefore makes the audience apprehensive to watch the action from their eyes.

Sound:
When Mike Myers is outside the house you can faintly hear the voices of the people outside in order to show that he is stalking the people inside and knows their every move. This is highlighting that the whole reason the man is outside is to get inside the house and this is whole motive in order to do so. Furthermore, once the man gets inside the house a soundtrack begins which is very high pitched and slow which shows the tension building in the film as the stalker has got into the house and is getting close to his ultimate goal. This has a certain effect on the audience as they are left scared for the protagonist as they know that they are helpless and the tension in the film is evidently building and therefore something is going to happen to them.

In addition, before any shots from the film are actually shown behind the overlay of the background to the date of the story you can hear little kids talking and singing to traditional songs of the Halloween period. This adds a scary effect to film- and is a traditional theme from many classic horrors- as children are usually viewed as the evil characters in films and their voices create an eerie effect amongst the audience as they are deemed innocent, however are ultimately not.