Society as Depicted by the Horror Genre

"Fear" of the Other: Halloween and its Representation of Repression

Identifying with the Characters

In the opening scene, the film forces our identification with an unknown assailant, later uncovered as 6-year-old Michael Myers, as the camera acts as his gaze (2:30). From the shakiness of motion and the peering nature of the camera, the audience member infers that this is a first-person perspective. This is further proven when he grabs the knife, as we see his right hand come from the side of the screen. Finally, while murdering his sister, our gaze (the camera shot) is limited to only the eyeholes of his mask. As we are seeing the world from his perspective, when we see him grab the knife and begin to climb the stairs, the tension begins to build as audience members can probably guess what will happen next. Thus, we experience Michael's rampage against his sister vicariously, almost becoming the murderer. This goes against our values and beliefs, as he is being senselessly violent. In the end, this scene engenders a contradiction of our morals, bringing us discomfort. We cannot avert our eyes; we identify with him because we have access to his senses, because of primary identification. His villainous point of view is imposed on the viewer, and the viewer has no influence on the situation.

As the film progresses, however, the camera work begins to focus more heavily on Laurie Strode, which in turn, forces us to identify with her. Some secondary identification occurs during the scene of her walking with her friends (21:00), where we get a glimpse of her personal life. When Laurie sees Michael in her backyard, the technique of "eye-line match" is used: the shot cuts from Laurie looking out her window to her backyard, emulating her point of view (62:14). Additionally, at the end of the film, when she gets chased and is stuck in the closet, we assume her gaze and perspective as we see Michael demolish the closet doors. The "eye-line match" happens again with her sitting on the ground, seeing him from a lower shot.

Our allegiance to Laurie is stronger than our allegiance to Michael. She adheres to morals and values we accept as virtuous, so it does not evoke any discomfort in us. She acts as we would in this situation. As a result, once she does end up committing violent acts like when she stabs a knitting needle into Michael's neck, we accept that she is doing so purely out of defense. This does not go against our moral code and, considering her vulnerable state, audience members may even encourage her violence to defeat the antagonist.

Ethical Education

The ethical message of this film is that one should follow the societal norms lest you are punished. Michael's choice of victims expresses this ethical dilemma. Apart from Laurie, Bob and the mechanic at the beginning of the film, Michael particularly targets young female babysitters who are not doing their jobs, instead choosing to engage in sexual activity. This trend follows aspects of repression discussed by Robert Wood. With regards to sexuality, "[t]he 'ideal' [...] is as close to an automation in whom both sexual and intellectual energy has been reduced to a minimum" (Wood 8). Thus, the women who answer their sexuality by fulfilling their desires rather than doing their job, are ultimately punished. This first occurs with Michael's sister, who says "Michael's around someplace", implying that she does not know where he is despite having to babysit him (3:00). Then, Annie gets killed after she leaves Lindsay so she can spend time with her boyfriend. Finally, Lynda gets strangled after having sex with her boyfriend in Laurie's house.

The second demonstration of this ethical message concerns Michael Myers' himself. In this film, he is considered 'the Other' for several reasons. As he is only a child when he commits this first immoral act, he clearly does not exhibit traits that would fit the "mould [that would turn him] into [a] replica" (Wood 10). As such, two methods are used to deal with his "otherness". Michael is subsequently placed into an institution, an asylum, whose goal is to correct and assuage violent tendencies. After he escapes, Laurie and Dr. Loomis attempt to stop him through murder. Michael is a human that we "cannot recognize or accept but must deal with [...] in one of two ways: either by rejecting it and if possibly annihilating it, or by rendering it safe and assimilating it, converting it as far as possible into a replica of itself" (Wood 9).

This film ends with the restoration of repression as all the societal norms are re-established. Though Michael "struggle[s] for recognition of all that our civilization represses or oppresses" (Wood 10) by escaping the asylum, he is forced to go back into hiding at the end of the film after being hunted down. Thus, 'the Other' figure is once again relegated to the margins after not being accepted by society. In fact, for most of the film, Laurie is the epitome of adherence to social norms. At the end of the film, though, she transforms into an 'Other' figure: she assumes conventionally masculine traits, like strength and courage, when fighting off Michael. The restoration of repression occurs when she does not end up saving herself. In fact, a man, Dr. Loomis, shows up at the very last second to shoot Michael. Thus, her "autonomy and independence are denied" (Wood 10) and she is returned to her position in the patriarchal society.

Halloween was a revolutionary movie for its time. It introduced a new style, along with several tropes that characterize the slasher genre to this day. But one must not forget the ethical indoctrination that such a film represents; while the story is riveting, the social dynamic that is presented to the audience is alarming. The inculcation of individuals living in a society can be equally horrific as the murdering of children and the defeating of a common evil, which is what aggrandizes the importance of understanding horror. In the end, horror films allow us to probe the human nature.

References:

Robin Wood. "An Introduction to the American Horror Film. Part I: Repression, the Other, the Monster," In American Nightmare: Essays on the Horror Film, edited by Andrew Britton, Richard Lippe, Tony Williams, and Robin Wood. Toronto: Festival of Festivals, 1979.

Carpenter, John, director. Halloween. Compass International Pictures, Aquarius Releasing, 1978.