Omar Rasoul

BTEC Digital Creative Media Production

Unit 10 Fictional Film Production
Ms McLeod
February 2020

Exploring Genre and Narrative in Fictional Film Production

Introduction
As part of my study into film genre to prepare for my own production, I have chosen to research and
analyse the horror home-invasion sub-genre and crime-thriller hybrid genre. In this essay I am going
to explore how the chosen films from each genre demonstrate their codes and conventions through
detailed scene analysis, and compare and contrast these films to suggest how they have evolved and
changed over time. I am also going to talk about narrative referring to different traditional theories
and how the films I have selected fit into these theories, and how they maybe challenge them.

The films I have selected are:

Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978)

The Strangers (Bryan Bertino, 2008)
The Silence of the Lambs (Jonathan Demme, 1991)
Zodiac (David Fincher, 2007)

What is Genre?
Genre is a French word meaning type or class and in terms of media such as film ‘genre’ is used as a
way to aim the media product at specific audiences. If a multitude of media texts roughly follow the
same codes and conventions, they would be classed in one singular category. A sub-genre is a genre
within a genre for example in terms of horror the sub-genres are home invasion, slasher,
supernatural and psychological horror. These contain their own conventions that are recognisable by
the audience.

The Horror Genre: Codes and Conventions

Recurring Situations:

In terms of the horror home-invasion genre a recurring situation that we see is when an
unsuspecting victim is wandering around the house cluelessly as they are being watched by the
masked intruder and we see this in both The Strangers and Halloween.

In The Strangers we see this convention in the scene when Kristen is standing in her living room seen
through a long-shot of her standing in the centre of the living room making her appear vulnerable as
in the corner of the room we can see the masked killer appear in the shadows and watch her as she
looks around the room. In this scene the use of low-key lighting helps hides the masked intruder and
also helps the character seem more menacing and ominous, which is conventional to the horror
home invasion genre as low-key lighting is usually used to hide the antagonist and also helps
establish and maintain tension to the scene and heightens the sense of fear and danger in the scene.
Omar Rasoul
BTEC Digital Creative Media Production
Unit 10 Fictional Film Production
Ms McLeod
February 2020

Additionally, in terms of the use of continuity editing when we cut to the long shot of her standing in
the centre of the living room after watching her walk around and then proceed to smoke a cigarette,
it is used again to build the tension of the scene as we feel as we are seeing everything in real time
and we don’t miss any actions in the scene. The use of continuity editing is conventional to the home
invasion genre as it usually used in order to make the scene more nerve wrecking and to keep us in
the scene longer in order to create a sense of realism, and it is also an aspect of what makes the
home invasion sub-genre a ‘realist’ genre or a genre that is largely filled with films that follow a
realist narrative.

In the film ‘Halloween’ we see this situation in the scene where Michael Myers is watching the
character of Annie Bracket who is the daughter of Sherriff Bracket as she talks to her boyfriend on
the phone while she walks around in the kitchen and she walks back and forth we see Michael
appear and then disappear. Throughout this scene we maintain a mid-shot on Annie as she walks
but the use of chiaroscuro lighting on Michael Myers, who is outside the door behind her, makes him
stand out more and also gives him more of an ominous presence and adds to the tension of the
scene. It also helps juxtapose his character with Annie’s character as she is standing in high-key
lighting which helps the audience establish her character as innocent and Myers as evil and
dangerous. In terms of the lighting in the scene that of which is high key lighting and chiaroscuro
lighting, they are both conventional to the horror home invasion genre as they are usually used to
help the audience establish the characters as either being protagonists or antagonists and this
lighting is also conventional to the genre as it helps add to the tension and dramatic irony of specific
situations as we see the intruder but the protagonist do not; this also helps build tension within the
scene and makes the audience fear for the protagonists safety. Sound is also effectively used in this
scene, specifically the use of the non-diegetic soundtrack in this scene helps signify that Michael is
on screen as it hits a crescendo when the camera moves and Michael is on screen. The use of a non-
diegetic soundtrack is conventional in the home invasion genre because the soundtrack helps add to
the tension of scenes like this and also helps to achieve jump scares.

Going back to the ‘realist’ narrative that I talked about in terms of The Strangers, we can also see this
in Halloween through the setting. The locations are primarily houses and this helps keep the film
grounded within reality as it is a setting that any audience will recognise and this is important
because it helps with the tension and horror as the home is what the audience and characters
consider to be a safe space and it is being compromised making us feel the danger the characters are
in. It also helps emphasise the theme of violation of privacy which is conventional of the sub-genre;
this also applies The Strangers.

One thing that both these scenes have in common is the way the camera positions the audience
within the scene. In both Halloween and The Strangers, the audience it positioned closer to the
protagonist of the scene, by this I mean the antagonist is usually further away in the scene and this is
clearly a convention of the home invasion genre in terms of shot distance and the positioning of
characters in the scene usually we are positioned in the shoes of the antagonist.

Settings:
Omar Rasoul
BTEC Digital Creative Media Production
Unit 10 Fictional Film Production
Ms McLeod
February 2020

Common settings in the horror home invasion genre are usually houses. The setting of a house is
guaranteed to show up in the home invasion genre as it is usually where the incident of the film will
take place and also because the setting of the home is supposed to be a person’s safe space where
they have their privacy and therefore the invasion of someone’s home would help and fear and
tension to the film.

In The Strangers this aspect of the home setting is emphasised through the use of lighting. For
example, in the scene when Kristen is walking around the living room and then she stops in the
centre of the room and we see the masked intruder appear in the corner of the room in the
shadows, the use of lighting in centre of the room more specifically the use of warm yellowish
colours coming from the candles and the lamp help make the atmosphere of the house feel safe and
this helps juxtapose the low key lighting within the scene which helps establish the fear and tension
in the scene. The Strangers setting is also out of town in a secluded holiday spot in the woods which
adds to the vulnerability of the characters as they themselves are in an unfamiliar place.

Similarly, the setting of the house is used to juxtapose safety and danger in Halloween and we can
see this in the beginning of the opening scene of the film when the couple are together. Lighting is
used in this scene also to make the house feel more safe, for example the TV is illuminating the living
room and the light bulb in the stair way lights up the scene even more and this is conventional to the
home invasion genre because as we have seen before the use of light is again used as it helps
establish the safety of the house and this helps heighten the audience’s intrigue and the tension of
the scene because we know something bad is going to happen as we are watching them from a point
of view shot and the aspect of stalking helps eliminate any sense of safety within the house and the
scene. Halloween is set in a seemingly safe suburban neighbourhood that we are use to seeing in
many other genre films such as Back to the Future or Edward Scissorhands. As the audience we
know that this setting is synonymous with white middle class people and ideas about safety and the
American Dream. This helps to create the feeling of danger as we would not expect this type of
neighbourhood to see violent crimes. This is a really typical location that is seen in other horror films
such as IT and IT2.

