Editor’s Note: All month long, we’re bringing you special deep dives with Jon Lee Brody, award-winning actor/filmmaker and co-host of the horror podcast That Was Pretty Scary with Freddie Prinze Jr. So far we’ve covered Mike Dougherty’s modern classic, Trick ‘r Treat ,the stylized transitions of Tragedy Girls and reflect on Night of the Demons. We close out the month with John Carpenter’s classic Halloween.
It’s been 45 years since Carpenter’s masterpiece, Halloween, took the world by storm and essentially set the standard by which to measure horror slashers. Many stories and technological advancements have come and gone in those 45 years, but Halloween stands the test of time.
There’s no shortage of iconic scenes to choose from in this movie. From the opening four-minute continuous POV shot to Annie’s car death to the classic Michael Myers rising up in the background (which is the reason we have the slasher rule of always making sure your killer is dead), there are hours upon hours of discussions that could be had as to why those scenes are so impactful.
What I’m going to be focusing on today, however, is something that Carpenter does that may not jump out at you right away, but it might be something you won’t be able to unsee after this breakdown. And that is John Carpenter’s use of camera space.
Most horror movies aim to put you in a claustrophobic mindset by putting everything in a really tight frame. Traditionally, this was done in what’s known as a 1.85 aspect ratio, which is typically the standard widescreen format. 1.85 limits the extra space on the frame and keeps everything really tight. A great example of this is the T-Rex shot from Jurassic Park. This shows the scale of the T-Rex but also feels restricted like there’s no hope for escape. Those elements would behoove a movie whose primary goal is to make you scared and trapped.
Halloween, however, shoots in 2.39 anamorphic aspect ratio. In contrast to the 1.85 aspect ratio, 2.39 shows more of the landscape. Typically, you’ll see more happening on the sides of the frame. This is especially useful in epic films like Lawrence Of Arabia, where the geography is as much of a central character as the actors are.
It’s so fascinating that Carpenter chose this format because horror movies of that era didn’t typically shoot anamorphic (The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, and Psycho were shot in 1.85 aspect ratio). It’s also brilliant because showing us the geography of where we are gives us the lay of the land, including where potential dangers may lurk.
We establish this in a couple of sequences with Laurie walking to and home from school. As you watch these scenes, you’ll notice a copious amount of space on the sides of her. The general rule of thumb is to fill the space and not leave any dead air. But for the sake of this story, the empty space is beneficial thanks to shots like Myers stepping into frame and lurking near Laurie while the camera is over his shoulder.
Then we have this stalking-from-afar shot. Notice how wide the frame is and Michael’s placement within it. But also notice how, in just a couple of scenes prior, the neighborhood looked like a harmless suburbia with some greenery. Because Myers uses this greenery to his advantage, nothing in the frame is innocent anymore. The wide open space is now a potential threat that can be anywhere in this wide frame. And with a wider landscape to cover, the more the chances are for a threat.
This isn’t unlike how Spielberg presented the ocean in Jaws (also one of the rare horror films to shoot in anamorphic). Because the shark could be anywhere, showing the entire scope of that deep blue sea adds to the tension of potential danger. We know that Myers is driving a station wagon, roaming around Haddonfield. Returning to the Jaws reference, the station wagon tracking down Laurie and her friends is like the shark hunting down the Orca.
One of my favorite uses of Carpenter’s anamorphic camera space is the scene between Dr. Loomis and Sheriff Brackett. Just prior to this, Brackett’s daughter Annie stops by, and Brackett tells her some kids probably broke into the hardware store. As they drive off, notice how Dr. Loomis steps in and walks toward Sheriff Brackett. We have the dichotomy of Annie’s car leaving the frame and Dr. Loomis entering the frame. This is an excellent use of the space, an organic way to transfer the focus to Dr. Loomis, and the coming and going of characters coincides with the overall theme of multiple things happening simultaneously.
The camera movement is great here, Loomis walks toward the camera as it settles on a profile two-shot of Loomis and Brackett. This could’ve easily just been an expositional scene that’s pretty forgettable. And maybe to some, it is. But when you look closely and put together all the implications of the dangers here, you really appreciate this scene more.
As the two men talk, notice how the station wagon enters the frame in the upper corner. Loomis is talking to the Sheriff in hopes of finding Myers, and we end up in this Hitchcock/Jamie Kennedy in Scream moment where we wanna yell, “Behind you!” Had this been shot in 1.85, Carpenter wouldn’t have had the camera space to pull this off. But having the wide frame allows him to enhance his story and up the ante in a very subtle way.
This is representative of Loomis always being a step behind Myers, oblivious to how close he really is. The fact that this happens during the daytime and Myers has been on the prowl throughout this first act adds to the terror. It wouldn’t even be accurate to say that Myers is hiding in plain sight because he’s not hiding. He’s willingly stepping out during the daytime, almost inviting others(including Dr. Loomis) to see him. Not only is Loomis unaware of Myers lurking right behind him, we also see that Myers is headed in the same direction as Annie and Laurie.
Would this scene have worked had we not seen the station wagon in the background? Yes, technically, it would, but it would have felt more like a filler scene. Instead, we get character intros while showing just how dangerous Myers is. You feel this danger even from afar. The opening scene has already established what Myers is capable of at close range. Having the station wagon lurking and hunting down these girls with that information in mind makes us worried for Laurie and Annie. All of this is done without any direct dialogue, it’s all visual, and we’re forced to lean in so we can look closer.
It’s not always about what’s in the frame; sometimes it’s about what’s not. This comes into play later when Laurie is trying to run away. It’s a wide shot, but two things are scary here. The obvious is that Myers is after her. The other is that the neighborhood looks empty, and therefore there’s no one around to help. It’s in this instance that what’s in the frame and what’s not in the frame are both working against Laurie and thus adding to the terror of the situation.
Carpenter constructing the film this way and establishing the vast landscape of Haddonfield puts us in a constant state of anxiety because when we don’t see the killer, we wonder where they are. We’re also hyper-aware that the killer can show up at any time without warning. There’s never a time to let your guard down, and this is all represented by these setups. The way the camera moves along with the action shows that things are always working against each other. By doing this, Carpenter is pitting hope against fear. We hope that our main characters survive, and we fear that they won’t. It was clear to audiences 45 years ago, and it’s clear to audiences now — John Carpenter understood the assignment.
Check out the full deep dive video below, and find Jon on Instagram and TikTok. Follow That Was Pretty Scary on both IG and TikTok, and be sure to join us next week for another Halloween deep dive treat.
