Scream

How horror and suspense is created in the opening scene of scream 

In the is scene of scream,the audience is introduced to a young,blonde girl who is alone. I know that she was alone because the director used a wide screen shot to illustrate that there was no one else was in the house with her. Her costume shows innocence which highlights the audiences knowledge that this is a horror movie. Blonde girls are also traditionally and stereotypically known for their vulnerability an are usually killed in a film due to this.Th lighting plays an important role as this hightens the suspense. The lighting began bright to simplify that everything was normal in the characters life and she was unharmed. However,gradually the lighting began to dim as the tension increased.  The spot light was used to draw the attention of the audience and create suspension. Not only this but the way the halls were dark to show fear and ambiguous fate. Sound commonly works alongside the lighting. In order to create a mood for the film. At the beginning of the film, the use of a heartbeat indicated that this film would get the heart racing which represents fear. Throughout the film,the tempo of the heartbeat matched the sound of the music, for example the faster the heartbeat the louder the music. The use of the popcorn cracking and how it gradually got louder as the suspense rose. The setting of the house indicated isolation and derelict which informs the audience that something bad would happen. The camera shots such as the crane shot show the perspective and allows the audience to see how vulnerable she is which ultimately hightens tension.