Research opening - Texas chainsaw massacre

Institution information

This film is called Texas chainsaw massacre and it was released in the year 1974. It was certificated rated 18 and produced by Vortex production company, as well as distributed by Byanston Pictures. The film was directed by Tobe Hooper and earned $83,352 in the US box office (estimated).

Target audience

The primary target audience of this film are people aged between 18-40, who are fans of horror and thriller films. In addition, the secondary target audience would be considered fans of "slasher" sub-genre horror films.

Title and credit analysis

The opening narrative sets up an atmosphere for the target audience. There is no incidental music or soundtrack, but a voice over narrating the paragraph scrolling up the screen. By using a voice over instead of incidental music creates just as much tension because there isn't any sound to build up the tension, which is instead set by the paragraph. Conventionally, a horror/slasher film uses the term of phase "based on a true story" to set a nerving atmosphere, which makes the audience feel nervous as they know that if it is a horror film based on a true story then they are not safe and the events that happened in the film aren't entirely fictional. Texas chainsaw massacre uses this term of phase to help set up this type of atmosphere, as well as to set up a narrative.

The conventions for a title of a horror would contain what we might typically see in a horror film e.g. blood, gore, etc. The background of the title screen is a mix of black and red "splatters". Typically, black would represent "evil" or "darkness" which links back to the ideas created in a typical horror film. Also, red would typically be associated with "blood" which, with the splatters, could be seen as blood splatters on a black background, furthermore links with the horror genre as it is what we would expect to see in a slasher film.                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Preferred readings

The first shot is of a title screen that reads "August 18, 1973". This links back to the previous claim of the film being "based on a true story" and by giving it historical dates makes the film more factual and accurate, which adds to the tension and the narrative. As the title screen fades out, the screen appears blank whilst there is some non-diegetic "rustling" sound effects. The effect this has on the target audience makes them nervous, as we can't see what is happening, but we also don't know what is causing the rustling noises, which then leaves the audiences imaginations run wild and adds to the suspense.

The sudden flashes of high key lighting, as well as the sudden pitch change in the incidental sound, then catches the audience off guard, and is often referred to in media terms as a "jump scare". Within these sudden flashes of high key lighting, we can vaguely see the outline of some "gory" props to give the audience more of an idea of what is happen, which further adds to the suspense and tension of the narrative. As these flashes become more frequent, we then see more of the props used, or what the audience can then determine to be a "corpse", further adding to the suspense and narrative of the film. We also conventionally expect to see a "corpse" in a horror film, in which the audience uses these expectations to make assumptions.  

The make-up used, or what we can make out to see on the corpse, also tells us that this is a victim. The skin has an uneven texture which we wouldn't usually expect to see, but also with the rustling noises in the background adds to the uneasiness of the situation. The camera then fades into the next shot, in which is a close up of what we can assume is the corpse that was being "prepared" in the previous shots. The high key lighting in this shot allows us to see the "disturbing" features on the corpse, adding to the tension and narrative of the film.

The make-up used on the corpse (prop) is "disturbing" as we cannot see the conventional features we'd expect to see on a human face, which may make the audience feel uncomfortable or unnerving. The colour of the skin also appears to be discoloured and uneven which, again, we wouldn't expect to see in everyday life. The news report in the background (non-diegetic) also helps to set up a narrative, but also helps to create a tension as it makes the situation seem more "serious" and formal, which makes the audience feel nervous and links back to the idea that the film was "based on a true story".

The camera then continues to zoom out of the corpse, showing a second corpse as well as the location it was placed in (establishing shot). The setting appears to be in a graveyard, which is a conventional setting for a horror film. The idea of using a graveyard as a location for a horror film links in with this idea of "death" (a heavy theme within the horror genre), in which is ironic in this scene as the bodies seem to have been massacred on site of a graveyard.