Analyse how the opening of Candyman establishes horror genre conventions and reaches the target audience through technical codes, characterisation and narrative.
"Candyman" is an American supernatural horror film. Set in Chicago, it tells the tale of a University graduate student who - while investigating urban legends - stumbles across the legend of the Candyman; a terrifying supernatural being with a hook for a hand. The film had a budget of $8,000,000 and was released to critical acclaim, earning a number of awards and becoming a classic example of Horror movies.
The opening of the film "Candyman" is a good example of typical Horror movie conventions; it uses a number of common elements of Horror movies in the first ten minutes of the film.
THEMES
Some common Horror film themes are present in Candyman, and are good examples of Horror movie conventions. For example, as well as the obvious themes of fear, evil and death, there is also a theme of discovery and learning, as a large section of the film takes place in the East Wing of the University of Illinois in Chicago (seen left), with the main character Helen Lyle being a graduate student there, and her husband working as a lecturer. These themes are also apparently in other Horror films such as Donnie Darko, which takes place primarily in a school, and the Hannibal Lecter films - Clarice Starling, one of the main characters, is in FBI training.
As well as this, there is also the theme of the supernatural. Most Horror directors and writers base their films on supernatural stories, such as urban legends and ghost stories. This usually links to the theme of good and evil/heaven and hell. Examples of this are the numerous biblical refences in the opening to Candyman, the main villain of Red Dragon being based on the devil and the killer from Se7en "doing God's work".
THEMES
As well as this, there is also the theme of the supernatural. Most Horror directors and writers base their films on supernatural stories, such as urban legends and ghost stories. This usually links to the theme of good and evil/heaven and hell. Examples of this are the numerous biblical refences in the opening to Candyman, the main villain of Red Dragon being based on the devil and the killer from Se7en "doing God's work".
MISE-EN-SCENE
Use of costumes in the opening of Candyman reflect Horror film conventions well. For example, most of the costumes consist of very common clothes,and very few characters have costumes that go against this. This creates the effect that the characters are very average, ordinary people and suggesting that the events of the film could happen to anyone.
The costumes are also used to make the events of the film seem more terrifying. One of the characters - a female murder victim in the first scene - is seen wearing a cross necklace. A cross is a Christian symbol, and is seen as a very religious icon. However, the character wearing this necklace is then murdered, suggesting that there is no protection from the murderer, making the murder seem very evil and giving the film a supernatural theme.
Props also provide some idea of common Horror movie elements. Props such as fake blood and unusual weapons (i.e. a hook or a shard of glass) are common in a lot of horror movies, as these provide a feeling of fear and danger in the film. However, insects are also used in horror movies, albeit less commonly. Use of insects, such as the bees in Candyman or moths in Silence of the Lambs adds imagery to the film designed to gross out the viewer, and therefore adding to the horror theme.
CAMERAS AND EDITING
The opening shot of the film shows an aerial shot of a busy city, which pans following a road while cars drive around below. This is a common opening shot for a Horror movie, setting the scene for the film while making it seem like an ordinary, everyday city. This again makes the film seem more like a regular occurrence that could happen anywhere.
The opening scene also gives us the opening credits to the film. The opening credits for Candyman consist of the names of actors and crew involved in the production of the film sliding in on top of the shot of the busy city. The names and text are all a flat white colour, but the font itself uses sharp angles and straight lines (seen right) to make the font seem more dangerous.
The editing style of the film follows the traditional method of seamless editing, using techniques such as the 180° rule to make jumps and cuts less noticeable. However, the pacing of the cuts are very fast in order to give the film a tense atmosphere. All of the characters are viewed from a medium shot, meaning each of the characters appear to have equal power over the scene and not giving any characters more control than others.
AUDIO
The opening theme to Candyman makes use of orchestral instruments to give a menacing tone to the song, as well as use of a church organ. Not only does the church organ once again provide a link to religion and Christianity, this also links the film to the theme of death, as the church organ makes the song sound like it's from a funeral.
