Media Studies

A2 Genre Study

HISTORIC TEXT 7
“Halloween” (1978)
Directed by John Carpenter
 How was “Halloween”
created?
 Director John Carpenter had
just found success with his
second film “Assault on
Precinct 13” (1976).
 Following a conversation
with Irwin Yablans,
Carpenter and Debra Hill
started to write a screenplay
about a babysitter being
stalked.
 The result of this
collaboration was initially
called “The Babysitter
Murders”, but was changed
to be called “Halloween”.
Intertextuality: what other texts
influenced “Halloween”?
 “Psycho” (1960)
Links are seen in the use of the name SAM LOOMIS
(Marion Crane’s boyfriend), the casting of Jamie Lee
Curtis (Janet Leigh’s daughter), and the minimal use of
onscreen bloodshed for maximum psychological effect.

 “Night of the Living Dead” (1968)

This influence is seen in the ending, where “Halloween”
chooses not to maintain convention and leave the ending
open. According to Carpenter, this ambivalence is due to
the notion at the heart of the text – “That true evil never
dies”.

 “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974)

The character of Michael Myers is similar to Leatherface in
terms of wearing masks to hide their true identities, the
variety of means used to kill characters, and most
importantly that neither villain has a line of dialogue.
Iconography: the character of
Michael Myers (“The Shape”)
 “The Shape” wears two masks in the
film – one as a child and the other as
a man. There is a suggestion of
psychological confusion or
schizophrenia here, as Myers only
kills when not showing his true face.
 The mask worn by the adult Michael
Myers is a William Shatner mask
which has been distorted and
painted white to give it an eerie and
vacant expression.
 The physical presence of the
character adds to the menace. He is
very tall and walks slowly and calmly
towards his victim. He never speaks
or shows any emotion.
 As a result of the film, the word
‘Halloween’, now creates an
automatic association with Michael
Myers and his image. This is true
iconography.
 Gender representation: is
“Halloween” a feminist horror film?
 Like Sally Hardesty in “Texas
Chainsaw”, Laurie Strode is
an intelligent female
protagonist who escapes the
evil.
 The women in the text are
sexually active and
responsible for themselves,
with little reliance on men.
 Female characters in
“Halloween” are not one-
dimensional. They all have a
key role to play in the
narrative.
 Apart from Laurie Strode, the
other women are not
especially sympathetic.
 Analysing the syntax: key
scenes from “Halloween”
Four influential sequences exist in the 1978
text “Halloween”.

These are:

1. The opening sequence, where young Michael Myers murders his sister.
2. Laurie Strode being stalked by Michael Myers.
3. The attack on Lynda.
4. The final confrontation between Laurie, Dr Loomis and Michael Myers.

Watch these scenes again and deconstruct them, considering the following :

Mise-en-scène, Cinematography,
Representation,
Audience, Narrative, Editing, Sound,
 The low budget origins of
“Halloween”
 The movie was made for $350,000 in 1978.
 The film was shot in under three weeks.
 In total, the completed “Halloween”
grossed $50,000,000 worldwide. This
meant a total profit of 143 times the
original budget, making it the second most
successful independent motion picture of
all time.
 Until 1999 “Halloween” was the most
profitable film in history, until that record
was beaten by “The Blair Witch Project”
 Is the film making a social
comment on promiscuity?
 “Halloween” seems to associate sexual activity with
death.
 The characters of Lynda, Annie and Bob are killed
by Michael Myers in situations linked to sexual
activity.
 The figure of Laurie Strode is the only virginal
character in the piece – therefore compared to
everyone else her survival appears obvious.
 John Carpenter maintains that he was not
attempting to make any kind of moral standpoint
through the film.
 Nevertheless, the rules of death and survival
created within “Halloween” have been copied in a
variety of genre texts until the present day.
 Strengths & weaknesses of
“Halloween”
1. “Halloween” started the popularity
and success of the independent
horror film.
2. The film uses minimal gore to
ensure maximum psychological
effect.
3. “Halloween” contains an excellent
set of terrifying visual set pieces.
4. The cinematography brilliantly
uses peripheral misdirection to
maximise the scare factor.
5. The direction by John Carpenter is
taut and precise.
1. “Halloween” contains some
peripheral characters who are rather
underdeveloped.
2. The film is solely responsible for a
slew of violent imitators from the
1970s to the present, the majority of
which are derivative and ineffective.
3. “Halloween” moved on to become a
franchise, following the rule of
continually diminishing returns.
4. It is possible that the power of the
movie has been diminished due to
over familiarity with the character of
Michael Myers.
 Practical Exercise 1: how
was “Halloween” made?
In order to enhance your understanding of this text, you are
going to watch the documentary on the making of “Halloween”.
Entitled “Halloween: Unmasked”, it contains key details about
the making of the film and its impact.

Working individually, you are going to watch the 30 minute programme and
complete the worksheet that you will be given.

The worksheet has 3 boxes which require you to look specifically at the
preparation for the film, how the movie was shot, and what happened after it
was completed. Your task is to fill in the sheet by listening carefully, and then
writing down as much as possible in the relevant box.

The boxes are intended to be in the order that they are discussed in the
programme. However, there may be exceptions to this rule at some points, so
be prepared!
 Practical Exercise 2: a press
release booklet
Working in pairs, you are going to design a 2007 cinema re-release
promotional booklet for “Halloween”.

The booklet should run to 4 sides of A5, printed on 2 sides of A4 and folded in half.

The booklet should use images from the film and positive text to sell the movie to
cinema owners. The booklet should contain the following 4 parts, with one on
each side of the A5 booklet.

1. A front cover – this must be visual and eye-catching.

2. A synopsis (overview) of the film.
3. The reasons why the movie is being re-released. Here you should praise the film
and compare it to other contemporary genre titles.
4. Press reviews of “Halloween” – these can be obtained from the Internet.

The completed booklet will be marked and used as part of your assessment for this
term. GOOD LUCK!