Horror Analysis - A Nightmare On Elm Street

Horror Analysis

 Nightmare on Elm Street both subverts and conforms to the generic codes and conventions of the horror genre. In the opening two minutes, the audience are introduced to the suggested female victim and the suggested male antagonist, however the gender of the antagonist is unclear as only his hands are in shot, keeping his identity hidden. This conforms to the genre as typically there is a female victim who is made to look helpless and vulnerable, and a powerful male antagonist who takes advantage of the female victim in whichever way he chooses – typically resulting in an abduction or brutal murder. The hidden identity of the antagonist is also a strong indicator of the horror genre as it helps to build suspense and scare the audience as it creates a feeling of the unknown. Typically the female victim is young, blonde and pretty, as seen in many other films of the same genre, such as Scream. This helps to make the plot more realistic and believable as it implies the character is a ‘typical blonde’ and therefore produces reasoning behind her immature decisions, putting her in further danger, such as choosing to hide in the centre of the danger rather than escape. The use of location conforms to the genre as it is somewhat scary, in an abandoned warehouse, in the dark. In a similar way to many horror films this makes the female victim look defenceless and exposed to the danger that is inevitably lurking. The location is big and dark, making the victim look smaller and trapped, as well as making it harder for both the audience and the character to see what is going on, increasing the scare factor. The abandoned warehouse with all of the tools and equipment is less stereotypical to the generic horror film and more stereotypical towards the slasher films which result in more gruesome, violent activities – hence the knives and various tools. As previously mentioned, the lighting is dark and unclear, making it difficult for the audience to determine the activities of the antagonist, making them feel slightly uncomfortable and very wary of him. The heavy sound of the antagonist’s breathing also worries the audience as it suggests the activities taking place are strenuous as well as dangerous, making them fearful and slightly panicky. The dark clothing of the suggested antagonist and light clothing of the suggested victim are clear indicators, making obvious to the audience which character is the victim and which is the villain.

 

The use of sound is important as little happens in the first two minutes so it is important for the audience’s attention to be grasped. The discordant, eerie music makes the audience feel uncomfortable, and as it grows louder it causes the audience to jump. The non-diegetic sound of a male screaming/shouting and his evil laugh scares the audience and makes the antagonist seem threatening which worries the audience. The dubbed sound of him working on his tools emphasises the danger of them and suggests he has bad intentions. The non-diegetic sound of the weather is unrealistic as the film is situated within a warehouse, however it is a common sound effect used in horror films as stormy/bad weather often connotes negative feelings. The heavy sound of the female breathing and emphasised scream also adds to the audience’s discomfort and makes the whole opening scene unnerving. Camera shots are cleverly used in order to hide the antagonist’s identity, with close ups only focussing on his hands and the work he is doing. This suggests to the audience that the antagonist is dangerous, and clearly unhinged, making him even more threatening. Close ups are also used on the female victim to introduce her to the audience and to display her emotions. A long shot is used to follow her actions as she runs towards the camera and also display the surroundings around her, introducing the audience to where the plot will take place, helping to set the scene. The long shot effectively makes the female victim look small and vulnerable in comparison to her surroundings, and also suggests to the audience how she is scared and lost, shown by her emotions – this makes the audience fearful for her. The editing pace is slowed when the antagonist’s hands are in shot, allowing the audience to take in the full extent of his work, displaying all his dangerous tools. Although the editing pace is slowed when the antagonist is in shot, it is relatively slow throughout with little happening, which intrigues the audience as nothing is given away. The antagonist also has much more prevalence than the female victim, suggesting that the plot will revolve around him and his actions. The titles subvert from the horror genre as the font is soft and round which is unusual as it isn’t scary - this may be because the film is old fashion. On the other hand, the way the title of the film jumps out conforms to the genre as it creates a cliff hanger and makes the audience jump. The colour scheme is also generic as it is relatively plain with black, white or red suggesting danger and setting a dark tone to the film.