The main theme for the film, which plays at several points throughout the film, starts off as a piano piece played in a minor key. before a choiral section comes in (about 30 seconds in). Although this is much simpler and less menacing than the full orchestral piece, it is still a common trait of Horror films, as a number of Horror films have used similar piano pieces as their main theme. The piano piece gives an ominous yet calm feel, which is played at times when there is less tension so the film still has a very ominous feel even when not much is happening in the film itself.
Dialogue is also a key element to the film. In the first scene of the film, there is a non-diagetic monologue by a character assumed to be the Candyman, the supernatural being causing the murders throughout the film. While he talks, a shot of bees is shown, and strange buzzing and rumbling noises are heard as well. This makes the Candyman seem ominous and deadly.
CONCLUSION
For a Horror film to be a Horror film, it needs a number of different Horror film conventions to be present throughout the film. As well as more obvious things, such as a theme of death, fear and evil, other less obvious techniques could also be used to add to the film, such as a theme of knowledge or religious influence. "Candyman" is a great example of a Horror film as the opening to the film makes use of most, if not all, of the basic conventions for a Horror film.
Use of costumes in the opening of Candyman reflect Horror film conventions well. For example, most of the costumes consist of very common clothes,and very few characters have costumes that go against this. This creates the effect that the characters are very average, ordinary people and suggesting that the events of the film could happen to anyone.
The costumes are also used to make the events of the film seem more terrifying. One of the characters - a female murder victim in the first scene - is seen wearing a cross necklace. A cross is a Christian symbol, and is seen as a very religious icon. However, the character wearing this necklace is then murdered, suggesting that there is no protection from the murderer, making the murder seem very evil and giving the film a supernatural theme.Props also provide some idea of common Horror movie elements. Props such as fake blood and unusual weapons (i.e. a hook or a shard of glass) are common in a lot of horror movies, as these provide a feeling of fear and danger in the film. However, insects are also used in horror movies, albeit less commonly. Use of insects, such as the bees in Candyman or moths in Silence of the Lambs adds imagery to the film designed to gross out the viewer, and therefore adding to the horror theme.
CAMERAS AND EDITING
The opening shot of the film shows an aerial shot of a busy city, which pans following a road while cars drive around below. This is a common opening shot for a Horror movie, setting the scene for the film while making it seem like an ordinary, everyday city. This again makes the film seem more like a regular occurrence that could happen anywhere.
The editing style of the film follows the traditional method of seamless editing, using techniques such as the 180° rule to make jumps and cuts less noticeable. However, the pacing of the cuts are very fast in order to give the film a tense atmosphere. All of the characters are viewed from a medium shot, meaning each of the characters appear to have equal power over the scene and not giving any characters more control than others.
AUDIO
The opening theme to Candyman makes use of orchestral instruments to give a menacing tone to the song, as well as use of a church organ. Not only does the church organ once again provide a link to religion and Christianity, this also links the film to the theme of death, as the church organ makes the song sound like it's from a funeral.
The main theme for the film, which plays at several points throughout the film, starts off as a piano piece played in a minor key. before a choiral section comes in (about 30 seconds in). Although this is much simpler and less menacing than the full orchestral piece, it is still a common trait of Horror films, as a number of Horror films have used similar piano pieces as their main theme. The piano piece gives an ominous yet calm feel, which is played at times when there is less tension so the film still has a very ominous feel even when not much is happening in the film itself.
Dialogue is also a key element to the film. In the first scene of the film, there is a non-diagetic monologue by a character assumed to be the Candyman, the supernatural being causing the murders throughout the film. While he talks, a shot of bees is shown, and strange buzzing and rumbling noises are heard as well. This makes the Candyman seem ominous and deadly.
CONCLUSION
For a Horror film to be a Horror film, it needs a number of different Horror film conventions to be present throughout the film. As well as more obvious things, such as a theme of death, fear and evil, other less obvious techniques could also be used to add to the film, such as a theme of knowledge or religious influence. "Candyman" is a great example of a Horror film as the opening to the film makes use of most, if not all, of the basic conventions for a Horror film.
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