Analysing Horror Opening Scenes - Conclusion


Having looked at a number of opening scenes of horror films I have spotted a number of ways in which genre is reinforced, ranging from narrative elements and character types I had found when researching genre, to specific elements of film language such as typical editing techniques, use of music and types of camera movement, angles and framing. 

Below I have included links to the relevant posts on this research into genre and a brief outline of how these conventions manifest themselves in the opening scenes I have analysed.


Perhaps the most noticeable way that genre manifests itself in the opening sequences that I have looked at is through the iconography of the genre (largely elements of mise-en-scene such as props, costume and, in particular, setting) and through the use of film language that is typical of the genre such as aspects of cinematography (camera angles, framing, camera movement and lighting), editing and sound.


Settings are frequently isolated and remote, though there are occasional exceptions such as more suburban houses or schools.


I noticed a lot of slow creeping camera movement (pans, tilts, dolly/zoom-ins, tracking shots), where the camera movement makes it appear to the audience as if the characters are being watched (even when they aren't). Slow camera movement seems to be an effective way of building tension and anticipation.



Framing and shot composition is also important, with horror films often employing tight framing (where characters appear trapped), loose framing (where characters appear isolated and vulnerable) and point-of-view shots (sometimes from the victim but often from the 'monster').



Angles are important in horror films, with high angles often used to make someone appear vulnerable and under threat and low angles used to make a character seem dominant, dangerous and threatening.


Lighting is often low-key, to create an unsettling and foreboding atmosphere and to play on the spectator's fear of the dark, but also to hide the identity of the 'monster'. Within this lighting aesthetic, directors frequently use side lighting and backlighting.


The editing, like the camera movement, is often reasonably slow to help create tension, suspense and anticipation, and to perhaps lull the audience into a false sense of security before a big reveal or jump scare (where the pace of the editing will inevitably quicked to reflect a character's panic).


Non-diegetic music is almost always sinister, unsettling and frightening, though occasionally horror filmmakers use contrapuntal music which seems to work against the images on-screen, and pleonastic sound effects are loud and amplified to make the audience jump.



I noticed a number of archetypal horror film characters in the opening sequences from the genre I analysed. Children as victims, or even antagonists, featured very prominently, as did the 'first victim' (which, subverting convention, was often a male character) and the 'monster'.



As is typical of the genre many of the opening sequences I looked at disrupted the equilibrium very quickly, either by introducing the 'monster' character type almost immediately or through orchestrating a dramatic change of circumstances for the characters. Typical themes of the genre were often introduced such as loneliness, revenge and unexplained events.



I also noticed that some conventions of the horror genre changed slightly depending on the sub-genre the film belonged to. Folk horror, for example, seemed to incorporate a religious theme largely missing from other horror sub-genres.

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