SCENE ANALYSIS OF HALLOWEEN (1978)

This scene from 1978’s, Halloween, by Director John Carpenter, shows us good uses of matched action shots, a point of view shot, an eyeline shot and the 180 rule being used and broken. This is a pivotal scene in the film because it pushes the story forward by setting the tone for the film and establishes that protagonist, Laurie Strode, has become the person of interest for antagonist, Michael Myers. Opening the scene we see Laurie entering from the right and walks towards the left. Here, we have established our 180 rule. The first shot is a panning shot and follows Laurie as she walks to school so the 180 rule is constantly be followed. 

The shot continues and we see our first matched action at 0:47 soon after Laurie meets Tommy Doyle. The shot comes to an end when the camera stops following them (interesting that we see the word stop in the street at this point) and both characters walk off the screen to the left completing the right to left motion, but before the shot ends we see them crossing the street and stepping up onto the next street corner. The matched action is seen in the next shot where Laurie and Tommy are continuing their journey in the exact same spot where the last shot came to an end, the street corner.

We see our first eyeline shot/point of view shot and second matched action shot at 1:04 and 1:08 when Laurie and Tommy approach the Myers’ House. Laurie mentions it and the scene cuts to a shot of the house from the point of view of Laurie and Tommy. We see a tree in that shot that moves off screen to the right suggesting that they are passing it and when it cuts back to Laurie and Tommy, the shot starts with them passing the tree from the previous shot.

The 180 rule is broken at 1:14, when the direction that Laurie and Tommy are walking/facing on screen changes abruptly. We are getting a new point of view. This I believe is done on purpose to give a sense of unease and that something in this scene is not right or is about to happen. It’s at this same point that we get our third matched action where Laurie walks towards the camera (walking towards the house) and at 1:19 it cuts to a point of view from inside house. Here we can see Laurie continuing walking up the steps towards the door. In this shot from inside the house we can here heavy breathing. So that breaking of the 180 rule did have a point, to give us the sense that Laurie and Tommy are being watched by someone from inside the house.

At 1:23 the 180 rule is broken again when the scene cuts to a shot from the street looking towards the house. Again I feel that this is done on purpose to give us the sense as if we are there with Laurie and Tommy, watching Laurie from the street (Interesting that Laurie tells Tommy to “just watch” at that point, but it’s almost as if she is speaking to the audience). 

At 1:26 the shot cuts back to the same shot/point of view from 1:14, it’s as if the shots are now going in reversing. At 1:28 another shot from inside the house and then back to the shot at 1:14. At 1:40 the 180 rule is re-established as Laurie and Tommy start walking away as the scene ends with Michael Myers coming into view watching them.