There are conventions at the start of halloween that are common in horror films. To start with it is based at night time, night time makes it harder to see, the lack of visibility makes it more scary in horror films as you can't fully see whats coming as well as the low key lighting in the house. There is use of restricted narration aswell meaning you can't see who the camera is using for the point of view shots. Again is a common convention in horror films. Using sound they have heavy breathing that puts the audience of edge. A obvious convention is also there being a murderer with a knife and killing a innocent girl using a innocent character as a victim makes it seem more upsetting for the audience to view. Obviously a knife is a weapon that is used in a lot of horror films.
2. How does the setting fit in with the horror genre?
The main setting in a average american town, where you wouldn't expect murders to happen in. This makes it a good place to set a horror film because of how 'normal' the place is making more of a impact to the audience knowing this kind of thing happens in a place unexpected. The starting house of where Michael Myers first kills his sister as a child is a isolated house in comparison to the other houses around, making it more lonely with the audience knowing there isn't neighbours close by to help.
3. What iconography of 'innocence' do we hear or se early on?
The start of the film is where we don't realise until the end of the particular scene that the killer is a young, thought to be innocent boy, This gives a sense of shock to the audience to why someone like that would do that (not like if it was shown a grown man to do it at the start) As stated before the girl who gets killed is innocent as well as the people who get killed later on are innocent as well (all teenagers) the most innocent person however i feel is Laurie. She is the girl who is 'good' we see this as she shudders at the idea of sex making her self virginal compared to the other girls, she coughs when smoking and gets worried through peer pressure of her friends. This makes the audience somewhat have sympathy for her and gives a sense of pride at the end when she gets away from him.
4. What was the main industry impact on halloween?
Halloween was cheap to make so very profitable, they didn't require any famous stars or special effects. However Halloween was a introduction to slasher movies and became successful anyhow.
5.Name some 'slasher' films that followed on from halloween
Friday the 13th, Prom night, Terror train.
6.What are the four plot rules of the 'slasher' film sub-genre which Halloween began?
1. A traumatic event in the past creates a psychopathic killer.
2. The killer returns to the site of the event, usually on a specific date in the present that allows the makes to use a calendar motif in the title.
3.The killer stalks and graphically kills a group of obnoxious and stupid teens of both sexes, usually with some kind of bale, often a garden or farm implement.
4. A 'final girl' survives, usually boyish and often virginal, to thwart the killer, although he is never entirely vanquished.
7. Give three ways in which Laurie is androgynous.
To start with from looking at her she has a very masculine face with no make up, she has a name that can also be used for both genders and a manly voice. She is virginal also unlike the other girls and dresses very conservative. Her actions also make her androgynous where she fights back and take the stereotypical man role at the end against Mike Myers.
8.How Does the director John Carpenter, counter the suggestion that Holloween had a reactionary sexual agenda?
Through most of the film we think that Mike is specifically trying to kill those who have sex in the film however at the end Laurie is then shown to be all along a intended victim also that makes this opinion somewhat invalid.
9. Why does Mike Myers kill his sister?
Before Mike Myers kills his sister she is said to be having sex with her boyfriend, the way he repeatedly jabs the knife into her suggests a phallic symbol within it and therefore links together to be maybe why Mike kills her however i would argue and say the reason why he kills his sister is because he is simply evil especially as Laurie who is virginal was one of his victims also.
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