Halloween Film Analysis

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Halloween
★★★★★
Joseph Swift
September 15th, 2017

Halloween, originally made in 1978 and directed and Screenplay by John Carpenter is an American slasher film (a film where victims are slashed with knives or blades) set in a quiet, suburban midwestern town in the state of Illinois. John Carpenter’s Halloween, having been inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s slasher film, Psycho (1960), it is stated to be one of the most influential films of this era and regarded as a classic amongst other horror films.
The plot of the film focuses on the antagonist, Michael Myers, who has escaped from a psychiatric hospital after fifteen years of attempts at treatment, and begins to murder a series of teenagers in his home town. The main characters, who play the …show more content…

This happens when michael myers kills a dog to hide his presence to the surrounding houses. All of this is done showing Michael from the waist down.
His use of Over-the-shoulder shots to hide Michael Myers face is also a key part to keep the audience on edge. This appears when Michael is looking at Laurie Strode’s house and all you see is over his shoulder and the back of his head. This still hides Michael’s face so you can’t see how creepy he actually looks.
The lighting throughout the film is constantly dark keeping the movie creepy so there is no sense of comfort throughout the film. Within the film, sound is also used to effectively enhance the silences, in which the audience know that something is coming, and so foreboding. With mainly the use of orchestral instruments, the tension is increased as the music crescendos with sudden quietness or intense volume with focus to the beat of the music which unconsciously mimics that of the viewers increased heart rate at the climax of the film – if not, causing them to feel more fearful. Higher pitched melodies are used especially in staccato to make the viewer feel jumpy and on edge, as the notes clash and make them feel uncomfortable – therefore John Carpenter disallows the viewers from feeling at ease through the entire length of the film, even until and past the end sequence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu2igkV574I (This link sends you to the Theme of Halloween. This will help you understand how effective John Carpenter’s use of sound is so eerie in the

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