Horror Openings

(please only watch the first two minutes)

Horror films seem to have several different types of openings.  The horror films that seem to be the best are the ones based on true events such as ‘The Strangers’ and ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ (2003). Both of these have the similar openings which include a speech about the events of the true story and shows brief video clips of the locations of the movie. ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ however also has pictures and a video clip which state they are from the original crime scene (it’s arguable that they may not be the original evidence).

The opening of ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ begins with 'The film you are about to see is an account of a tragedy which befell a group of five youths’. The word tragedy already suggests that there is death included during the film. The wording is chilling making it apparent early on this is a horror. Other lines such as ‘an appealing summers afternoon becomes a nightmare’ also tells the audience this is a scary film.

Many images of ‘real’ evidence were also shown on screen which varied from bones, ripped shoes, finger nails and the chainsaw. Also, an establishing shot of the house was shown and it made it apparent this house was in the middle of nowhere already telling the audience the five youths won't find help. After one minute and fifty five seconds the title appeared underneath the date August 20^th 1973 feeding the viewer the historical period.

But the ‘real’ footage of the police tells us the most information about the film. It shows scratch marks running down the stairs showing some signs of struggles and touchier. He says ‘we’re now entering the Hewitt residences furnace room' telling the audience that the murder took place at the ‘Hewitt’ residence and that the furnace room will play a key role. Like 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’, other horror films that are based on true events also use the enigma code. The clip after less than two minutes feeds the audience information regarding the location, historical period, the number of characters that are traumatised and their ages. This already sets the mood and allows the viewer to know the information that the teens are doomed before they do, creating dramatic irony.