Themes:

Common themes in the horror home invasion genre are the themes of known versus unknown and
also the theme of being at the wrong place, at the wrong time. The theme of known versus unknown
is seen in The Strangers and Halloween more generally in terms of costume and lighting. For
example, in terms of costume, in The Strangers the three main antagonists are wearing masks to
conceal their identities and this is clearly reflective of the theme of known versus unknown and
conventions of the home invasion genre as which are the use of masks in order to conceal the
identity of the invader. For example, another film within this genre mirrors this convention is
‘Scream’ (1996) through the antagonist ghost face and his mask; this conventional costume choice
helps add to the films overall tension and fear factor. Additionally, lighting is used in The Strangers to
communicate this theme; the use of contrasting high-key and low-key lighting which are
conventional to the genre as they are again almost always used to hide the intruder in terms of low-
key lighting and to establish who the protagonist is and keep them visible in terms of high-key
lighting. The theme of being at the wrong place at the wrong time is show in The Strangers through
Omar Rasoul
BTEC Digital Creative Media Production
Unit 10 Fictional Film Production
Ms McLeod
February 2020

the narrative and the fact that the couple happened to be at their apartment when the intruders
were there and this is even referenced through the dialogue when the couple ask the intruders “why
are you doing this?” and then the masked female intruder wearing the baby mask replies saying
“Because you were home”. The use of this theme in The Strangers helps emphasise the fear and the
tension of the scene and the film as a whole as it show the very sadistic and savage nature of the
intruders as they are doing this for no reason other than to entertain themselves. This is further
emphasised through the use of diegetic dialogue and the tone of voice in the scene as the female
intruder replies in a very calm manner and her tone of voice is very nonchalant which helps make
the character seem more ominous and sadistic as they show no emotions towards the panicked and
suffering couple. This again links to overall tension that the use of this theme creates and also helps
mirror conventions that we see throughout the home invasion genre that of the emotionless masked
killer. This leads me on to my next point that is how Halloween links to these themes.

The theme of known versus unknown is shown in Halloween through the use of costume in general
as Michael wears a mask throughout the duration of the film and again this does link to conventions
of the home invasion genre in terms of how the antagonists in films of this genre are represented.
The use of camera shots in specific moments in the film helps emphasise this theme for example the
opening sequence of the film is the point of view shot from Michael’s perspective and this helps hide
the fact that Michael is the killer as it conceals his face so we do not know who it is. The theme of
being at the wrong place at the wrong time is show in Halloween in the scene when Laurie is putting
the sign on the door of the old Myers house and then as she walks away Michael comes into frame
and watches her walk away as she sings to herself “I wish I had you all alone, just the two of us”. The
reason this scene is an example of being at the wrong place at the wrong time is because it could be
argued that Michael kills her friends in order to lure her in and this is the reason that Michael is after
Laurie and also because the song Laurie is singing is almost foreshadowing their final confrontation.
The use of the non-diegetic soundtrack in terms of the incidental sound and then the shortened
version of the theme in this scene when Michael comes into frame helps the audience establish that
Michael is dangerous and he has malicious intent towards Laurie Strode.

The theme of known versus unknown has not changed to reflect societal concerns as it is still used in
the same way and for the same reasons which are to hide the identity of the antagonist’s identities
in order to create a sense of fear within the film and the protagonists and also to help heighten the
tension of specific scenes. The theme of being at the wrong place at the wrong time has changed to
reflect societal concerns although in Halloween it could be argued that it is given a more clear
purpose when Laurie steps on the porch of the old Myers house to put the sign on the door we could
assume that Michael Myers viewed it almost as if she invaded his territory and therefore had an
animalistic and savage response to that, but Halloween does in fact heavily reflect societal concerns
of the time which mainly came about during the 60s and 70s through events such as the Manson
family murders, which was when cult broke into the homes of innocent civilians during the night and
murdered them. One of the victims was the actress Sharon Tate and furthermore other than the
Tate residence the attacks on the other houses were random and seemingly unmotivated and the
victims happened to be in their homes at that specific time and not at any events and it was almost
as if they were there at the wrong time. In Halloween the theme is reflected in the break-ins that
occur during the third act of the film. At the time the concept of a home invasion, a stranger who
you have never met breaking into your home or your safe space with the sole intent to harm you
and possibly kill you for no real reason would have been something that terrified the general
Omar Rasoul
BTEC Digital Creative Media Production
Unit 10 Fictional Film Production
Ms McLeod
February 2020

audience and the population of America which is who the film was mainly aimed at. The Strangers
also reflect societal concerns that of which are the violent crimes that occur in America as we can
see in the opening scene when the text appears on the screen that says “According to the FBI, there
are an estimated 1.4 million violent crimes in America each year” and this being a real life stat
reflects concerns of violent crimes which the film then links to home invasions and the home
invasion sub-genre which again helps the film establish a relist narrative. There is a subtext in this
film perhaps relating to a fear of invasion from outsiders, more specifically refugees and the way
they have been demonised in the media. America has a long history of fearing ‘outsiders’ seen best
in the post war period where there was a clear fear of Communism shown in the McCarthy Witch
Hunt which led to many Americans being imprisoned for being Communist. This threatens the
American Dream, which is probably what we are seeing in this film – any attack to middle America
seen as dangerous.

Characters:

Common stock characters in the horror home invasion genre are the innocent couple who usually
are at the brink of a break up or are having relationship problems, the Final Girl who is usually a
virgin or the most innocent character in the film, the masked killer who usually has no motive and
never speaks and the authority figure which is usually a police officer or someone of that calibre.

In terms of The Strangers the film uses three of these stock characters, the couple being Kristen and
James, the masked killer being shown through the three intruders and the final girl through Kristen’s
character. These conventional stock characters are established through the use of mise en scene, for
example in the scene where the couple are looking outside of the window at one of the masked
killers as they stand the use of lighting and colour helps establish their stock characters because
even though the couple are standing in an area of low-key lighting there is a yellowish that is
reflecting on them and when we cut to the killer they are standing within that light but we cannot
see them and it looks as if they completely engulfed in darkness. As I have said before the use of
colour and lighting was used similarly before when Kristen was in the house and was standing in the
living room which was illuminated by the lamp and candles which had a yellowish warm light which
as I said represents the safety of the house and in this case could represent the innocence of the
couple and the use of shadows when it comes to the killer emphasises their danger which again
establish the tension and makes the audience fear for the couple’s safety. The stock character of the
final girl is represented through the costume of Kristen’s character as she never wears anything
overly reviling and towards the end, she is wearing white which represents her purity. The final girl
stock character in the strangers is handled in a particularly different way compared to Halloween as
the trope of the final girl is handled in a way where her virginity is not made explicit, but is suggested
through things such as her costume.

