Week in Review: Spooky Edition!
Horrifying, Hilarious, Halloween Shots
If you don’t follow us on Any of The Socials, you’re missing our daily mini-breakdowns!
Below is a handy roundup of all the Halloween-themed shots we looked at last week, from Abbott Elementary to The Babadook.
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Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
This moody opening from Halloween 4 doesn’t have anything ‘happening’ but still creates an instance sense of atmosphere and dread. The Midwest. Vast. Empty. Nowhere to run or hide. Autumnal winds whip at home-made decorations. Barbwire, an axe, spikes, all bristle with potential violence. Night is about to fall. Pure menace.
On the total opposite end of the spectrum we have . . .
Abbott Elementary
This frenetic oner is made all the more delightful by the teachers being in costume.
Throw in the complications of coordinating dozens of kids, passing a camera through a window, and a couple whip-pans just in case you need to hide your cuts: it's tricks AND treats!
Der Hund von Baskerville / The Hound of the Baskervilles (1929)
What a deliciously terrifying silent sequence . . .
especially the closeup (0:30) on the murderer's face, complete with sweaty brow, eyelights, and drastic expression change.
Cat People (1942)
This longer breakdown was on Substack, with a short clip for our #SexySaturday (a thing we do on socials).
As a socials-only bonus, we looked at three freeze-frames which uses mirrors and/or reflections:
Yes, the scene uses them for look and atmosphere, but they also reflect how the film is interested in juxtaposing Irena and Alice, and examining our Jekyll-and-Hyde-esque other self.
The Babadook (2014)
This instant-classic film’s opening sequence doesn't just use surrealism to give us an uneasy feeling and 'bridge' from Amelia's dream to reality . . . it also uses Amelia's body and the two mismatched bedside lamps to create a picture of the Babadook (0:07 - 0:10).
Most people would already be familiar with the image from the poster / trailer / marketing, but the impact only strengthens on rewatching the film.
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
This impressively staged scene (it's only 2 setups!) from features one of cinema's most simple yet iconic shots.
When 'Satanic mastermind' Minnie Castevet (Ruth Gordon) learns that Rosemary (Mia Farrow) is pregnant, she makes a phone call to her friends/coven.
It's a simple, static POV shot that matches Rosemary's eyeline with the subject centre frame — but Minnie is partially obscured. So we (the audience) instinctively lean to the right, trying to look around the door to see what's happening. We're made into active participants.
In Closing
Hope you’ve had a spooky-good season.
Next up it’s Mel’s favourite time of year: Noirvember!