Scream Opening

How does the opening of Scream follow the structuralist theory of horror?

In this essay I will be discussing how the horror film “Scream” follows the structural theory of the horror genre. Most horror films follow almost exactly the same format and although scream does challenge some of horror films conventions it also conforms to the usual horror film structure. The film does this by the use paradigms which are iconography, structure and theme used throughout the film.

The main area of codes and conventions used in horror is iconography, through the use of the iconography we define the film as a “horror”. The characters in scream are a good example of iconography as the characters are those that are usually used in horror film. The setting of “Scream” is a very important part of it following the codes and conventions of the horror film genre. “Scream” is set in a large house, it later becomes apparent that the house is very isolated as the killer says, “we're out in the middle of nowhere”. The house is also surrounded by a forest, a deserted road and it is set a night time. By setting the horror somewhere dark and isolated it makes the character more alone and able to call for help therefore making the view more scared as it seems there is no way out. The large house also makes the film more exciting as the killer is able to chase the victim around this would not have the same affect in a small apartment.

The characters are also a key part of the iconography as this is another way in which paradigms are shown so that the film can be identified as a horror. The lead character a young female, this makes her more vulnerable and an easy target for the killer. The female characters very stereotypically as women screams and cries however she is defeated by the killer. In “Scream” the killer is masked and wears black and he is also an anonymous caller, this is done so that the killer is mysterious and essentially could be anyone making it more scary. This is a key feature in most films for similar reasons and so that anyone can play the lead character and many sequels can be made rather, which makes production companies a lot more money which is another reason why the killer never dies in horror films including “scream”.The characters of “Casey's” boyfriend is the first to be killed again this conforms to the usual narrative of horror and conforms to the idea of final girl theory. When he is killed he is tired up making him trapped and his killing is more of torture.

Another paradigm is the structure of the horror film, this is used by sound and editing creating the atmosphere of horror films, this is used in most horror movies. The editing in “Scream” is very similar to sub genre of the “slasher” horrors as lots of quick jump cuts are used during the action to match the viewers in increasing heartbeat. Point of view shots are also used to make the audience feel part of the action, making the film scarier. The music is also very similar to other horror films of this kind as loud music orchestral music is played whilst the action is happening and then there are parts were silence or quiet music is played as that is more threatening.

The final area of horror film paradigms is theme, theme is used very differently in this horror film compared to others. As in “Scream” the reality and fiction is blurred because the characters in this film openly discuss horror films making the film more realistic and this even becomes part of the fear created in the audience as they can relate to it. However there are some themes found in “Scream” that are found in usual horror films such as women being terrorized. The female character is shown to be possibly sexually active so she therefore must be punished for being impure. Her character also flirts with the anonymous caller even though she has a boyfriend giving the view the idea that she deserves to be killer or tortured for being unfaithful. the killer which is the idea of horror being linked to rape fantasy as the films are made by men and the main target audience is young men and this is what they what to see.