Wes Craven, John Carpenter and Hitchcock

Wes Craven-

Wes Craven is an American film director known best for his horror films. He is also a producer, writer and actor born in 1939 (till present.) During his career he has won nine cinematic awards and received three nominations.

The last house on the left- subverts slasher horror genre as parents of girl killed kill villains, more than one killer, one killer is a girl, not a group of teens, no final girl, exploitation-horror genre

The hills have eyes 1,- no final girl- girl that survives not virginal, no teenagers, more than one killer, not unknown, in desert land- rocky, there is a sequel, subverts slasher horror genre

A nightmare on elm street- one disfigured killer, group of teens, family suburb, final girl, unhelpful officer, final girl virginal, friends engage in sexual activity, supernatural slasher horror film

Scream 1,- group of teens, motive (girls fault- e.g maureen having affair with bialys father), final girl kills killers- not a virgin, high school and suburb, unknown killer, attend party- drinking, there are three more sequels, slasher film- subverted by non virginal final girl

The people under the stairs- final girl (helped by man)- very good and followed rules leading her to survive, two villains with identities revealed, suburb- family home, not a group of teens- children, subverts slasher horror conventions

John Carpenter-

John Carpenter is a filmmaker and screenwriter born in1948 (until present.) His film Halloween (1978) made his name within the horror genre.

Halloween 1- girl has sex with boyfriend and is killed, family home- victorian house, killer doesnt die, no final girl, identity of the killer is knows, wears a mask, bloody deaths, no group of teens, three more sequels plus curse of michael myers, 20 years later 

Christine- no final girl, killer is ultimately a car, 'killer' is got rid of, no group of teens or specific setting e.g suburb, forest etc, no useless detectives

The fog- no final girl, paranormal not slasher- ghosts and idea of 'the fog', gruesome deaths, mystery- fits paranormal horror genre

Hitchcock-

Alfred Hitchcock was a director, producer and screen writer born 1899 (till 1900.) He was nicknamed 'master of suspense', as he used psychological suspense in films creating a unique viewer experience.

Psycho- paved the way for the horror genre, unhelpful police officer, unknown killer- one killer, 'womans fault- mother found a lover and made him jealous), no final girl, killer is arrested not killed, no group of teens, violent shower scene

Mask Deconstruction

Poughkeepsie Tapes

-The mask is in style of an old doctors mask from the 1800's
-It has links to character e.g performing 'surgical' acts on victim (mutilations)
-The nose of mask could possibly be used as the weapon
-It is extremely sinister looking, and has connotations of illness and death
-It has a very old and medieval feel, with the mask not being at all common anymore
-It covers the whole face, leaving the killers identity concealed
-The mask has a bird-like beak, meaning it is not at all similar to human features which makes it more disturbing
-Even the eyes are concealed, making him seem less human (dehumanised)



Nightmare on Elm Street

-Disfigurements due to something that has happened to them during their childhood, usually the reason they go on to become killers
-An example is Freddy Kruger (Nightmare on Elm Street) who was burnt in an aggressive attack by the parents of children that it was thought Kruger murdered
-Still human features however disfigurement is unsightly and therefore distressing to the audience
-Still gives the character a mysterious feel, as face is deformed
-Masks sometimes used to cover the disfigurement
-Disfigurement can give clues to the background of the killer e.g. burns
-Deformities are usually to the face however can be to any part of the body (this could subvert conventions)








Hannibal Lecter

-The mask links to well to the character as the bars over the mouth is in connection to the fact that the character is a cannibal, which is extremely disturbing to the audience
-A lot of the character's face can still be seen, however the mask makes it distorted which is distressing for the audience
-The mask is more simple and not so characterised as other masks e.g scream mask
-This mask has a purpose, which it to stop him eating people rather than just for concealing his identity e.g Michael Myers in Halloween



Own Ideas

Animal

-From idea of the pig mask used in the Saw movies
-Head of pig is used and then distorted with things like blood and hair
-The use of hair almost tries to humanise it, which is more disturbing for the audience (the use of the pipe in the picture to the left is also an example of this)
-Pig have connotations of being dirty animals and are often viewed as quite negative
-They are also seen as a sign of the devil as in biblical times it was said that Jesus had cast the spirit of demons out of a girl and into pigs, who then ran into the water and drowned
-Pigs were also symbolic of gluttony in medieval times






Woman

-From the idea of poughkeepsie tapes, in which the woman wears a scarily realistic yet distorted woman's mask
-The mask is fairly doll like, which gives connotations of children and so is more disturbing to the audience
-The woman/doll mask is also classically creepy, with dolls being a well known convention of horror movies
-The only problem with using this mask in our film trailer is that we are conforming to conventions and making the killer a man
-Doll's are much more a girls toy and so may seem out of place on a male killer
-Much like the Halloween idea of 'a face over a face', it is still realistic (recognisable features) yet obviously very distorted which makes it disturbing
-This way it will also keep the audience view that the killer is very much human, but shielding his identity almost with another identity (e.g the face of someone else as a mask

