Robyn Marriner

How does the Halloween trailer adhere to the codes and conventions to the slasher horror
sub-genre?
The trailer Halloween adheres to the codes and conventions of the slasher sub horror genre
with the paradigms that are used within the flms chosen location/setting, characters,
sound, props, and camera work.
Halloween applies the codes and conventions with the use of camera work as the trailer uses
a hand held camera, which is a typical camera movement in a horror movie. With the use of
a hand held camera, it can be perceived as a hint that the camera is shaking as a
character/victim is being watched from the moving killer, therefore we can see who the
killer is stalking from their standing point. It can also portray a sense of panic within the
scene which is needed to create a tense atmosphere within a horror. In addition to this a
point of view shot helps the trailer adhere to the codes and conventions of this genre as a
camera shot looking through a mask is used, therefore we see what the killer is seeing. This
plays in to the structuralism of a horror movie as one of the key icons to the structuralist
flm theory is to have the main character/killer. Therefore by including a point of view shot
we can see that there is a killer and from his point of view we see the gory acts that take
place.
The trailer of Halloween additionally adheres to the codes and conventions to the slasher
sub-horror genre with the use of setting/location, as within the trailer a woman seated in
her car in the rain starts screaming indicating that the killer is near. This is typical in a
slasher horror as it has often been shown in horrors of the victim sat in a car in the rain, as
the killer would want the noise from the weather to cover the sound of screaming. In
addition to this the setting plays into this due to parts of the flm being played at night. This
is a clich in horrors as night time can be associated with crime and danger and the darkness
(if there is little lighting) may also symbolise limited hope if the victim is trying to escape.
The use of sound in this trailer contributes to the following to the codes and conventions as.
The non-diegetic eerie music creates a tense atmosphere for the audience which is needed in
this genre of flm to keep the audience on edge. In addition to this loud, sudden, unexpected
noises can help create an adrenaline rush in the audience due to making them jump which is
needed to keep the audience interested and endure the flm is not predictable.
Overall the use of camera work, setting and sound helps the trailer to adhere to the codes
and conventions by using the 4 icons within the structuralist theory to create the typical
clichs that you watch within a horror movie.