The
Halloween film trailer adheres to the codes and conventions of the slasher
horror sub-genre for many reasons.
Firstly, the
structure of the trailer is separated into big sections, with the title of the
film being repeated often. It has also not been edited to a specific song and
separated in small sections, like trailers today. This is very typical trope
with older films and their trailers. The narration spoken by the articulate old
man is another classic trope within slasher horror films and when paired with
the slow tracking shot up to the house, it adds suspense for the viewer. In
addition, the house in that scene is a very typical American house and the
lighting of it also symbolises that the night holds something dangerous, due to
the fact that the house itself is lit very bright, but the surroundings are
almost pitch black.
The suspenseful
music within the trailer is a prime example of structure in a slasher horror
film. This is because it makes the audience expect a climax when the music
ends, and most often, a jump scare usually occurs. Also when the man (Michael
Myers) is going after his prey, the shows cut back and forth from the victim to
him. This is because the audience can then see how close the victim is to
getting attacked by the killer and this also adds suspense along with the
music. An example of iconography is the viewpoint of the little boy wearing the
mask because the mask is a specific prop that people think of when it comes to
slasher horror, so we as the audience automatically assume that the boy wearing
the mask, is an older person being the predator/killer in the film. That moment
of deception in the trailer, is also a typical theme in slasher horrors.
Another prop which is iconic, is the pumpkin that appears throughout the
trailer, and this is because the pumpkin denotes Halloween, so people already
know when the film takes place.
One on-going
theme within slasher horror is the ‘vulnerable lonely female’. There are four
examples of this in the trailer. The first one being, the woman driving alone
at night in the rain and being attacked by an unknown being. One iconic piece
of iconography within this scene, is the man attacking the woman by grabbing
her face. This is a very typical method slasher villains use to attack their
prey. The second example of the vulnerable female, is the masked figure
creeping up behind the woman, and chasing her around the house. Chase scenes
are also an occurring theme through many slashers, because they are the scenes
which keep the audience on edge. The third example, is the three girls walking
together, and dramatically turning around, with close ups on each of their
faces. This makes it clear to the audience that these females are the main
targets for the predators. The final example, is the girl sitting in a dark
room on her own, and the door mysteriously opening on its own. The slow
creaking door is a very good example of iconography, as that is used within
many different types of horror films. This is because the noise automatically
makes you as the audience question, who has opened the door. The big knife that
Michael Myers is carrying, is also a classic prop used in slashers, because the
unusual size of it makes it immediately recognisable.
Another
theme within slasher horrors, which makes them so iconic, is the jump scare.
Within the trailer there is the man attacking a woman in the car, and the glass
of the window being smashed. The hand smashing through the door, The woman
being scared and falling down the stairs, and the young man opening the
cupboard and having the man strangle him. The shock factor is the main part of
this theme, because the audience doesn’t know when the killer is going to
emerge or when they’re going to attack, so it is almost like a waiting game for
them, because they know that they will attack at some point.
A slasher
horror film is compiled of many iconic props, themes and styles and Halloween
adheres too many of them, which makes it very easy to identify that it is a
slasher.
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