Halloween Questions

How does the start exemplify a common technical code and convention of the horror genre?

At the start of the film a little boy, Mike Myers, murders his older sister. He does this using a big knife, this exemplifies the convention of horror as knives, chainsaws and other sharp objects are usually used as opposed to guns. At the start of the film you can hear heavy breathing, this links to the mask which follows the costume and props convention of a traditional horror.

How does the setting fit in with the horror genre?

It is set in a suburban area which is common in horror films as it gives a realistic feel to it, this is mainly because if the area was not secluded it would be a lot easier to escape the killer. The film is also set around Halloween which clearly links in with the horror theme.

What iconography of “innocence” do we hear or see early on?

Laurie, the main character, is portrayed early on as very innocent. At the beginning of the film she tries smoking with her friend in the car and it is clear that she is not used to it as she coughs a lot, she is also virginal and feels uncomfortable talking about sex. She also decides to baby-sit instead of going to one of her friends parties, again portraying her innocence.

What was the main industry impact of Halloween?

The main industry impact of Halloween was that it spawned lots of ‘copy-cat’ films which had a huge impact on the industry.

Name some “slasher” films which followed on from Halloween.

After Halloween was released other “slasher” films were released such as: Friday 13^th, Bloody Valentine, Hell Night and The Slayer.

What are the four plot rules of the “slasher” film sub-genre which Halloween began?

The four plot rules of the “slasher” film sub-genre that Halloween began were:

·        -A traumatic event in the past creates a psychopathic killer.

·        -The killer returns the site of the event, usually on a specific date in the present that allows the maker of the film to use a calendar motif in the title.

·        -The killer stalks and graphically kills a group of obnoxious and stupid  teens of both sexes, usually with some king of blade, often a garden or farm implement.

·        -A ‘final girl’ survives, usually boyish and often virginal, to thwart the killer, although he is never entirely vanquished.

Give three ways in which Laurie is androgynous.

Laurie is very androgynous, for example she doesn’t not dress in the ‘slutty’ manor that the other female teens in the film do, and she does not wear any make-up. She also has a square jaw and a deep voice which ass to her masculine features.

 What does the extract mean by “a reactionary sexual agenda”?

This means punishing people who sin, for example people who smoke and have sex, and to let the virginal people survive.

How does the director, John Carpenter, counter the suggestion that Halloween had a reactionary sexual agenda?

The director, John Carpenter, countered the suggestion that Halloween uses the reactionary sexual agenda because Laure was always the target, perhaps she just got lucky.

Why does Mike Myers kill his sister?

The reason for Mike Myers killing his sister is that he was born evil, when she had sex this triggered off this evil within him, causing him to stab her to death.