Scream Opening Analysis

On Sunday I researched the history and techniques used in horror films. Today I decided to analyze the opening scene for "Scream". I've already seen this scene however this time I wanted to see if I could spot any of the techniques that I researched yesterday or even find some new techniques.

The scene consists of a girl at home alone who receives a phone call from a wrong number. This was definitely a very calculated decision as it makes the scene much scarier because it is something that could happen to anyone, and is something that happens very often. As she is talking to the man, her expressions are very happy and normal; however when the phone rings again, although nothing truly concerning has happened, she turns around with a slightly concerned expression. This sets the intended tone and shows the viewers that this is no ordinary wrong number.

Also, a very important technique to take note of is that during the second call, the camera is angled slightly to the left (dutch angle). This is one of the techniques that I talked about in the last post. It is meant to make the viewer feel uncomfortable and I think it accomplishes just that.

Once she picks up the phone and walks around the house, we can see a variety of shots, especially long shots. these are meant to show that she is very alone. When the man on the phone tells her he wants to know "who [he's] looking at", the camera gets closer to her face to emphasize her reaction. When she looks outside to check to see if the man is there, we see a POV shot of what the character would be seeing. This puts us in her place, which helps in scaring us. Finally, we see another dutch angle of the popcorn being cooked. 

This scene definitely used many techniques that I have researched however I also learned many new ones. The whole situation is something that is very possible in real life, a call from a wrong number is something that happens to all of us. This makes it even scarier because you are reminded of the movie every time you receive a call from a wrong number. The actor is obviously a big factor in how scary a movie turns out to be. If the actor is good, then the audience will believe what is happening much more than if the actor were bad. The POV shot goes along with this last technique as it puts us in the actors shoes. Seeing someone be terrorized is one thing, but being the one being terrorized takes the scariness to another level. The dutch angles were a very subtle technique but it adds a creepy vibe anytime it is used. The intricate techniques that were used in this scene show why "Scream" is such a classic.