In Halloween the film uses three of the stock characters I have listed which are the Final Girl, the
masked killer and the authority figure. The Final Girl is shown through the character of Laurie Strode,
the masked killer through Michael Myers and the authority figure is shown through both Dr Loomis
and Sheriff Bracket. The scene in which Laurie discovers the bodies of her dead friends is when the
stock characters of the Final Girl and the masked killer are reflected to the audience, this is done in
the scene specifically through the use of lighting, as we can see when Laurie is backing up in shock
Omar Rasoul
BTEC Digital Creative Media Production
Unit 10 Fictional Film Production
Ms McLeod
February 2020

and disbelief and the we see Myers slowly start to appear behind her and in this scene the use of
high-key lighting on Laurie helps the audience establish the fact that Laurie is the protagonist of the
scene where as the use of chiaroscuro lighting on Myers helps emphasise the fact that he is the
antagonist and the fact that we cannot fully see him and for a while do not know if he concealing a
weapon helps add to the tension of the scene and once again helps make the audience more
engaged with the narrative in term making them fear for the safety of Laurie’s character.

Iconography:

Common iconography that is seen in the horror home invasion genre is masks and symbols of death
such as blood, knives and dead bodies.

In The Strangers we see three of the four aspects of iconography that I have listed, specifically
masks, blood and knives. We see mask in The Strangers through the three intruders’ costumes as
they are wearing masks and again this adds to the tension as we do not know their emotions and
therefore we cannot anticipate their actions and this aspect helps add to the fear factor of the film.
The use of knives is specifically seen when Kristen is in the kitchen and then picks up the knife to
fend for herself and we see blood in the film in various parts one of which is the opening scene when
the kids walk in the house and see blood splatters on the floor and the walls.

In Halloween we see all the listed iconography in the film, masks being throughout the film and
always worn by Michael in the being he wears the clown mask as a child and the pale white William
Shatner one as an adult and the use of mask helps add to the factor of fear in the film because again
we do not know his emotions and therefore we cannot anticipate his actions. Blood and knives are a
huge aspect of the film just from the opening scene when a young Michael stabs his sister Judith
Myers we see both these aspects and the fact that we see him hold a knife adds to the tension of the
scene and what he is going to use it for and the blood is used more for the shock factor. Lastly dead
bodies are important aspect of the story specifically when Laurie discovers the bodies of her dead
friend’s bodies and Michael has laid them out in a theatrical manner and the use of dead bodies is
used to create a disturbing atmosphere and this adds to the fear factor of the film.

The overall crossover of the iconography in both these text help reflect how overall the horror home
invasion genre has relied on specific tropes and conventions in order to invoke specific emotions
within the audience and this is seen clearly between the two texts Halloween and The Strangers and
the time in which they were released (1978 and 2008 respectively) there has been no significant
changes in terms of the iconography and how it is used within the films.

In terms of the narrative and characters we follow there has be some change in modern horror
home invasion films, for example we are not following a teenage character as we do in Halloween
and other films within the genre from the 70s and 80s such as Nightmare of Elm Street. We are
instead following an adult couple and this change amongst other changes in the genre are done in
order to keep the films within the horror home invasion genre fresh and unique to audiences and for
the films not to feel repetitive.
Omar Rasoul
BTEC Digital Creative Media Production
Unit 10 Fictional Film Production
Ms McLeod
February 2020

The Crime Thriller Genre: Codes and Conventions

Recurring Situations:

A recurring situation in the crime thriller genre is that usually we see an abduction of innocent
people take place, which we see this in both Zodiac and Silence of the Lambs.

In Silence of the Lambs this is seen in the scene when the senator’s daughter is kidnapped. Certain
technical elements within the scene that help the audience infer what type of scene this is and what
is going to happen in it. For example, within this scene we can see that the character looks slightly
hesitant to whether or not she is going to go and help the man she can see struggling at the van as
she stands there. The use of the mid-close-up shot in this scene helps put the focus on both the
victim’s facial expressions and body language and what we can see is her move in front a bit looking
at him but she is kind of tilted almost as she is ready to walk away and we can see that she was
almost about to talk but she stopped herself and this reflects the underlying theme of hesitation
seen in both scenes and this recurring situation in the genre and for the audience this helps the
scene become more intense.

In Zodiac we see this in the scene where the mother and the baby are in the car. After the mother’s
car is damaged because the man who offered to help her damaged car actually dismantled the
wheel and when she gets picked up by another car which the Zodiac is in and during this scene we
maintain a mid-close up shot on the mother as she listens to the Zodiac talk and talks with him.
Additionally, we do not cut to his face as he talks, and this helps show her hesitance and fear as he
talks as we can see her troubled facial expression and her body language as she is sitting. After
listening to him talk for a while she eventually tilts her head down and then her grip on her baby gets
tighter and the connotations we can make from this is that she is starting to feel less safe and is
starting to become more hesitant to his questions and presence and the fact that we do not cut to
him as he talks and we only hear him as he talks and this makes him have a more ominous presence
in the scene and helps create tension and intrigue within the scene.

Overall, throughout both scenes they make it a factor to highlight the isolation of certain characters
and the fact that the characters are trapped by circumstance. In Silence of the Lambs through the
use of mid-shots and mid-close-up shots we can clearly see that the setting she is in the parking
garage is clearly empty and the establishment of this setting helps add to the eerie theme of this
situation and the fact that Bill is trying to pursue her to come help him lift the chair in his van also
reflects the theme of duplicity we see in the crime thriller genre. We can see in Zodiac as this is
mirrored as the mother is in a stranger’s car on an open highway that is clearly empty for the most
part and this clearly emphasises the emptiness of the area and this creates the feeling almost as if no
one is there to help them if anything happens and this adds to the intensity of the scene and the
Omar Rasoul
BTEC Digital Creative Media Production
Unit 10 Fictional Film Production
Ms McLeod
February 2020

duplicity is reflected through the character (Zodiac) who picks her up because what seems to be a
good deed is clearly more sinister.

Themes:

The theme of information being hidden in plain sight which is conventional of the crime thriller
genre is seen in both films. In Silence of the Lambs we can see this in the scene where Lecter is
talking to Clarice in his new cell and they are having a conversation about who the killer is and what
his motives are. When he tells her that all the information she is looking for is in the case file ( to
quote him directly “ the case files have you read them, everything you need is in those case files”)
this helps highlight the theme of information being hidden in plain sight because we know that
Clarice has already read it multiple times and the fact that she has not found anything establishes to
the audience that they are probably not important. The use of high key lighting creates the inference
of a discovery is being made or there is some information within the scene that we should be paying
attention to.

Very similarly in Zodiac we also see the same theme presented in the scene where Graysmith first
meets Bob Vaughn the guy who works at movie posters. This is specifically in the beginning of this
scene when Graysmith and Vaughn are stepping into the house the first shot that is used is a mid-
shot. The use of this shot helps show us the man lock the door and his reflection in the mirror within
the frame, which are two key facts that we may not notice or think are of any importance in this part
of the scene but we will notice later on when Graysmith is trying to get out of the house. This links to
the crime thriller genre as it reflects the conventional theme of information being hidden in plain
sight. The reflection in the mirror is also a key device used in crime thriller films to highlight the
sense of duplicity, and here it connotes that Vaughn is potentially hiding at the Zodiac killer.

