Tension and suspense within 'Scream' (Wes Craven)

             Even before the audience is led into the scene a horrific scream is heard which lets us know that something awful is going to happen. The scream focuses the genre by using recognised conventions of the genre. This scream then leads is into the opening scene of the film.
             The director uses mid close up shots of Kacey on the phone to represent the importance of the calls and this is continued throughout the opening scene. The camera then cuts to a shot outside of the house where it is dark and windy, representing a stereotypical horror film and also letting us know that the garden has a relevance to the scene. The camera follows Kacey as she goes from the kitchen to once again answer the phone, this builds the tension because we feel as if we are following her and it also creates the idea of her being stalked. Kacey is represented at this point in the scene as very laid-back and the talk of horror films and the way she grabs the knife creates a chilling irony which builds the suspense because we know that something bad is going to happen. The director then cuts to a mid shot of the popcorn expanding which makes the audience visually aware that the story is like a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode.
             Once again we follow Kacey into the living room listening to the friendly phone call until the killer slips up by asking who he's looking at, it is at this point that the camera zooms in on Kacey's face looking petrified and intrigued. We then see Kacey turn on the outside light to show the garden which has a thick layer of fog slithering over the surface which creates an eerie atmosphere. The shot once again cuts back to the popcorn which is near enough ready to explode which lets the audience know that something big is going to happen and its going to happen soon.
             As Kacey walks back into the kitchen the lights have faded and shadows have appeared representing her vulnerability and consequently her fate. As Kacey ans
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Tension and suspense within 'Scream' (Wes Craven). (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 01:56, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/28528.html