Horror- Analysis of Film Openings

A closer look at action, print styles and music used to establish the codes and conventions of Horror
Films in their opening sequences.
Action:
Most of the Horror Films that I analyzed tended to use imagery and iconography to introduce the tone
of the film- allowing the audience to make their own inferences about what is contained in the plot.
Often the shots were pieced together by the end of the opening sequence, to give the audience an idea
of what they might expect to see in the film itself. Shots with images of blood and fire,
which are related to the film content.

Characters and
settings are
introduced.

Quick cuts that

merge together
to quickly reveal
the narrative.

Line animation
allows audience
to infer plot
information and
character
personalities.

Above are a few stills from the opening few minutes of: Evil Dead, Alien 3, Dawn of the Dead, and
Psycho. As you can see from Evil Dead, the action in the opening sequence doesnt include dialogue or
actors- it just includes cuts of images that suggest the tone of the film, while introducing the credits. For
example, as the directors name appears as the audience sees trickles of viscous blood dripping down a
wall: making them know instantly that the film will have horrific and possibly violent elements in it. It
will also make them wonder what will happen in the film that will include lots of blood. The idea of who
the horrible images will affect is evident in another shot, where you can clearly see human hair, a
chainsaw and splatters of blood, which all have deadly connotations. There is also another shot of fire,
which has connotations of fear and danger, and when coupled with blood the audience can already infer
that the film is going to end in disastrous consequences, without being introduced to any characters or
settings.
 Horror- Analysis of Film Openings
Looking at the opening sequence of Alien, you can see that the audience are introduced to the
characters and the beginning of the narrative. The credits appear on a black and starry background,
which indicates the genre of the film and the fact it may be set in space. There are more shots of green
acid being poured and heads of creatures hung up on the ceiling, which implies that the film is definitely
going to feature aliens, before the title has even been shown. We also see shots of an alien figure in a
long tube, with her eyes closed, and a female voice stating the ship has been interrupted. This shows
further evidence that she may has been created or tested on in a scientific lab, and she is just about to
be activated or woken up. It also shows that the ship is in crisis, and it might land on earth- where the
alien figure may cause some problems. A narrative is also introduced when the audience see a spaceship
flying towards earth, and landing in the sea with an explosion: this implies that aliens could be
experiencing their first time on earth, and could potentially be pitted against humans.
Moreover, in the Dawn of the Dead opening sequence the audience can quickly infer the overall theme
of the film- through the dialogue and the shots shown. There are lots of quick cuts to heighten the
tension of the audience, and to also show how quickly the situation is escalating. The situation is
revealed through news reporters talking about a virus, and more dialogue of people asking if it is
airborne or not. You can clearly see that the virus is very serious, as the quick cuts are of people who
have caught are screaming and bleeding- as the virus has turned them into zombies. The idea of the
virus mutating humans is solidified even more when there are multiple shots of cell division occurring:
making the film seem more scientific and therefore more realistic to the audience.
In Psycho there arent any shots of actual objects or characters in the opening sequence, but there is
animation of lines. This could be explained due to the time the film was made, when it was expensive to
have any colorful objects or images shot for the opening sequence. There are grey lines against a black
background which are introducing the credits, which could suggest a prison uniform, a cell itself, or a
metaphor for the protagonists state of mind.

Print Styles:
In the opening sequences of horror films, the print styles play crucial roles to indicate what themes will
be prevalent in the films. The production companies logos conform to the order of the appearance of
credits. But they also subvert from the ones you would normally see on a daily basis, to fit in with the
tone and genre of the film- therefore also creating continuity.

Red, bold serif font- conforms to horror

genre. The branches in the background of the
text denote a potential setting.
 Horror- Analysis of Film Openings
White bold serif
font- conforms to
space setting and
could indicate
the alien being
the main
protagonist.

Red, bold serif

font- implies
genre and the
brutality of the
film.

White bold serif

font- indicates
mindset of
protagonist and
his situation
(prison uniform.)