Another conventional theme we see in both Silence of the Lambs and Zodiac is the theme of
information being misleading known as a red herring. In Silence of the Lambs we see this in the
scene where Clarice is walking to one house which we are meant to think is insignificant and the FBI
are walking into the other house which we think Buffalo Bill is in. The use of cross cutting in this
scene is very effective as it dupes the audience into thinking one thing is true when it’s not and this
further emphasises the theme of red herrings.

In Zodiac we see this in the scene where he first meets Bob Vaughn as the audience are led to
believe that Vaughn is the Zodiac killer through the use of the mirror reflection.

Looking at how these themes are represented in both films one being an older film and one being
more modern we can see that the representation of this theme has changed as it is done more
indirectly in the modern text and directly in the older text, so overall Zodiac does represent this
theme in a subtler manner. Silence of the Lambs does represent this theme but in a very direct
matter through dialogue and Lecter basically telling Clarice that the information is right in front of
her within the case files and this way the audience doesn’t have to infer any information as it is
already given to us, whereas Zodiac represents this theme in a subtler manner mainly though
camera work which shows us everything through Bob Vaugh locking the door and his reflection in
the mirror through one shot but doesn’t necessarily spoon feed you the information, which is
important by the end of the scene.
Omar Rasoul
BTEC Digital Creative Media Production
Unit 10 Fictional Film Production
Ms McLeod
February 2020

Characters:

Stock characters we see in the crime thriller genre are the detective (usually maverick but not
necessarily)/ authority figure, the sadistic serial killer and the helpless victim. In both Zodiac and
Silence of the Lambs we can see the use of these characters. In Silence of the Lambs we can see this
through the character of Clarice who in this case represents the detective/ authority figure, and the
audience can establish this through her costume for example in the scene when Lecter is discussing
his terms of the deal so he can help them with the case by providing a psychological profile on
Buffalo Bill and is asking Clarice for quid pro quo. She is wearing very formal clothing a suit jacket
and shirt which is the typical costumes that detectives and members of the authority’s wear in crime
thrillers. The other two stock characters can be seen in the ‘Put the lotion in the basket’ scene when
we see Buffalo Bill and the senator’s daughter who is in the well. The uses of cinematography in this
scene helps the audience infer which of the characters in the scene meets which stock character. In
this scene when we the camera is on Buffalo Bill the shot used is a low angle shot and the effect this
has on his representation in the scene is it makes him seem more powerful and also it makes him
more ominous as we are looking up at him almost as if we are in the position of the senators
daughter in the well, and when the camera is on her the shot that is used is a high angle shot and
this again emphasise the lack of power she has in the scene and makes her seem small and this
emphasises how helpless she is in the scene. The use of cinematography is also effective during the
end of the scene because adding to all of the things I have said before, he is mocking her by doing
this and using the low angle shot and close up shot on his face as he does this the audience can infer
that Buffalo Bill is somewhat sadistic as the woman’s pain is giving him joy.

In Zodiac the detective/ authority figure stock character is seen through the character of Dave
Toschi. One scene in which we can see his stock character being emphasised in the film is in the
scene where him and Graysmith are having lunch after they first meet, and in this scene the use of
mid shot/ two shot as well as the camera being behind the detective character, helps show us the
prop’s in the scene specifically the gun that he has holstered and it also helps show us his costume
which is again a formal shirt and a bow tie, the use if a two shot helps the audience infer that Dave is
the detective as we also see Graysmith in the scene and he does not carry a gun and his clothing is
more casual. We can see the other two stock characters in the scene where the zodiac murders the
second couple, the setting of the scene is an empty lake area and they seem to be isolated and this
makes them seem helpless because when the danger does occur we know there is no one that can
help them, The use of the low angle shot used when Zodiac shows the male victim the ammo helps
make him seem bigger as again it’s almost as if we are looking up at him and this makes him more
imposing and ominous within the scene. The use of diegetic sound through the dialogue is also
effective in showing how the Zodiac meets this stock character because the way he delivers his lines
in a very monotone way, and the fact that he calls in the crime himself make him seem more sadistic
as the audience can infer that he has no emotions towards the people who he terrorises and it also
emphasises that killing innocent civilians really is just a game to him as he said in one of his previous
ciphers earlier on in the film.

The central characters for both Zodiac and Silence of the Lambs are not conventional to the crime
thriller genre. In Silence of the Lambs the central character that we follow is a female FBI agent and
Omar Rasoul
BTEC Digital Creative Media Production
Unit 10 Fictional Film Production
Ms McLeod
February 2020

in the film also does emphasise how she is treated differently for that and we can see this in scenes
such as when she is talking to the sheriffs and telling them thanks for their help but the FBI is taking
over the case, during this scene we see how all the sheriffs (who are males) are looking at her oddly
and another scene is when they are talking about the murder and then Crawford tells the sheriff that
they shouldn’t be discussing these details in front of a woman. Later on he addresses this with her
and tells her that he did it for appearances and she replies telling that she didn’t appreciate it as it
makes others have less respect for her. This aspect of the film help makes it feel unique and
unconventional as other films within the same genre that were released at the same time in 1991
(Point Break, Cape Fear) and since then were had male characters as the leads, additionally the fact
that position and gender are pivotal to the plot sets it apart from other films within the genre.

Zodiac follows a cartoonist who becomes interested in the case and eventually becomes involved in
discoveries in the case. The reason why the central character of the film is unconventional in terms
of the crime thriller genre is because he is in no way a detective or part of the authorities and
therefore he does not have some of the same privileges they would have when they are
investigating and this makes his plot line more intriguing and engaging for the audience, we can see
this in scenes such as when he meets the detective Dave Toschi and when he asks him about the
case the detective replies saying “ I can’t discuss an open investigation”, this scene helps show us
how he does not have a multitude of resources and the fact that he has to be resourceful in this
sense makes his character more relatable to the audience.

Iconography:

Iconography that is most common in crime thrillers are weapons most commonly guns and this can
be seen in both Silence of the Lambs and Zodiac, guns are usually used for two reasons in the crime
thriller genre and those reasons are either to intimidate and harm or to protect. In silence of the
lambs we can clearly see this in the scene when Clarice is confronting buffalo Bill and she takes out
her gun, the scene utilizes a mid-close up shot when she first pulls the gun out of its holster and this
makes the gun become closer in terms of its positioning on screen and it is also in the centre of the
frame and this emphasises further the importance of the gun in the scene as it represents the
characters only defence in the situation. Overall, the gun in this case is used in order for Clarice to
protect herself from Buffalo Bill, so it is still used in a way that is conventional to the genre

In Zodiac this iconography is present in multiple scenes for example when Zodiac murders the
second couple and also when we see detectives on screen more specifically the scene when Dave
Toschi Is having lunch with Graysmith. When the second couple are murdered the male asks if the
gun is loaded and then we have a close up shot of the gun and the ammunition and the gun takes up
the whole frame and in this case the use of the gun is emphasising the tension and threat of the
scene as it is done to position us with the victim as the close up occurs from a low angle.
Furthermore, during the lunch scene, a two shot is used while they sit at then the table and the
camera is behind the detective Dave Toschi and this is done because it helps show us the prop in the
scene which is specifically the gun that he has holstered and the inference the audience can make
from seeing the weapon holstered is that he uses the weapon mainly for protection therefore he is a
protagonist. The gun in both scenes is used in a conventional manner as it is used to show the
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audience who is the antagonist and who is the protagonist’s by creating the inference for the
audience that the gun is either used as a form of threat or protection.

