Analyse the Micro elements of film form in a scene from Carrie

Analyse the micro elements of film form in a scene from a film from the horror genre and how these elements create meaning and conform to genre conventions

In the 1976 horror film, “Carrie”, directed by Brian De Palma (who also directed the 1983 film Scarface), and based on the Stephan King novel of the same name, the micro elements of film are used to convey that this film is in the horror genre, as demonstrated in the “Billy slaughters a pig” scene from the beginning of the picture.   In this scene the mise en scene indicates heavily that this film is of the horror genre. In the beginning of the scene the group of teenagers leans a ladder against a wall, which has a sign on it labelling the factory the “Bates pig farm”. The name Bates is a link back to Hitchcock’s 1960 iconic horror-suspense film, “Psycho”, where the main antagonist and evil force is Norman Bates, proprietor of the Bates motel. By giving the pig farm this name Palma adds in a subtle nod back to the pioneer horror film for eagle-eyed fans, making this setting a more terrifying and threatening place for the characters to be in. The building itself is also very ominous, as it is a large built brick factory with a happy scene of pigs in a field surrounded by sunshine and bright skies. This too perfect mural is in direct contrast with the dark and stormy night which the characters are existing in and makes the building feel too happy and otherworldly. This use of normality placed in a situation where it should not be is often used in horror films to convey an emotion of unease to the audience, as this disconnect between faux-normality and the unknown darkness of the other world. The gloomy weather relates this scene back to horror conventions, as the stormy weather makes the characters feel isolated and uncomfortable. The dark and atmospheric lighting in this scene also makes this film match the conventions of a horror film, as films of this genre generally use low-key lighting, so as to create shadows and atmospheric unseen dangers. This scene is first lit only by a singular lamp above a door on the factory building, making the rest of the setting dark and gloomy, making the focus only onto the factory. As they move inside the scene is only lit by the moon and light outside, making the animals inside look ominous and scary. This links this scene back to the horror genre and shows how the lighting in this scene is used to conform to the conventions of horror films as the dark low lighting is a typical theme in films of this genre.

                The props which the characters are carrying also make this scene appear to be one from a horror film, as they all have a dark significance which is later played upon in the latter half of the scene. At the beginning of the scene the characters are carrying a ladder, an axe, and a can of gasoline. Although these may be everyday items in a different context, this scene gives them new meaning and makes them appear much more threatening than they would be in that. The axe in the dark and gloomy setting of the pig farm make it feel much more murderous than it would be in a different setting. This threatening aura from the axe makes the audience feel as though they are watching a horror film, as in films of this genre weapons and other dangerous objects are used to harm or defend the innocent (as in a typical horror film there is normally a struggle between evil and the forces of good), again adding the to the image that this film is of the horror genre. The can of gasoline and the ladder also add to this threatening and general aura of danger. This is because these items have come to be associated with general misuse in this genre. The ladder also shows that the teenagers are entering an area which they are not allowed to be in and are probably doing so without others knowing. This reflects back to a typical trope in horror films of youths exploring and entering areas which they are not allowed to be in, such as adventuring in an abandoned summer camp (1980’s Friday the 13^th), or an old farm (Charlie’s Farm 2014), making the audience feel a sense of unease due to the connotations of these props.

                The final element of mise en scene on show in this scene is the character expression and movement. Although this is a short scene the characters express a large amount of emotion which shows and conforms to horror genre conventions. When setting up the ladder one of the teenagers shoves another to get up the ladder first. By doing this he shows how the group is still young and immature. A common trope in horror films is a group of immature youths visiting some sort of isolated area, then being picked off one by one by an outside evil (The Cabin in the Woods 2012). The small group setting with this age group indicates a horror genre film. The anger that Billy expresses later on in the scene also links back to the genre, as common emotions expressed in this genre are fear and anger, generally ones which are shown in this genre. Billy then uses the axe which was brought to kill a pig for its blood, using a large amount of violence. This also is shown as a convention of horror films, as these films often feature a large amount of blood and death, especially the slasher subtype of horror, which utilise capacious amounts of gore. This is how the character expression and movement are used to show how this scene conveys meaning and conforms to genre conventions.

                The cinematography of this scene also shows how it conveys meaning and conforms to the conventions of the horror genre. This scene starts off with a wide shot of the character walking alongside the fence without any cuts. This then uses a zoom shot in the same cut to move it back to an extreme wide shot of the factory and the teenagers. The original wide shot keeps the audience from knowing a large amount about the setting, making it more suspenseful and adding to the psychological terror of the wider film. This also defines the main focus in this scene, as it establishes them as the important factor in the scene. The zoom out to an extreme wide shot then creates the feeling that the large factory is ominously looming over them, making them seem less powerful in relation to what lies within and their future actions. This camera angle is also not naturalistic, and is more extreme than the human eye, instead it is more like a watching presence.  The extreme wide shot can also connotate nightmares and fear in the scene. The longer duration of the cut then allowed the tension in this scene to build up as they walked onwards towards their spot of entry. This creates a more suspenseful mood than if they spilt it up in a lot of little cuts, as these may break up the tension and the mood. This links this back to the horror genre, as the lack of quick cuts normally indicates that an evil force or presence is about to attack, leading up to more terror for the protagonists. The scene then cuts to a panning aerial shot of the teen’s shadows on the walls until it looks down upon the group standing in front of the pig pen. This again links back to extreme high shots being used in horror films to connotate nightmares and fear. This scene then cuts to a medium shot of the teenagers arguing before cutting again to a wide shot of the pigs while Billy wanders into it. This medium shot is also used to create more tension in the scene, linking back to the horror genre. When Billy then kills the pig, the scene cross-cuts between a close up of Chris and the original wide shot of Billy. This makes the scene feel much more dramatic and increases the emotion of the scene by showing the emotions and actions of the characters being affected by the scene which was increased by the longer cuts earlier on in the scene. This is how the cinematography conforms back to conventions of the horror genre.

                This scene also has a large amount of diegetic and non-diegetic sound in it which creates meaning and conforms to conventions of the horror genre. The scene starts out with diegetic sounds of the rain falling as well as dialogue between the characters. The rain sound is softer then that of the characters, as the dialogue informs the audience of what is to happen in this scene, so it is important to hear. However, this sound allows the suspense to build, as the sounds of the storm mixed with the light conversation make the tension build. The dialogue quickly becomes more threatening as it continues, as the characters talk about murdering the pig, the argument between Billy and his friend as well as Billy telling Chris to shut up, make the scene rise in emotion, reaching a peak when Billy begins to kill the pig and Chris shouts “do it” several times. The non-diegetic sound of Psycho’s Suite written by Bernard Herrman plays over the top, creating an audio call back to the iconic horror film, making this scene much more dramatic and increasing the fear and danger of this scene due to the connotations of the Suite. Iconography and use of classic film sound are now a convention of horror film, as classic horror characters and sound are used in many films. This is how the sound, as well as the rest of the micro elements of film form in the “Billy slaughters a pig” scene is used to create meaning and conform to horror genre conventions.