“Halloween” Deconstruction

“Halloween” DeconstructionBackground Information

“Halloween” is a Slasher-Horror Film set in a fictional town in Illinois, where (on Halloween night, 1963) a six year old boy murders his older sister with a kitchen knife. Fifteen years later, the boy/man escapes from a Psychiatric Hospital where he returns home and stalks a teenage girl and her friends – however his Psychiatrist realises and follows along as well in an attempt to prevent it.

The Opening Title Sequence gives many hints toward the theme(s) of the Film, while emphasising the genre of the Film as well.

Production and DistributionThe immediate first name that appears on screen is “Compass International Pictures” – which were

the Distribution Company for the Film (the company that marketed the movie). The fact that

they’re mentioned first could be a tribute to all the hard work that they’ve put into selling the film; as

after all, if they hadn’t sold the film to the public, it wouldn’t have been bought. Therefore, you could

argue that the sole success of the movie was down to ‘Compass International’s’ marketing,

which could be why they’ve been mentioned first.

Secondly we’re shown the title, “Moustapha Akkad Presents”. Moustapha Akkad was the Producer of the film, and so therefore, he will

have been mentioned toward the beginning because he played a large part in the creation of

the film.

You could argue that the Black background of the titles could be representing ‘darkness’ – which is a commonly known connotation of ‘danger’ (the

idea that being in the dark is dangerous). Furthermore, the Orange writing gives the

Audience a clear image that the film is about Halloween and links with the title (because

Pumpkins are widely associated with Halloween, and Pumpkins are Orange).

Names The next set of titles that appear on screen are ‘Donald Pleasence in’ and ‘John Carpenter’s

HALLOWEEN’.

You could say that the reason ‘Donald’ has been mentioned before everything else (including the film

title itself) implies that he was a very well known, and well established, actor of the time. This means that

the moment the Audience see that this famous Actor is in the film, they’re drawn in to watch the movie, as

they’re keen to see the Actor (even if they didn’t originally want to see the film in the first place). This

is a common technique used in films that contain well known stars, as it appeals to a wider Audience.

Then we’re shown the title of the film, along with ‘John Carpenter’. This clearly shows the viewer that ‘John’ is the director of the film, as the film is shown to be his (“John Carpenter’s Halloween”). This also

tells the viewer that he played an incredibly important role within the creation of the film, as it literally

wouldn’t have been created without him.

In terms of Connotations, the Pumpkin (that conveniently stays next to the names that appear on screen throughout the sequence – while increasing in size – or zooming in) is a strong representation of

Halloween. The general assumption in Society, is that when you see a carved Pumpkin with a Candle lighting up the inside, it’s around the time of year for

Halloween.

Names Continued We’re then shown a succession of

other title screens, including “a Debra Hill Production” (which

shows to the viewer that she was a fellow Producer to the film, yet not

as important as the aforementioned ‘Moustapha Akkad’ – however she

still played a vital part in the creation of the movie)….

… as well as “introducing Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie”.

This shows the reader that the mentioned Actress may not be as famous as some of her Co-Stars; however the fact that she’s

the first of the other Actors to be mentioned – and more importantly, the first

Actor to be mentioned along with their character’s name – it suggests to the reader that she is Main Character.

Title Font

The font used for the Titles is Bold, and in a bright Orange colour – which contrasts with the background of the Sequence which is

always Black. This means that the Names stand out from the rest, which could be the Director’s way of stating that the film itself will be unlike other films of the time; something new that the audience

will like.

Furthermore, the Orange links with the theme of the film because Halloween is always associated with Orange colours (because

Pumpkins are generally linked with Halloween).

Narrative CluesAs mentioned previously, the audience is clearly shown from the

start that the film is about Halloween due to the Title itself, the font and the images used (i.e. the Pumpkin).

This links with the fact that most Horror Movies heavily hint the theme of the film during the Title Sequence (a good example

would be “Sweeney Todd” because throughout that there are lots of Razors and Blood used, which is what the film centres around). Similarly with Halloween, it strongly follows the conventions of a

Horror Movies.

Audience and Production Values

The Audience for Halloween would predominantly be young Males of the time (under 30) as the Main Character is a young Female which

would appeal to that age range.

You can also tell that the film is aimed at the younger Audience because Halloween is mainly associated as being a ‘child’s’ event (that it’s mainly

aimed at children). However, you could argue that the film is possibly aimed at the older generation as Horrors are usually watched by older people (16+), and when children go “trick or treating” they are usually

accompanied with adults, and sometimes they join in.

The Production Values are hinted at being quite low for this film, as the entire Opening Sequence is basically one shot of the Pumpkin slowly getting closer to the viewer; it wouldn’t have cost that much to create the sequence. Furthermore, there was only one “famous” Actor at the time, and all the other Actors weren’t particularly well known (which

implies that the Budget would have been toward the lower amounts).