There are still some differences between the films and the way they handle genre conventions, for
example Silence of the Lambs has a clearer narrative as we barely ever break away from Clarice
whereas in Zodiac we do not solely follow Graysmith but we go through other characters such as the
detective, Paul Avery (RDJ) etc. and he is not necessarily always in the scene. Again, this difference in
the narrative is key to keep the audience engaged and to keep the films from feeling repetitive.

The Horror Genre: Narrative

Todorov

Todorov’s theory is that every literary text has the same narrative pattern. He studied many folktales
and found that narrative follows a beginning, middle and end structure. Which correlates in five
different sections which starts with equilibrium when everything is peaceful and balanced, followed
by a disruption which breaks the balance and when problem occurs. The third stage is the
recognition of the disruption which is where the problem is recognised. The fourth stage is
reparation this is where they try and repair the disruption. The narrative ends with a new
equilibrium when the problem is restored.

Applying to the horror genre

Todorov’s theory can be loosely applied to the film Halloween as the opening scene in the overall
scheme of the film is the disruption but if we look at the opening scene closely it follows three of
Todorov’s five step narrative structure which are a brief equilibrium, the disruption and the
recognition/ resolution. The brief equilibrium takes place in the beginning of the opening scene
specially when we see the two teenagers together having a good time as we watch them through
the P.O.V shot. Furthermore, the use of diegetic sound in this sequence helps further emphasise the
equilibrium as they are laughing and having a good time therefore, we indicate that they are not in
danger, and the use of diegetic sound specifically the sound of their laughter helps further
emphasise this. After the brief equilibrium of the opening scene comes the disruption specifically
when we are taken in the house through young Michael Myers P.O.V, and he enters the kitchen and
picks up the knife and starts walk through a dark room to get to the stairs, then his sisters’ room. We
know that something bad is going to happen through the use of the non-diegetic soundtrack which
Is some very eerie music. Additionally, the chiaroscuro lighting in the room he enters after he leaves
the kitchen and this helps create a very ominous atmosphere. Lastly the recognition/ resolution of
the opening scene is when we see who the killer is (a six-year-old Michael Myers) and the resolution
is when he parents find out he killed the sister. The bloody prop knife in the scene helps us connote
that he murdered his sister, additionally the non-diegetic soundtrack rose to a crescendo further
emphasising the shock and impact for the parents when they see their son wielding a bloody knife.
The film follows Todorov’s narrative theory twice, once in the opening scene and then once again in
the rest of the film, when we time jump to 1978 from there on the film almost restarts jumping back
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to the beginning of Todorov’s cycle but overall when we look back at the film it loosely follows
Todorov’s theory as it still is open ended and there is no real resolution this is mainly done in order
to keep the door open for a potential franchise which happens a lot in the horror genre.

In terms of Todorov’s narrative theory in The Strangers, the film starts at the disruption with the kids
finding the home ransacked and other than the blood that we see on the wall and the table and
other things that are broken or thrown around in the house. The use of natural lighting makes the
audience feel safe which juxtaposes what has actually happened at the house. After this the story
moves backwards in time to the equilibrium which is the couple in the car then getting to their house
and talking to each other there through a flashback which is non-linear. We know this is the
equilibrium through the dialogue because as they talk to each other the tone of their voice is calm
additionally when they get into the house and the character of Kristen put’s on music the soundtrack
is very calm and relaxing. The disruption then occurs after the husband leaves, and Kristen is
panicked thinking that someone has broken into their home. This is signalled in the scene through
the use of the diegetic sound, specifically the sound of footsteps in the house and the rustling that is
taking place outside. Additionally, the use of contrapuntal sound when the record player starts also
helps signal the disruption as it juxtaposes the very Intense and ominous atmosphere of the scene
with very happy upbeat music and this makes the scene feel more unsettling and disturbing. After
that is the recognition of the disruption which is specifically when her boyfriend gets back after his
drive to check what has happened, this is signalled through the use of diegetic sound specifically
through the use of ambient sounds in the scene specifically when the record player stops and we
hear him walk up to Kristen and comfort her this is where the dialogue also helps signal the
realisation as they are talking in a very alert and vigilant manner.

The quest to solve the disruption is the couple in the house hiding from the killers and the whole
confrontation that takes place after that of them trying to get away from the killers. This phase of
the narrative is signalled through the lighting, specifically the fact that we see the couple go into
areas of low-key lighting more often. For example, when the couple are hiding in the closet there is
only the light outside the room and in the room, they are in the shadows which helps show that the
protagonists are becoming more vigilant, which is also seen through the use of sound in the this
phase of the film there is more of a focus on the diegetic sound for example the dialogue which
further emphasises my previous point as the protagonists are now whispering to each other while
they hide in this closet. Additionally, the use of ambient sound when they are in this room and start
to here rustling and footsteps outside which further helps emphasise the tension and the disruption,
eventually they mistake their friend who is there to help as a villain and shoot him as he walks across
the room. Finally, we then get to the new equilibrium is the two kids finding their bodies, and this is
signalled through the use of lighting in this scene which is primarily high key lighting as the sun is out
and this helps establish the safer and calm feeling of the scene and also closure is established as we
see the couples fate but there is a twist which is Kristen grabbing the boy’s hand and screaming and
the incidental music helps emphasise the shock of the scene.

Both films play with a linear narrative in order to build suspense from the opening sequence of the
film. In Halloween the audience are immediately alerted to the threat as we move forward in time,
we understand that the little boy will return to kill again, building suspense and a sense of
foreboding. In ‘The Strangers’ the audience witness the aftermath of the invasion seeing the dead
woman’s body on the floor. Again, as a modern audience we know expect the Final Girl to survive
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and so this creates enigma as it is unusual for her to die, which we see here. In addition, both films
end with a new disruption, meaning that they can become franchises, which both of these films did.
Horror films are cheap to make compared to other genres which is why film studios are keen to keep
making them, especially in the last ten years as they have become popular again.

Applying to crime thriller

Todorov’s theory can also be applied to the crime thriller genre.

