Horror Opening Sequence - Scream

Above is the opening sequence for Scream, made in 1996 and is a brutal 'whodunit' horror slasher. As the sequence starts the diegetic sound used are a telephone ringing, and Casey Becker (played by Drew Barrymore) answers happily. The camera tilts up showing Casey answer the telephone to a mystery caller; the man's voice is distorted and creepy. He has dialled the wrong number. Casey hangs up the phone turning back into her empty home; her house is a great distance from any others a regular theme for horror films as it creates a rural, terrifying element that no one can save you. The camera then cut to a mach on action sequence following the telephones second ring and Casey looking at the telephone, to a shot of the telephone to a shot of Casey picking it up. The same man has rang which causes instant alarm for Casey and this can be seen through a cantered shot of her speaking on the phone which can be perceived as a now warped view of the man on the telephone.

There is then a tilted shot of outside Casey's home showing a large tree and bushes outside emphasising the rural qualities of her 'perfect' American home. These bushes can be used as hiding places for the killer, and cast large shadows against the house leaving areas completing dark and frightening another regular theme of horror movies as the villain can hide easily. A close up shot shows Casey putting popcorn onto the hob, which is a casual thing to cook and is used in many horror flicks to show the normality of the victim which usually frightens the viewer; as they’re are as normal as me and you. The diegetic sound of the phone call is again heard and Casey, now annoyed, answers for a third time. The camera follows her with a tracking shot as she moves around the kitchen area. The camera shows Casey playing with the handle of a large knife whilst chatting on the phone with her killer, an instrument that issues harm and house-hold knives such as this are commonly used as a weapon or defensively in horror films. A tracking shot then follows Casey as she walks down the hallway of her home as they speak about past horror films (all films mentioned have similar plots; in which the murderer has killed teenagers in regular suburban homes, which adds viewers’ stress to the scene because the setting still seems normal however it is building tension as the viewer is now waiting for something brutal to happen).

The tracking shot is still following Casey through her home when the conversation turns sour, he asks her name saying 'I wanna know who I'm looking at' immediate terror is can be seen as the camera zooms in to a close up of her face which shows terror. A backing sound then plays which adds tension as the pitch is low and the tempo is slow; an ambient sound of a dog outside can be heard which draws the listener to remember the rural quality of Casey's home and how far she is from help. The camera cuts to a shot of outside her house showing the empty patio and the sound of crickets can be heard giving an eerie silence to her situation only interrupted by the non-diegetic soundtrack played on piano and string instruments. The camera awkwardly cuts to Casey turning the lights on and off and then match on action shots follow of her hanging up the phone.

The camera then cuts to the popcorn on the hob, this is a metaphor for the danger and fear Casey is in and is regularly edited back to reminding the viewer of this. The camera shoots Casey from outside her home looking in through the window as she answers the telephone, again, this could be from the killers perspective as we do not yet know where they are. The killer's voice is now angry as he says 'I told you not to hang up on me' in a threatening manner, this is used a lot in horror films as the villain needs control from the victim and often they treat them with no respect, and little patience. The camera is now backing away from Casey as she walks through the house which is the opposite to before, when she wasn't afraid of someone watching her. This change is to subtly show the viewer the difference in her authority now, beforehand she was happily answering phone calls from strangers and now she is being watched by a killer. The sound of the phone ringing can be heard again, and in the same shot the popcorn can be seen to be overcooking showing Casey's fear getting out of control. Casey now answers the phone call angrily 'listen asshole!' showing she is still trying for authority, a common trait of horror films the victims fight till the end before their gory bloody deaths.

