Opening Sequence Analysis - Miss Georgiou

"How does the opening sequence of the film halloween inform the audience of it's conventions of a thriller"

The opening sequence of thrillers sets up the main theme of the film. It introduces the narrative and sets the tone for the rest of the film so the audience know what to expect. The opening sequence often creates a sense of unease and the tension it builds features throughout the rest of the film. It often ends on something mysterious creating an enigma.

Halloween meets the conventions of a thriller film through it's use of cinematography. The use of a point of view (POV) shot in the opening scene is used effectively. We see what is happening from the view of the antagonist which is strange as we usually see the point of view from the victim. This is means that the identity of the antagonist remains secret and when the mask gets put on we can only see through the eyeholes. This is used to make the audience feel uneasy as their vision is restricted and all they see is the female victim about to be killed and they feel scared for her knowing what will most likely happen. When the female is being stabbed the audience feel disgusted as they have been forced into the position of the murderer. While it is not common to have a POV from the antagonist it is common for thrillers to make the audience feel uneasy and sympathetic towards the victims. The use of a handheld camera is also effective in this scene. Handheld is used throughout the clip but becomes more noticeable when the antagonist is walking up the stairs around 2:15.

This use of a handheld camera makes the scene appear unstable which mirrors the antagonists state of mind as well as creating a sense of foreboding. Handheld shots are often used in thrillers to make the audience tense and feel a sense of dread. At the end of the scene the image zooms out into a high angle shot of the house and three characters. This shows how shocked the boys parents are as well as emphasising the sense of enigma the audience are left with as they wonder if the boy is guilty and what could drive him to do something so horrible and unnatural. 


The use of Narrative in Halloween is typical for a thriller film and is effective as it's full of suspense, surprise, shock and ends on an enigma. This is something nearly all thriller films try to do, therefore it's conventional. The scene is set in an old detached house which is typical for a thriller as many people have a fear of having something unwanted in their house house so may be able to share the same fears with the victims in the films and sympathize with them more. The victim in this scene is a young female which is is conventional for a thriller as young females are usually considered innocent and too weak to protect themselves so the audience feel more scared and worried for them then they would if it was a strong male in danger. it is also conventional that the identity of the killer remains secret until the end of the scene (if the boy actually is the killer). This is typical as lots of people have a fear of the unknown and as the antagonist is not seen the audience have no idea what he's capable of which makes him even scarier. Two pieces of iconography are used in this opening scene which are the knife and the mask. Knives are often the weapon of choice in thriller films as they are often associated with murder and kills with them are done with the killer right besides the victim making it more brutal and personal. Masks are typically used to hide the killers identity creating enigma and making them appear more fearful. Low key lighting is used throughout this scene making it creepier and creating shadows.

Editing in thrillers is primarily used to create suspense and build tension which this film succeeds in. Around the two minute mark the editing is slow as the killer is slowly making his way towards his victim. This slow paced editing is used to maximize the feelings of unease created by the use of a handheld camera and POV from the antagonists perspective and the slower it is the more uncomfortable the audience feel. At 3:45 a straight cut is used to change the viewpoint from the killers POV to a shot of the boy removing his mask. This emphasises the enigma created and shocks the audience as a young, innocent looking boy is implicated to have committed that horrible killing and the actions of the antagonist are not something that would usually be associated with a young boy.

The use of sound in Halloween is also conventional. At the start of the scene there is a non diegetic soundtrack being played. It is non-diegetic as it is not part of the film and was added after in the post production stage. After the opening credits we hear children chanting something which sounds evil, like a curse. This almost makes them sound possesed which complements the supernatural theme implied in the title of the film. Most of the scene is quite so the audience focus in what is happening in the scene and become more engrossed. This is typical for thriller films whereas other genres like action feature loud fast paced music.

The way the characters are represented in Halloween are typical for thriller films. The antagonist is presented as mentally unstable and has his identity hidden which makes him scarier as the audience don't know what he's capable of. The victim is a young female who is unable to protect herself making the audience feel sympathetic. The parents are hardly seen in the the scene but their confused reaction at the end mirrors how the audience feel. 

To conclude this opening sequence informs the audience of it's conventions as thriller through the way it succeeds in creating suspense, surprise, shock and tension. My analysis has helped me with my own film as I have learnt how you can use plot twists to create a sense of enigma as well as how POV shots can be used to create tension.