JD. Analasis of an Opening Sequence - Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, Craven)

Genre 

• The film is a Super-Natural, Slasher horror. In the introduction, there are conventions which show the film to be supernatural, but also some elements which suggest it is a slasher horror, (things such as the glove with knives attached connotes the slasher horror genre.)
• there are many archetypal features which would cause the audience to expect the movie to  scare them from the opening sequence due to the use of props (bladed glove), the sound (Screams, intense loud music, mise-en-scene (lighting is dark)

Film Language    

• The title of the film comes onto the screen after we see a scene of someone making the 'bladed glove'. The title of the film appears on a plain, black background with the words “A Nightmare” in red and a very big bold font with “on elm street” in normal font in white. The red suggests blood. Again relating to slasher horror.
• There is a lengthy shot, where we see a woman walking/running while nervously looking around. This conveys that she is confused and lost, or perhaps even trapped  
• From the dialogue at the end, we can see that the female who we previously saw running around, is shy, and possibly has problems, due to her mother saying she needs to 'stop dreaming horrible things'.
• The non-diegetic sound used is very high pitched which creates a sense of unease, the volume increases at different parts to cause panic, and to further the sense of unease. There is also the sound of growls of the the presumed antagonist, however, he is never shown on screen. This creates a nervous atmosphere as we realise she is being watched, but we don't know by who. 
• The diegetic sound used, is the sound of heavy breathing from both the antagonist, and protagonist, which is loud and fast paced therefore creating an uneasy feeling. Also there are occasional screams which cause the audience to jump. Which helps to build up the scare factor.

 

 Narrative 

• In the sequence, we see someone's hands, which start to make sharp items. We are not shown his face but it soon reveals he has made a glove, with knives on the finger tips. A woman is then on screen seen running uneasily down a hallway looking confused, and frightened. She runs around a place which looks like an abandoned building. When something appears before her, she wakes up to show she dreamt it all, at this point her parents/guardians walk in, to ask if she is alright and tells her she needs to stop dreaming such horrible things.

Representation & Ideology

• A woman is featured in this extract. Her character represents dominant ideologies of women being weak, as she is seen distressed in the horror by screaming and running away, and generally looking somewhat pathetic. She is also shown in her nightgown which suggests vulnerability. The audience get the impression that she needs saving, and probably would not stand a chance defending herself if she were in danger. This reinforces stereotypes of women in film always needing saving and being the weaker sex.

Institutional Context

 

• The actors in the film were not classed as A list actors at the time. but have, since then become more famous. largely due to starring in this film. for example, an actor in the film who is considered an A list actor today is Johnny Depp (Glen Lantz.)
• The film is an independent film, produced by Media Home Entertainment and Smart Egg Pictures. The films budget was $1.8 million and the box office takings were $25.5 million.
• The film had a limited release and was considered a commercial success
• It can be detected that this film is independent due to the actors not being well known, or 'bankable stars'. 

Audience

• The target audience for this film is 15 – 25 year old males.  As we are presented with a sharp weapon and we see the antagonist come up behind the protagonist intending to kill her, it is clear the film will be a bloody, slasher style horror. This age group and gender are more likely to appeal to the blood factor of the film.