Halloween: Stalk scene analysis

In the film 'Halloween' (1978) John Carpenter; the film keeps the audience on edge by it's use of atmosphere, above all else. It's a film that relies heavily on shadows, angles and a heightened sense of realism through hand-held camera shots and effective use of music.

The scene begins in heavy darkness, with a slow tracking shot of the final girl as she walks through the house. At this point the music is slow, but it jolts the viewers by becoming high pitched as one by one the killer's victims are revealed.

The final girl is usually held in an off-centre shot for most of this scene, allowing us to see behind her and down the corridor, adding to the impression that the killer could be hiding just out of shot and teasing us for a reveal.

There's a great jump scare as another body is hung down from behind, catching both us and the final girl by surprise. By this point in the film she has become the viewpoint character for the audience, and we experience her surprise with her. We can hardly see her as the shadows have increased, making her isolated and increasingly vulnerable.

Again, we have an advantage as we see Michael Myers move forward before Laurie does, and this brings us back to the feeling of helplessness, knowing what's going to happen but being unable to warn against it. The knife slashing down and the fall from the stairs disorientate us; the music picking up pace slightly signifies that the next scene will be fast-moving.

We see Michael from the bottom of the stairs, he has become a shape, the low angle suggesting his power and dominace over the desperate Laurie. When she escapes from the house, Michael disappears again, his lack of presence actually making him more terrifying as both Laurie the character and the viewers watching are constantly searching the screen to try and see if they can spot him.