Evaluating Opening Credits in Horror Films

Action:
Usually in the opening credits of horror movies no main characters are
introduced and no dialogue is used, however we are still introduced to the genre
of the film by the imagery. The imagery in opening credits for horror movies
shows the audience what genre the film is and key parts of the film, this is done
by using different types of imagery. In the film Psycho there are lines that enter
the screen, which could represent stabbing. Also the lines appear quickly onto
the screen, which could show that there will be panic in the film or a chase in the
film.

In the film The Ring the audience are instantly introduced to the well, which is a
key part of the film and also short sections of the videotape is show, which is
what the film is based around. The genre of horror is shown through imagery in
The Ring by the sight of blood in the glass, which represents violence and
through the sinister videotape.

Final Destination 4 is another good example of a classic horror movie as it

introduces no characters and n dialogue is heard, but the audience are in no
doubt what the genre of the film is and what they should expect in the film. The
opening credits of Final destination 4 shows a skeleton being penetrated by
objects such as, knifes, glass, metal poles and screws. Also the text on the
screen is destroyed in horrific ways, such as a crane smashing the text and
elevator doors squashing the text. All of these horrific images happen to the
characters in the film, so the audience knows what to expect in the film.

Not all horror films follow the usual pattern of not introducing main characters
and having no dialogue. For example in the opening credits of Nightmare In Elm
Street (2010 version) we are introduced to the main character, but as a young
girl in pre-school. This is because the film is based on what happened to her and
her class in pre-school.

However, even though one of the main characters is shown, this film still has all
the other usual features of a horror opening. We are shown a picture of the whole
class, which is then destroyed; this tells us that something happened to this
class. Images of school toys burning are shown, so the audience knows that this
school is a key part of the film and a fire will occur in the film. Also the images
are sown in slow motion to create a sinister atmosphere.

Another film that doesnt quite fit the usual expectations of a horror opening is
Dawn Of The Dead because dialogue is used in the opening credits. The
dialogue is heard from the president of America stating that they dont know
anything about the crisis they are in and also reporters commenting on the
destruction the crisis has caused.

Other than the dialogue being used, Dawn Of The Dead still uses the key
features of a horror film opening that the audience expects. It shows images of
mass destruction, which shows the audience that a massive crisis has happened.
Whilst the images of mass destruction are shown, images of zombies are shown.
The audience can then see that this film is about zombies and the zombies have
caused the mass destruction. The audience can identify all of this without being
told, which shows a good film opening.

Print styles:
By looking at the print style of a film, the audience can expect to see certain
things within the film and they can possibly see what the sub-genre is. A typical
opening to a horror movie would have block capital letters in bold to create a
sinister and serious atmosphere. In 'Psycho' the bold, block capital letters first
have a broken appearance so the audience don't know what the word says,
which could represent not knowing who the killer in the film is.

The block capital letters in 'Dawn of the Dead' drips away on the screen
representing the blood. To emphasise this the colour of the text is red so it is
clear to the audience that it is representing blood. This makes the audience
aware that a lot of blood will occur in the film due to the zombies.

'Final Destination' is another film which uses bold, block capital letters to create
the sinister and serious atmosphere. Some of the letters turn to red in the
opening credits when the skeleton in damaged. This is to mimic the blood
pouring out so the audience knows that this film will be gory. Some of the text in
this opening disappears by being shattered by different objects such as a drill,
elevator doors, a fan, a train and it finishes with the last bit of text being wiped
out by a bus. These are all situations that the audience are expecting to happen
to the characters in the film.

'Nightmare In Elm Street' is slightly different in terms of print styles because it

doesn't just use bold, block capital letters in the opening credits. When the bold,
block capital letters appear, childish writing of the same text appears straight
after. The letters are disjointed to make out that a child has written it, this is also
makes the atmosphere more sinister. The colour of the childish writing is a rotten
brown colour, which could represent the burnt, rotten race of 'Freddy Krueger'.
'The Ring' also uses a childish print style without any bold, block capital letters,
which means this film has gone away from the stereotypical horror print style in
the opening credits. The letters in 'The Ring' are disjointed and different sizes to
create a sinister atmosphere. Also a tense atmosphere is created when the text
flickers on and off the screen as it shows how unpredictable the film is.

Music/sound:

The music/sounds in opening credits for horror movies will always build up
tension. This can be done in many different ways and all five films have built up
tension completely differently to each other.
Psycho builds up the tension by using string instruments. The audience can
hear short, sharp sounds played by the string instrument, which could represent
a stabbing motion. The low pitch sound on the string instruments creates
suspense and the high pitch sound on the string instruments could represent
screaming or the panic in the film. The feeling of panic is also created by the fast
pace of the music so the audience expects that there will be the sense of panic
in the film.
Nightmare In Elm Street also uses string instruments to create tension. Using
the low pitch sound to be threatening and using the high pitch sound to mimic
the children screaming. Also the sound of children screaming comes through the
sound of a rusty swing swinging. This adds to the tension of the opening credits.
The opening credits of Nightmare In Elm Street has the sound of children
laughing. This creates a sinister atmosphere as the editors of the film have
added an echo effect to the laughing.
Final Destination doesnt use any string instruments to create tension, however
tension is still created. The opening credits of this film has heavy metal music
running all the way through. The sound of distorted guitar and bass, also the
loud drumbeat makes the opening credits very serious. The drumbeat has a fast
pace, which gives the impression that everything in the film will be fast paced.
So the audience expects to see a lot of action in the film, this can create tension.
Dawn of the Dead uses a lot of sound to create suspense and tension. The
suspense and tension is created by the sound of people screaming as they are
running from the zombies and the sound of lots of different sirens from police
cars, ambulances and fire engines. This shows the audience how much
destruction the zombies have caused. Whilst the audience can hear all the
negative noises, there is a song playing over the top that has an upbeat tune,
however the lyrics of this song fit the mood of the film. One line in the song is
the hairs on your arms will stand up, this could be because of the terror of the
zombies.

The opening credits of The Ring starts off with a sound of a broken music box,
which instantly creates a sinister atmosphere. Then the sounds of drum and bass
are added to create a more dramatic and tense atmosphere. This sets the mood
of the whole film for the audience. The sound of loss connection on the TV is also
heard in the opening credits as that is what the audience and the characters
hear after the videotape is played, which is a key part of the film.