In the opening sequence of Evil Dead the title appears before any of the credits: which subverts from
the general convention of most films, as the production information comes first. The film was produced
by Aparato, which isnt a well-known production company like any of the Big Six- that could explain why
that isnt stated at all in the opening sequence. The title is revealed in a large block serif font, in the
colour red- which has connotations of danger and violence, and could resemble blood. Bare trees are
also inside the letters, which allows the audience to see that the film could be set in the winter, or in the
woods, which could be where the climatic and horrific part could happen. The idea of murder and
savagery is solidified when all the production text is presented in the red serif font, while accompanied
with brutal images of blood and chainsaws- all tying together to set the overall tone of the film.
Furthermore, in Alien, the convention of the credits appearing first is followed, as we see Twentieth
Century Fox Presents, and A Brandywine Production, followed by the title. The font is serif, and white-
which gives it a minimalistic and simple tone. Looking back at the action section for Alien, the fact that
we see a female alien figure in a tube coupled together with the text colours may suggest this alien is
pure, (white), and may have tried to be corrupted by others, (black.) The production credits appear on a
black and starry background, which indicates that the film could be set in space or start there. Another
interpretation is that the white colour against the black background stands out, which could imply
something like an alien, will stand out and cause trouble- especially if they end up on earth.
In Dawn of the Dead the opening sequence is similar to Evil Dead, due to the colours and the font
styles. Once again, it follows the convention of the production credits being presented first, as the
audience sees Universal Pictures Presents and A Strike Entertainment/ New Amsterdam Production
followed by the title. Universal Pictures Presents disappears from the screen as dripping blood, which
implies the nature and tone of the film: brutality and horror. All of the text is in a red, block serif font,
and heavily stands out against a black screen, so the audience can clearly see this is a horror film that
will have all of the conventions of the genre in it. Dawn and Dead are emphasized as they are in bold,
which suggests the content and narrative of the film. Dead is also in a larger font, which implies that
one of the main themes of the film will be death, and the fact it is in red lettering imitates blood, which
once again could be a prevalent thing in the film.
 Horror- Analysis of Film Openings
In the opening sequence of Psycho, conventions are conformed to as we see A Paramount Release,
but we also see Alfred Hitchcocks, which is quite unusual as the smaller production company is
normally revealed before the director- and it isnt in as a big font. This could be different due to the time
of when the film was produced, as a big production company may just have overseen it or promoted it.
There definitely wouldnt have been enough budget to employ people in different areas, such a smaller
production company, music or effects: so the director, (Alfred Hitchcock), may have had a much bigger
part in these areas than a director would have now. This is also suggested by the fact that the directors
name appears at both the beginning and the end of the opening sequence.
The white text on the black background immediately emits a sinister and perhaps thrilling tone, coupled
with the music. The black and white colours could also represent a prison uniform, and the graphic lines
that reveal the production credits could also represent a cell. The production credits and other text,
(such as the director, title, art and effects), arent revealed immediately, and are also fragmented and
not clear, which could suggest the concealment of the killers identity. Also the lines move from left to
right, and when paired with the fragmentation it looks very distorted. This could imply a stabbing
motion, frenetic killing- or the protagonist, (the psychos), state of mind.

Music:
The music in the opening sequence of horror films establishes the overall tone, and can give the
audience clues about setting, plot and characters: while setting the levels of apprehensive throughout
the whole audience.
The music in the opening sequence of Evil Dead is paired with a choir singing, and at the beginning
where the film title is shown there is a crescendo reached. Due to the film being titled Evil Dead this
could indicate the film will have a central theme of death, and could link to choirs singing in churches-
where funerals are held. There is choral singing by the choir throughout the whole opening sequence,
and a track layered with it which has quite low pitch sounds, and slightly higher pitches. This gives the
film an ominous tone, as the music implies someone sneaking around- therefore increasing audience
apprehension.
In the opening sequence of Alien, sound effects are more predominant than music- but it is still
prevalent in the background. There is a high pitched choir singing throughout the whole sequence,
which sounds quite erratic, implying there is urgency and tenseness within the plot of the film. There is
also instrumental sci-fi music at certain parts of the film, which clearly suggests the genre of the film, but
still unnerves the audience when coupled with the choir music.
The music in the opening sequence of Dawn of the Dead is quite discomforting for the audience, as it is
quite upbeat acoustic music. However it is layered over gruesome sound effects, (screaming, gun shots
and ambulance sound), and dialogue between doctors, or a doctor and a patient: Is it airborne? It
 Horror- Analysis of Film Openings
could be a possibility. This is frightening for the audience, as the music is sounds quite normal, unlike
the events that are unfolding in the film. The music suggests that something could so easily come along
and disrupt everyones daily lives- which could be fatal like a disease. The whole idea of the film is quite
unnerving, especially as it very realistic to the normal lives of people, and music plays a big role in
increasing the tension of the audience.
In the opening sequence of Psycho, the music emits a panic atmosphere. There are lots of high pitched
string sounds, which would remind the audience of a scream; these are layered with low pitch sounds-
which could indicate a killer figure. The tempo of the music is upbeat and fast, and suggests chase
music- which therefore builds up suspense and tension. The music of the opening sequence gives the
whole film an overall sinister and thrilling tone.