The camera shot is then cantered portraying the disturbing situation Casey is in as well as the soundtrack picking up again which collaborates with the killer shouting down the telephone at Casey 'no you listen you little bitch, if you hang up on me again I'll cut you like a fish! Understand?’ Casey now realises the trouble she is in and the camera zooms onto her face to show her scared reaction. Another common trait used in horror films is threats by the killers early on to cause a quick reaction from the viewer and show the characters distress. The camera stays focused and zoomed in on Casey's face and turns to a tracking shot which follows her as she backs into the fridge which accentuates to the viewer that she has no where to go, increasing the fear factor. The asynchronous soundtrack dramatically changes to become louder and the tempo increases, the pitch of the orchestral music stays mainly low however is cut with sharp higher pitched string music. The tracking shot continues to follow Casey however now she in running rapidly down the hallway which is dramatically altered due to the tension-filled music. This genre of music is often used in horror films to add suspense and create tension for the viewer whilst being indigenous to the actions on screen.

Casey can be seen hastily locking the doors of her house as they become in focus on the camera shots, the camera then cuts to a shot outside Casey's front door which looks through her front window at her which again quickly cuts to a point of view shot from Casey looking out the window, the camera is handheld giving it a nervous and shaky view, this is commonly used in horror films to create anxiety for the viewer such films as The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield use it throughout. The soundtrack has stopped and only the sound; the victims heavy breathing can be heard as the camera shakily looks though the window at the fog at the front of her house. Vision problems such as this are regularly used in horror films to cast a sense of unknowing and an eerie air across the screen. The ambient sound of crickets can be heard in the background as the camera cuts to seeing Casey through the window again. A full body shot of Casey shows her protesting to the killer over the phone that she will call the police, he replies 'they'd never make it in time', which is used in horror films to show the victim has no escape and thus scares the viewer. The soundtrack can be heard again loudly as Casey hangs up her phone after the killer declares he wants to 'see what her insides look like!' this gory threat is used by the creators to enthral the viewer and have them on the edge of there seats.

The diegetic sound of a doorbell ringing can be heard and Casey screams, bending over in fear before the camera edits to cut to an eye line shot of the door before quickly back to a full body shot of Casey stood crying in the hallway. Casey uses the classic line used in horror films: a shaky 'who's there?’ before the telephone rings again causing Casey and the viewer to again be startled from fear. As Casey answers the phone call the camera zooms towards her slowly building tension and suspense before cutting to an eye line shot of the door being zoom out of at Casey's point of view. As the camera follows Casey backwards into the lounge area of her house she protests on the phone that her boyfriend will defend her against the killer, this is another common trait in horror films; the victim will try and scare the killer, to no avail, before giving up and begging for mercy. The camera zooms into Casey's face as the killer reveals her boyfriends name 'his name wouldn't be Steve, would it?', showing panic and realisation as the victim now knows she has no way out of her premature and gruesome death, also a non-diegetic drum sound can be heard which emphasises the point of realisation which installs fear into the viewer. The drum beat pounds again after the killer directs Casey to turn the patio lights on which helps build tension for the sequence. A tracking shot shows Casey slowly walk to the light switch, trembling and crying heavily - this is also commonly used in horror movies to emphasise the victim’s fears.

The editing cuts to a camera shot taken outside the house looking in on Casey, and quickly cuts to a wide shot of the patio outside showing her boyfriend 'Steve' strapped to a chair and covered in his own blood. The main trait for mise-en-scene in horror movies is an over-load of blood, this is used frequently in this slasher horror and is first seen only five minutes in, also 'Steve's' clothes are torn another commonly used theme in horror movies to scare the viewers. Casey's scream can be heard again as she can be seen fiddling with the patio lock through a match on action shot, quickly closing it again at the killers command. The camera cuts to show a medium close-up of Steve pulling and fidgeting in the seat trying to release himself but to no avail, he looks directly at Casey fear across his face as blood runs from the numerous cuts on his body. Behind him mise-en-scene shows a typically horror-film scary garden with fog used to distort the vision, adding shadows and it is clear there is nobody around to help her. The sequence ends with Casey being asked to 'play a game' with the killer which is another common trait of horror movies and has been used as a key role in the 'Saw' franchise.

Anna.