In Silence of the Lambs we start with the equilibrium; this is specifically the scene in which we watch
Clarice Starling training in the woods. There are multiple micro elements used in this scene that help
signal to the audience that this is the equilibrium, for example other than the actual setting being
isolated the lighting is fairly high-key as we can see that the scene takes place in the morning and
this helps also helps establish the safety of the setting. Additionally, the costume of the character of
Clarice is wearing which is a pullover tracksuit which has the logo “FBI academy’ on it and this track
suit helps establish that she is in a safe location and on familiar turf. In terms of cinematography the
use of camera shots in this scene help establish the fact that this scene is the equilibrium of the
film’s narrative, for example the use of close ups on Clarice’s face as she runs helps show the
audience her facial expression which is calm and focused and this does not indicate that she is in any
way panicked or troubled in this part of the narrative. The disruption and recognition of the
disruption are almost merged in ‘Silence of the Lambs’ as we see them simultaneously in the scene
in which Clarice is in Agent Crawford’s office and turns around to see the board of newspaper
clippings and photographs of Buffalo Bill’s victims. When Clarice turns around to see the board the
non-diegetic soundtrack cues, which is a very low pitched trumpet that quickly gets louder and the
use of this in the soundtrack almost foreshadows the ominous nature of the case Clarice is about
take on and the overall dark nature of the events that will take place in the rest of the film and helps
the audience establish that this is the disruption. Cinematography is also used in order to show us
the recognition of the disruption in this scene, specifically the use of a mid-close up shot helps
clearly emphasise her facial expression as we do not know what she is looking at but we can clearly
see that she looks troubled. Additionally, we cut to a long shot of the newspaper clippings and
photographs and we see one of the newspaper clippings says “Bill Skins Fifth”, the use of the eye-
line match editing technique helps the audience establish a link between Clarice and the reaction
she has and the newspaper clippings. In this sequence the disruption is seen through the newspaper
clippings and the recognition is through Clarice and she reaction to these clippings.

The attempt to repair the disruption is seen throughout the film but more specifically we can see it is
represented in the scene after Lecter is transferred to his new cell, and throughout the scene
multiple technical aspects help signal to the audience that this is the reparation of the disruption
part of the narrative. For example, the scene utilizes many mid close-up shots on Clarice and the
camera moves as she moves and we can see this in two ways; either Lecter moving his eyes as she
moves or the camera moving at the same pace that Clarice is moving at which is fairly at a fast pace.
The use of mid close up shots on Clarice in this scene helps keep the focus on Clarice’s face and body
language as she moves and as we can see through the use of the mid close up shot she looks very
anxious and alert and her body language also mirrors specifically through the fact that we see her
move around a lot, this communicates to the audience the sense of urgency and the stakes of the
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situation as we can see through her facial expressions and the way she is composing herself and this
helps the audience infer that she is making some sort of process on the case and how important this
case is to her just through the emotions we see her convey mainly anxiousness and impactions. After
this the next stage of the narrative is the new equilibrium this is after Buffalo Bill has been killed and
Clarice has found and saved the senator’s daughter. The audience establishes that the narrative has
reached the new equilibrium stage in the scene where Clarice receives a promotion and is instated in
the FBI. The use of lighting in this scene helps the audience establish that this is the new equilibrium
through the use of high key lighting in addition to the camera flashes the character are standing in a
brightly lit room and this contrasts the lighting in the rest of the film and the scenes of disruption.
Additionally, the costume in this scene are very formal and this signals the overall safety of the scene
and the character’s facial expressions also signal this as they are all happy and smiling.

The film does not end at the new equilibrium but instead at another disruption; that being Hannibal
Lecter and the confirmation that he has escaped. We see this specifically when Clarice is told to go
and take a call and as she walks over to the phone, when the camera moves closer to her then she
picks it up and we hear Lecter on the other side of the phone. In this scene when she picks up the
phone and says hello, we hear the non-diegetic soundtrack start creeping up and it is a constant
underlying violin and various strings and helps to create an overall eerie mood to the scene
additionally we are throughout the scene on a close up shot of Clarice as she talks on the phone and
this helps really emphasise her emotions which are mainly fear, dread and shock through her facial
expressions as she speaks on the phone.

Overall, in terms of the application of Todorov’s narrative theory to Silence of the Lambs, I can
conclude that the film loosely follows the theory as it takes some liberties with the positioning of the
stages in terms of the disruption and the recognition of the disruption and it also ends on a
disruption.

In terms of applying Todorov’s narrative theory to Zodiac, it can be very loosely applied to the film as
the film leaves out two stages of his theory and rearranges other stages.

The film starts with the disruption and we can see this through the opening scene when the young
couple are killed. The use of editing techniques and sound in this scene help the audience fully
establish that this is the disruption. When the young couple are being gunned down inside their car
the use of slow motion in this scene almost forces the audience watch their gratuitous murder and
then when we cut back to the gun and shots being fired we are back at normal speed and this mixes
the fast paced and animalistic nature of the crime through seeing the gun shots get fired at normal
speed and the brutality of the scene through using slow motion to show us how the bullets pierce
through the couple. The use of sound in this scene both diegetic and non-diegetic, diegetic being
the couple’s screams and the non-diegetic soundtrack help signal that this is the disruption through
the effect they have on the audience, and in terms of the couple’s screams they are out of sync and
this almost makes the scene more chaotic than it already is and more disturbing for the audience to
watch and the soundtrack chosen for this scene is a rock song and it juxtaposes what is going on
screen and this makes the scene more disturbing for the audience to watch.

After this stage in the narrative the next stage of Todorov’s theory that we see in the film is the
recognition of the disruption and we can see this in the scene where the editor receives the Zodiac’s
first letter and he reads it out to his writers in the staff room. The use of diegetic dialogue in this
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scene helps the audience establish that this is the recognition stage of the narrative is through the
way the editor delivers the dialogue he reads it out to his staff and he sounds worried and when he
reaches the description of the female victim he stops reading the letter and hands it over to his
college and through this we can clearly see that he has recognised that a disruption has taken place.

Attempts to repair the disruption happen many times throughout the film and in the instance where
Robert Graysmith and Paul Avery are sitting and trying to understand the Zodiac’s letter. The use of a
two shot here helps establish that they are working on this together also the diegetic dialogue
delivered by Graysmith in the scene helps emphasise that this is the reparation stage for the
audience as he delivers the dialogue in a very quick witted and sharp manner and this emphasises
his focus on the case and trying to solve it.

There is no new Equilibrium and this is clearly emphasised through the ending of the film as we can
see in the scene where Robert Graysmith enters the shop and sees the suspect Arthur Leigh behind
the till. The use of shot reverse shot in this scene as Graysmith and Leigh stare at each other helps
emphasise the intensity of the scene and also helps emphasise the disturbing and unsettling nature
of the scene which is also emphasised through the use of mid close up shot which puts the focus on
Graysmith’s face and body language which are mainly showing the feeling of being unsettled and
disturbed and from these connotations although nothing explicit about who the killer is stated the
audience is left feeling unsettled because we can imply that in the end there is a killer and a very
dangerous person who is still walking amongst us.

