Opening Sequence Analysis: Halloween (1978)

The first time i watched this movie the opening sequence was the most interesting part about it as the whole sequence is filmed in one shot something very unusual for an opening because generally openings are there to hook you in with many shots and fast past, its is very clever how John Carpenter has been able to keep the audiences attention. It begins with some titles that tell us where the film is set and children singing, we hear the soundtrack slightly. A forgein copy was the only one i could find so the speech is unclear. However the intro causes a instant scare but also a feeling of security, as children are something not to be scared of

We then go to a shot of a house, we can tell its someones point of view and we can sense the camera is walking, There is an owl which is also a scary feature. The person whos point of view then goes to the window, we begin to ask who could this be, because its a scary thought of somebody looking through your window. Inside there is a teenager boy and girl 'making out', they seem helpless and it is a Horror movie 'rule' that the teenagers become victims. Then the person makes there way in to the house and makes there way to the drawer for a knife, this is when we understand something bad is about to happen. The person seems to be wearing a clowns outfit, which could mean that they are a child. This tells us a slight bit about the character, maybe insane, maybe a child?

A tension is caused when the person walks up the stairs, the character takes their time. They then reach for a mask, so it is clear that they are in costume of a clown, and for some people they are not a huge fan of clowns, this also tells that the character is likely to be a child. But it is genius how they have made tunnel vision so it feels like we are looking through the mask, when watching i got a slight feeling claustrophobic. We are then introduced more to the girl, she looks helpless as she is naked and in vulnerable position brushing her hair. We now understand that this is the victim as the character walks towards, the female yells "Mike, Mike" we are allowed further into his character. We are confused because she knows this boy, we are wondering if this is his sister? He begins to stab repeatedly, he glances at his knife then back again.

His breathing has picked up and he breaths heavier, we know this has fazed him. As he makes his way to door, the audience are left confused and with such a small bit of screen and maybe a slight feeling of motion sickness. As he is outside he is encountered by two adults, who seem to be his parents. The camera then switches out of the point of view and we are left with a shot of Mike equipped with a knife and a worried/confused face. The camera slow zooms out

The lighting and colour is very dark throughout, signifying that the movie is a Horrror theme, the lights are very natural from street lights to lamps in the house. These colours are contrasted with the bright vibrant colours of Mikes clown costume, which tells us that he is a main character.

The sound throughout is very typical horror theme song, the soundtrack is very recognizable in the film world. There is a few sounds effects to enhance the imporntants of some shots.  The girl is humming with emphasis the helplessness of her as humming is a very peaceful sound, from humming she begins to scream, A huge contrast.