Location- Houses

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-32263935.html

-Large, old fashioned house

-Fairly rural, lots of land

-Outbuildings 

-Not too privately enclosed

-Old fashioned building

-Fairly on its own

-Outbuildings

-Not too private e.g set back

-Different houses in Hook Green Lane, Dartford

-All apart from each other, rural feel

-Look realistic and some quite old fashioned

-Not too set back

-However no visible out buildings 

Sidcup place

-Not private

-Old fashioned, grand

-Lots of land, rural setting

-No outbuildings 

The cottage/Aunts cottage-

Ideas Of Masks

In our slasher trailer, we will be using a masked killer. After my research on masked killers, I was particularly intrigued by the 'sac mask' worn by 'The Scarecrow'  in The Batman films and 'The Scream' mask.

As this particular 'sack mask' has already been used, I searched for similar scarecrow masks online. Here's what I found:

 



 



• This is similar to the one used in 'The Batman', but has an extra feature of the rope.
• The rope can visually signify the masked killer being unbeatable, as the rope itself can make the killer almost look as though he is being strangled.
•  The stitching patterns also connote this idea of the killer being tough and invulnerable to pain.
• This mask therefore would help our killer to appear incredibly dominant and could provide the supernatural element of killer in slasher film.

I was also interested by 'The Scream' mask. The mask is incredibly effective in drawing an audiences' attention towards the mask's expressions with its large mouth signifying a scream and large black eyes, which further draw an audience.

As I was searching for 'sack masks', I managed to find a scream mask with the features of the features of a scarecrow. Here's what I found:

• This mask is unique, unusual and has not appeared in a slasher film yet.
• Therefore, by using this mask, my group and I would have a new idea which an audience can be excited by, which would enable us to meet audience pleasures.
• This mask covers the whole face and also one's hair. This would raise enigmas within the audience, as the audience will not be able to identify the killer's gender.

Outside Location Deconstruction

Halloween

• The location in Halloween is primarily set in the Myers household as well as another baby sitters household. 
• Both are large, suburban homes, with porches/balconies. 
• Very family like, decorated with Halloween decorations
• Trees and leaves flood the area too, as it is autumn
• Detached, large American style family homes.

The Strangers

• Bungalow style house, detached
• Still very large
• Dimly lit, river near by
• In a fairly remote setting, plays into the narrative.
• We need a house which appears to be quite remote so that the victims cannot just go next door and ask for help
• Looks like a holiday home / villa for a getaway.

You're Next

• Huge, detached house
• Wooded area surrounding
• Old style, beamed, clearly very expensive
• Large driveway
• Remote also, so no neighbours can disturb/help the victims.
• Leaves flood the floor as well, like Halloween.
• Ideally, we'd have a location like this, but very unrealistic.
• In first image, at quite a high-angle doesn't look scary or intimadating, however at a more eye-level angle with low-key lighting and ambient lighting, a lot more frightening.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

• Huge, faded white/grey, detached house
• Iconic beams in the front, quite sinister looking
• At a low angle shot (below), looks very big and daunting
• In a field, nothing surrounding it, remote, no neighbours to disturb.
• Contrasts with the dark sky, to make it appear more sinister looking

For our film

• We will need a large, detached home
• Surrounded by green would be good, ideally
• However, if we cannot find a property like that, then one that looks quite rural and out of the way, so nobody can come to help the victims.
• Preferably not as creepy looking as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre house, as our killer doesn't live in the house, one of the characters does / owns it.

Location post

An inside location idea:

This is the hallway from the point of view of the front door, clearly very wide and spacious, and leads directly to the kitchen and the living room.

From the view of halfway up the stairs

From the basement stairs. The room is actually quite large from other angles, allowing for some kind of basement scene in our storyboard, e.g. one boot hits the step, loud boom.

The kitchen is modernised, with a large family dining table, work surfaces, island and sofa area. This is the view from the doorway, clearly a large space. The back wall is a long row of windows/doors that lead to the garden. The island would be a good place for one part of our sequence where the teenagers are sitting around, drinking 

A more traditional living area, very large room, huge windows, a fireplace and quite homely furniture. 

Mask Deconstruction + Ideas

You're Next

• These masks from the film 'You're Next' at first glance aren't particularly scary
• They are clearly animal masks, specifically: a sheep, a wolf and some kind of feline animal.
• The basic look of the mask is clearly just a plastic child's mask, which would be quite easy to replicate or get ahold of if we wanted to go down that route.
• What makes these masks more terrifying is the use of blood on the masks, accompanied by low-key and under lighting, which makes the faces look more impressive and terrifying
• The mask allows the audience to see that they are just normal people as well, rather than disfigured killers

Saw

• This mask from Saw is a plastic pig mask, which is made to look quite realistic
• There is also blood on the mask and a long wig type hair piece to accompany it.
• The mask fits in with narrative also, as pigs are often used in the film
• Pigs are symbolic: lazy, greedy, dirty, unclean
• This symbol is relevant in the narrative as Saw is all about becoming clean and living good lives, as Jigsaw/John saw it
• Quite easy to replicate, find a pig mask from a shop/online probably quite hard to make one from scratch, expecially if we wanted it to be realistic like this one.