In conclusion we can clearly see that films in both the horror home invasion genre and the crime
thriller genre play around with the narrative to keep the audience engaged and entertained through
avoiding the narrative being generic and repetitive but one way in which the narrative is different
between these two genres is that when it comes to the horror home invasion genre films within the
genre are usually more open ended and this is mainly in order to keep the doors open for a
franchise and sequels, etc.

Propp

Propp was a literary critic and founded that the idea a certain type of character was. used in every
narrative structure. His theory influenced many filmmakers to producing and writing successful
narratives. He also said that all fairy tales follow a specific narrative structure. The character types he
talked about were the hero, villain, dispatcher, donor, helper, heroine, father and the false hero.

Applying Propp to horror

Propp’s theory can be loosely applied to the film Halloween for characters such as such as Dr Loomis
who we might say follows the character type of the hero and this could also be said for Laurie Strode
which is the main character who we follow throughout the majority of the film and is being followed
by Michael Myers who is the villain of the film additionally Laurie is trying to protect the kids in the
final confrontation. Other Propp characters in the film are the helper which is Sheriff Bracket. Other
than that, the film does not have any of the other Propp character architypes. Dr Loomis’ as the
character type of the hero is signalled through for example, his costumes, he is wearing a suit and a
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trench quote this signifies his professionalism and importance in terms of the plot additionally other
than the sheriff he is the only other character who carries a gun and this prop helps the audience
establish that he is one of the only characters in the film that stand a chance against Michael Myers.
Laurie could also be called a ‘hero’ or ‘heroin’ in the film as during the final confrontation she
protects the children from Myers, this is signalled through the use of lighting in the scene as most of
the scene utilizes chiaroscuro lighting with Michael Myers being in the shadow’s and Laurie being in
the light. The sheriff as the helper is signalled through the use of the two shots in the film as we
mostly see him in a shot with another central character but we rarely see him alone.

Propp characters in The Strangers are the hero which is the boyfriend James Hoyt, the princess
which is the girlfriend Kristen McKay, the helper Mike although he does attempt to help when he
enters the house after seeing the chaotic state of the house and after the couple suspect he is the
killer and shoot him, he dies instantaneously and then lastly the villains which are the three masked
people who break into the house. The hero and the helper in the film are signalled through the mise-
en-scene through their costume as the innocent people who attempt to take action against the
villains in any significant way are wearing a suit and the suit helps connote their importance to the
plot as suits connote high status in this case in terms of their importance towards the plot. The
girlfriend as the princess is signalled through the use of diegetic sound specifically her dialogue for
example when she is speaking the film, she rarely gets any important lines additionally she is
screaming a throughout the film and she is usually in distress, and the villains are signified through
their costumes as they are all wearing masks to conceal their identities.

Propp in Crime Thriller

Propp’s theory of character archetypes can be loosely applied to Silence of the Lambs. In the film we
see the character archetypes of the hero (in this case heroin) through Clarice Starling, dispatcher
being Jack Crawford and Hannibal Lecter takes on three roles as he is the donor, helper and a villain
of the film. This leads me to the last character archetypes which is again villain but this time through
the character of Buffalo Bill. One scene which helps establish the character architypes that Clarice
and Hannibal embody is the scene after Clarice discovers the dead body in the garage and questions
Lecter on who Hester Moffet is. In this scene the use of lighting and camera shots in this scene,
specifically the use of low key lighting when Lecter is sitting on the floor against the wall and he is
almost completely engulfed in darkness whereas we can clearly see Clarice as she is outside the cell
and is under the light, this helps the audience make the distinctions between their characters. We
also see through a P.O.V shot Lecter’s cell through her perspective and this helps position the
audience to be on her side. Additionally, in this scene Lecter is also established as the donor and the
helper as he offers to help the FBI with the Buffalo Bill case and tells Clarice he is willing to give her a
psychological profile on Bill.

The scene in the beginning of the film when Crawford is meeting Clarice in his office is the scene that
helps establishes his character as the dispatcher. This is mainly achieved in the scene through the
use of dialogue as he put Clarice on the case and this is when he says “Do you spook easily Starling
…. I want you to go after him again today in the asylum.” Furthermore the cinematography and
editing within this scene also helps the audience infer his character archetype specifically the use of
close ups on him as he talks to Clarice which emphasise his authority through his serious facial
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expressions and it creates the inference that Clarice’s full focus is on him and this is further
emphasised through the use of shot reverse shot in this scene which helps create the visual link for
the audience between his commands and how Clarice reacts to them.

Lastly the scene in which Buffalo Bill is talking to the senator’s daughter helps establish him as the
character architype of a villain. The use of camera work in this scene does this because while he is
talking we can see him through a low angle shot and while the senator’s daughter is talking we can
see her through a high angle shot and what this does is it makes Buffalo Bill seem more physically
imposing and makes the senators daughter seem weaker and defenceless.

Zodiac very loosely follows Propp’s character archetype theory as we only see the character
archetypes of the hero and the helper in the film. The hero of the film is clearly Robert Graysmith as
we are positioned on his side multiple time throughout the film, for example in the scene where he
is dropping of the kid the use of the over the shoulder shot helps position the audience with Robert
Graysmith and creates the feeling that we are peering into his life and this further establishes as the
central character and the hero of the film. The helpers being David Toschi and Paul Avery are
established as this character archetype through dialogue that they have with Robert Graysmith, for
the character of Paul Avery we see this in the scene where him and Graysmith are at some sort of
records library and he helps Graysmith understand more about the Zodiac by telling him he is in it
for the press and that he even stole his symbol from a watch advertisement. On the other hand, the
scene in which Dave Toschi and Graysmith first have lunch helps establish him as the helper as he
gives the hero clues on who to meet to help him further understand the case and we see this when
he tells him “And I certainly couldn’t tell you to go visit Ken Marlow in Napa”, Further more when
these two characters are in a scene with Graysmith they are usually in a two shot like we see in the
two scenes that I have listed.

Levi-Strauss

Levi Strauss was a French anthropologist who had a theory in film that narratives centred around the
conflict between 'binary opposites': for example, good vs. evil, known vs unknown, light vs dark etc.

