Halloween

Recently I watched Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978), Friday the 13th (Sean Cunningham, 1980) and Nightmare on Elm Street (Wes Craven, 1984) and noticed that both films have the same formula as all slasher films of this era. Most victims in these films happen to be teenagers in distress (Gill 17) and have to defend themselves against the natural being, while avoiding dangerous and vigorous temptations that most teenagers encounter (sex, drugs or drinking). That is what most if not all slasher films formula was.

            Ever since the release of John Carpenter’s 1978 film Halloween it paved the way for a new brand of slasher films and imitators. Due to the significance of Halloween, the film would usher in an era known as the “Golden Age of slasher films.” (Harper 16) Filmmakers and film industries wanted to produce slasher films because if an independent film like Halloween could bring in that much profit it could be very profitable.

            Halloween opens in a small Illinois town on Halloween night 1963. It starts off with two teenaged lovers making out, who leave the room to go upstairs. We then are in the characters point of view, as he goes in the kitchen, grabs a knife, and kills his sister. We now know the character as Michael Myers and it zooms out and we go forward fifteen years later. Michael escapes the insane asylum he was put into; heads back to his home, and stalks a babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) throughout the neighborhood. Only Laurie notices that she is stalked by Michael; her friends are completely oblivious. We then change frames to Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasance) who is trying to stop Michael and convincing people how dangerous he is and must be stopped. Laurie is babysitting and unbeknownst to her, Michael is stalking her friend Annie who is also babysitting and kills her. Then Laurie’s friend Lynda and her boyfriend enter the house Annie was at thinking she’d be there but is not and they get killed. Laurie goes and investigates what happen to Lynda and her boyfriend. She then finds them dead and finds Michael and flees. Michael then chases her, Dr. Loomis arrives, shoot him six times and he falls through the window. They then look out the window that he has disappeared, ending the film with a feeling of dread and uncertainty.

            Many themes that occur in this film are that beautiful women are gruesomely murdered, teenage couples hiding from their parents to have premarital sex and the survival of the “Final Girl” or the survivor of the film (Clover 342). Halloween, features three female characters, informing the viewers of the film that one will survive. Another good aspect in this film is first person perspective because in this film the first part is the killer’s point of view. We are going through the house and having the sensation of what is he doing with that knife. Also in some scenes, we are in Michael’s (or the killer’s view). When Michael is stalking Laurie, the camera is positioned to what he sees. The same camera movement was used in Friday the 13th, where most of the time we are in the killer’s view, until towards the end of the film. 

             What Halloween, Nightmare and Friday the 13th have in common though is their iconic music scores. Halloween features one of the most iconic scores by John Carpenter that has become one of the most iconic musical elements in the horror genre. In Nightmare on Elm Street everyone is familiar with “1 2 Freddy’s coming 3 4 Better lock your door” every time someone hears that everyone fears of falling asleep. Friday the 13th is famous for abbreviating the words kill and mommy into the iconic “Ki ki ki ma ma ma ma” whisper heard throughout that makes the viewer jump every time Mrs. Voorhees shows up. What keeps the slasher films going is the different themes and scores that make these films scary and chilling.

            These films all share the same camera movement first person perspective putting us in the killer’s view. Most of the victims being teens doing rigorous things, always have the “Final Girl” and the similar scores and music. Also, they make so much money everyone is going into that business. This is what majority of what the Golden Age of Slasher films were and will continue to be.

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Works Cited

Friday the 13th. Dir. Sean Cunningham. Paramount Pictures, 1980. Film.

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Halloween. Dir. John Carpenter. Compass International, Falcon Productions, 1978. Film

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Nightmare on Elm Street. Dir. Wes Craven. New Line Cinema, 1984. Film

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Clover, Carol J. Men, women and chainsaws: gender in the modern horror film. Princeton, NJ: Princeton U, 1997. Print.

GILL, PAT. “The Monstrous Years: Teens, Slasher Films, and the Family.” Journal of Film and Video, vol. 54, no. 4, 2002, pp. 16–30., www.jstor.org/stable/20688391.

Harper, Jim. Legacy of blood: a comprehensive guide to slasher movies. Manchester: Critical Vision, 2004. Web.