The Purge

• These masks are almost like exaggerated faces, quite caricature like, with emphasised chins, cheeks, eyes and mouths
• Then a wig or natural hair is seen over the top
• This is quite effective as the smile appears quite sinister and mocking almost, so unscary that is somehow becomes scary
• Also, the dark holes where the eyes should be makes the faces look more scary as the audience cannot see the killer's eyes.
• We could possibly recreate something like this by moulding one out of paper-mache or something similar, with help from the art department. 

Own Ideas

Post WW1 Mask

My first idea for a mask is inspired by the character Richard Harrow from the hit US series 'Boardwalk Empire'. Although the show is set in the 1920s and is a gangster drama, this character has a facial disfigurement from the war, meaning he has to wear a mask to cover it up, so not to shock other people. Below, you can see the character wearing the mask, it appears to be a cast of his face with painted on features to match his real face. The mask is then put on by the glasses, which keep it in place. From a BBC News article, I learned about the 'Tin Noses Shop' from World War One and how they actually made the masks for soldiers:


'The mask-making process began with a plaster cast of the face and then a clay or plasticine squeeze would be taken to reflect the healed face and missing features - like a cheek, eye socket, nose or jaw - would be cast. A copper mask, 1/32in thick, was created from the final cast, which was coated in silver and painted - usually a cream-coloured spirit enamel to match Caucasian skin, and topped with varnish to give a complexion.

Wood would then match the contours of the face, the pigmentation and texture of the patient's skin and if an eye was missing he would either paint on the reverse of a glass blank or directly on to the plate.' Link : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-27592604

Doll Face / Pin-up mask

With Halloween just around the corner, I am aware that lots of masks will be sold in shops for relatively cheap prices. Last year as part of my media work I bought a mask from Asda which resembled the 'Doll face' mask from The Strangers, a film I have heavily taken inspiration from for this project. On the right, the image of the character 'Doll face' can be seen and the mask. Below is the mask I bought last year, with no special lighting or makeup used:

At this point, the mask is a plastic white face shaped mask, with light pink rosey cheeks, black lips, dramatic eyelashes and eye-holes to see out of. It does not seem very scary like this at the moment, so I decided to spray some fake blood on it to see if it would help and also play around with a torch to try and get some shadows, like in the You're Next posters.

As you can see, it looks more frightening with the underlighting, which casts shadows and the blood. The blood is only cheap and so looks a little unrealistic, but for blog purposes it helps create an idea in the head of what the final result could be like.

Analysis Of Masks

After watching several slasher films, I have noticed that the killers' masks will always be incredibly eye catchy. I was interested in analysing these masks and finding out their meanings. Below, I have deconstructed a few masks.

'Friday The 13th', Jason Voorhees

• The hockey mask idea was introduced in part 3 (1982).
• The director, Steve Miner decided to add the red triangles, to give it a more iconic symbol of modern horror.
• The mask was also enlarged, with more eye space so that Jason's eyes were more visible for the audience. Holes were also punched into the mask, to make it look more unique from the original hockey mask.
• The red markings could visually signify death and blood on Jason's mind.

'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (2003), 'Leatherface'

• The audience note the mask as being 'skin from his victims'.
• However, the meaning travels deeper; the killer was not able to express emotions himself, so different masks were used to show his change in mood throughout the film.
• The mask itself hides the killer's identity. This is quite conventional - the killer's mask in a slasher covering the whole face.

'Saw', Jigsaw

• The red lipstick forms a grin on the puppet, an unpleasant grin which make the audience perceive the Jigsaw to appear quite sinister.
• The red spirals on his cheeks are indulging and could be representative of his character; trapping those and playing games with them.
• His eyes are black with red irises which gives him an evil look.

'The Batman', The Scarescrow

• The masks compeltely covers the face, only leaving the eyes showing.
• The detail is rough and distorted which links in with his character; bringing fear to peoples' lives.
• The black lining on the mouth area almost shows the character is roaring at his victims.

'The Strangers', The Man In The Mask 

 

• The shape of the mask is similar to the Scarecrow's.
• The mask relates to the film title, as the mask covers his true identity, making him a stranger.
• The black lining could symbolise this idea of the man behind the mask being abnormal - killing innocent people.

'Scream'

 



• The mask is inspired by Edvard Munch's painting 'The Scream'.
• The mask effectively has a contrast between the white and black colour.
• The contrast brings out the black eyes and mouth, pulling the audiences' attention to these features.
• The eyes and mouth of the mask are incredibly daunting due to their size and black colour which could visually signify death and horror. #
• The audience therefore, when seeing this masked character in the film, may jump with shock.