Applying Levi-Strauss to Horror

Levi Strauss’ theory can be applied to Halloween as the film utilizes conflict between binary
opposites such as good vs evil, known vs unknown and light vs darkness or night vs day. The film
utilizes binary opposites such as good vs evil through the characters of Dr Loomis, Laurie strode and
Michael Myers the latter two being good and Michael being Evil. This is communicated through the
prop’s used by Michael Myers most of which are blunt instruments for example in the beginning of
the film he uses a wrench to break the window of the car the nurse is in and during the final
confrontation he uses a knife and this makes his character seem more savage and visceral,
additionally the fact that we see Michael Myers mostly at night and he is usually hiding and stalking
the other characters or in dark areas where he can’t be seen which adds to the more ominous
nature of his character, for example when Laurie discovers the dead bodies of her friends and starts
crying and backing up away from the bodies we see something behind her moving in the darkness
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and then as it moves closer we start to see that it is Michael Myers and the use chiaroscuro lighting
in this scene helps again highlight how menacing Myers is and makes him look very ominous and
villainous and again the use of the soundtrack when Myers is on screen also helps emphasise his
presence as a villain as the music used is very slow ominous music, for example when Dr Loomis is
describing Michael to Sheriff Bracket the music is very slow and ominous. On the other hand, unlike
Myers we do see Laurie and Loomis in the day they are seen in locations of high key lighting
additionally in terms of their costume they are wearing normal cloths and are not concealing their
identity like Myers which leads me to my next point which covers known vs unknown in Halloween.

The biggest aspect of known vs unknown in the film is that we know who all the protagonists are
and all the other characters but we don’t know who the antagonist is, and this is mainly done
through the costumes in the film as the villain of the film Michael Myers wears a mask and we do
not know how he looks therefore for we also do not know how he feels and what emotions he is
feeling or if he even has emotions but none of the other characters conceal their identities
additionally we don’t know where Myers most of the time and when he will come into the scene this
is usually done through Myers being in locations with low key lighting. Lastly the binary opposite of
light vs dark or day vs knight is seen in the film as again a safe vs dangerous type of thing as again
signalled through the use of lighting there are no murders in the day time but there are during the
night.

The binary opposites in The Strangers are good vs evil in the form of the couple who are good and
innocent and the masked intruders who are evil and sadistic. Another binary opposite is known vs
unknown and this is the fact that we know who the protagonists are but we do not know who the
antagonists are. The first binary opposite is signalled through the editing, for example the use of shot
reverse shot when Kristen first sees the male masked killer. The use of shot reverse shot in this
scene helps emphasise the ominous and villainess nature of the masked man through showing us
him and then Kristen’s reaction which is one of shock and fear. Additionally, the villains are usually in
low key lighting and in the shadows which makes them seem more evil, for example when Kristen is
look around her living room and the male killer is in the shadows but we can still see him he is
almost hiding in plain sight while the rest of the living room is lighted using high key lighting. Again,
the binary opposite of known vs unknown is signalled through the costume in the film as the villain’s
wear masks that conceal their identities and make them look more frightening and disturbing
whereas the couple don’t conceal their identities in fact they are seen in scenes of high key lighting
more so than the three masked villains who are usually seen in low key lighting or chiaroscuro
lighting for example when the doll face killer is in the care getting ready to ram into the couples
vehicle she is seen in chiaroscuro lighting and the couple are seen in the high key light from the
headlights of the car, this is a juxtaposition of what we see and know and what we cannot fully see
and do not known.

Applying Levi-Strauss to Crime Thriller

In terms of Levi-Strauss’ theory, it is seen in Silence of the Lambs through the use of good vs evil or
innocent vs guilty and known versus unknown. The binary opposite of good versus evil or innocent
vs guilty is seen in the scenes where Bill is with the senator’s daughter. I will again refer to the ‘pits
the lotion in the basket” scene and in this scene the use of high angle and low angle shots again
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helps emphasise the character’s position of who is weak and who is dominant in the scene, in this
case we can infer that Buffalo Bill is dominant and the senator’s daughter is the one who is in the
more fragile position in this scene therefore the audience can make a clear distinction between who
is good and who is evil or who is innocent and guilty within the scene. The binary opposite of known
vs unknown is scene specifically in the scene in which Lecter is in the new cell that he was
transferred to and he is talking to Clarice about Buffalo Bill and how he can be caught; the diegetic
dialogue and how it is delivered help communicate this binary opposite in the film, as multiple times
in the scene she becomes clearly impatient with Lecter and tells him to “Tell me how he does it”, or
“give me his name Dr Lecter,” the dialogue here alone helps the audience establish that there is one
character who knows information the audience and the central character do not yet know.

Binary opposites that we can see in Zodiac are good vs evil or innocent vs guilty and known versus
unknown. We can clearly see both of these binary opposites are mirrored in the scene where the
Zodiac is attacking the second couple at the lake area. The costume in this scene specifically the fact
that Zodiac is wearing all black and a black hood and the couple are wearing very bright colours (Blue
shirt for the male and white dress for the female) and this helps the audience establish who is good
and who is evil in the scene from the connotations we can make through the colours that are used
on the clothing in the scene. This also helps emphasise the aspect of known versus unknown as we
can see the Zodiac is wearing a hood so we do not know who he is but we know who the couple are
and how they look and we also know that the Zodiac probably has sinister intentions towards them.

Barthes

Roland Barthes was a French theorist who studied a variety of fields. Perhaps his most famous
contribution to Media Studies was through his study of semiology. Specifically, the five codes that
are used during textual analysis which are enigma codes, action codes, semantic codes, symbolic
codes and referential codes.

Applying Barthes to Horror

Barthes theory can be applied to the opening scene of Halloween because of the enigma codes
present through the sequence, such as the audience not knowing who is watching Judith Myers or
why he is stalking her. This is done through the use of the P.O.V shot in this sequence so the
audience don’t see the stalker but instead the audience sees through him and this creates an eerie
atmosphere to the scene.

In the opening scene of the strangers when the two kids go into the house, we see the blood on the
walls which is the enigma code of the scene additionally the terrible state of the house, but we don’t
know where the blood comes from or what happened or if anyone even died. The uses of the cut
away helps further emphasise the mystery and enigma of the scene and in terms helps the audience
become more engaged with the film and more intrigued. Additionally, enigma is created through the
text that we see in the beginning specifically the line “the brutal events that took place that night are
still not fully known”, this makes the audience intrigued in terms of how did these crimes happen.
Omar Rasoul
BTEC Digital Creative Media Production
Unit 10 Fictional Film Production
Ms McLeod
February 2020

Applying Barthes to Crime Thriller

Barthes theory can be applied to the Silence of the Lambs through the use of enigma codes in the
opening scene of the film. In the opening scene when we are watching Clarice run in the wood’s
which is mainly seen through the use of various mid shots and action match in terms of editing, we
do not know at this point who she is and why she is running. Furthermore, when she reaches the FBI
building and is walking through the corridors a man tells her “You’re waiting for Crawford right”, and
at this point in the film we do not know who Crawford is or why she is waiting for him, and the use
of enigma codes throughout these scenes helps make the audience more engaged with the film as
they want the answers to the questions that are posed through the use of enigma codes.

Lastly Barthes theory can be applied to the film Zodiac because enigma codes are clearly show
through the use of costume. This is specifically again the scene where the second couple are
attacked and we can see this through the zodiac’s costume which consists of a black hood which
conceals his identity and this helps create a sense of intrigue and engages the audience with the film
and enigma codes are used thought the film as we hear the zodiac’s voice and we see his letters but
we never find out who he is or how he looks his real name and the crimes are never truly solved. The