Halloween and Cinematic Devices

Cinematic devices such as camera angulations, camera positioning, lighting, set design, and asynchronous sound are used to illicit fear and horror in audience members while watching horror films. Halloween uses multiple cinematic devices to create these feelings throughout the movie. The movie begins when we perceive the life of Mike Meyers through his first murder. The camera is positioned as if we are the character walking through the house into the room where his sister is present. When he commits the murder it is as if we the audience members are committing the heinous act because we perceive it through his eyes. One interesting device used here is how the murder is seen being committed. Mike Meyers is known for the white mask he wears, we see the murder committed through only the eyeholes, as if we are the ones with the mask. We see his sister and then the bloody knife through these holes as if our own arm is making the stabbing motion. The movie then proceeds to Mike’s adulthood where he is being transported to another type of hospital facility. In this scene the lighting is very dark. Viewers can barley see the characters in the car but, when they enter the hospital parking lot a mysterious figure is seen in the background wearing a white gown. We see the figure at a distance, which allows for an interpretation that the viewer cannot be sure of what it is. This creates the beginning of a sense of dread in the movie. It evokes a sense of anxiety towards the possibility of something profoundly threatening occurring, which ultimately does. The movie then shifts scenes again to the Haddonfield where the first murder was committed. After Laurie visits the rundown house with Tommy Mike begins to stalk them. Again the viewers see these scenes through the eyes of the killer. We see Mike’s profile in the window like we are starring at them from inside the house. From this point he begins to follow both them through their daily activities. Similar to the beginning of the film we see most these events from the viewpoint of the killer. At the school Mike grabs the boy. Although we do not see his face the reaction of the character lets the viewers assume he provoked a sense of fear. When Laurie is walking home from school she is also stalked by Mike. In this scene we see Mike beside a bush but the camera shifts back to Laurie and he disappears making the viewer question if they really saw the figure or not. This is also where the thematic music begins to play analogous to seeing Mike Meyers. It begins to cue the audience that something dangerous is lurking in the shadows and to pay close attention when heard. The scenes shift to night after this making lighting an important effect. We see Mike’s silhouette outside Annie’s house and then his facial profile darkened as he peers through the windows. The remaining night scene’s all render Mike this way. He is shadowed so only the silhouette of his body and white mask can be seen. The scene where Mike attacks Annie the lighting is only focused on her in order to scare the viewer of what is in the back seat of darkness, Mike Meyers. This is also the case when Mike kills Annie’s friends. The lighting is focused mainly on the other characters in order to scare the viewer of Mike when he comes from the pitch-blackness of the house. The lighting of the house set at this time also creates a feeling of danger and imminent threat in that none of the lights in or outside of the house are on meaning anything can come from this darkness without the audience being aware, such as the bodies of Annie’s friends. When confirmation occurs between Mike Meyers and Laurie lighting is focused mainly on Laurie so that the audience is scared of the events that are going to occur in the house. Mike attacks and creeps out of the shadows of the set while the audience is focused on Laurie. During these scenes the camera is mostly focused on Laurie and shifts vastly to Mike Meyers and back again. This type of camera work gives the audience a reaction of jumping out of their seats. Without these types of cinematic devices the movie would not be as terrifying as it was. The emotional affects they created, which is one particular reason to watch horror films, would be lacking if not for these types of cinematic play.