Horror Opening Sequence Analysis - Fear Street: Part One -1997

Horror Opening Sequence Analysis - Fear Street: Part One -1997

Year released: 2021

Director: Leigh Janiak

Studio: Netflix and Chernin entertainment

Top Billed Cast: Kiana Maderia, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr

The genre of Fear Street Part One is Horror, this can be clearly identified by ambient diegetic ambient sounds of the shopping mall and the dark lighting used to build suspense, this follows the conventions of a horror film by building up a dark atmosphere and then introducing a killer to a singular character who the killer will pursue,  this style of film opening as also used in other popular films such as Scream (1996).

The tone of the opening scene is dark and intense, the intensity can be shown in the way the camera moves very slowly in each shot which further provokes the feeling of tension to the audience. The darkness of the scene is shown literally in terms of the lighting and time of day and the killer who will not stop at any cost to find the girl and try to kill her. The time period seems to be the 1990's due to the lack of a mobile phone but still includes a corded telephone, the title however does indeed confirm this time period.

The audience is engaged when the girl finds it difficult to get past the security shutter so she has to fight off the killer, her struggle is emphasized by the diegetic pleonastic sound effects of the girl kicking the shutter. This once again ups the intensity as we don't know whether she will escape this and the loud sounds add a dramatic feeling to the scene. 

The character of the young woman is presented as having an attitude as she handles a rude customer effectively and in a funny way  by sticking her middle finger up at her.  This makes the audience relate with her and her situation with rude customers however when the time of day turns to night time she almost metamorphosizes into a fearful character who gets scared of small noises. This shows the transformation people undergo when night arrives when they become more wary and worried, and then people can take advantage of this such as the killer. 

The character of the killer is presented as almost possessed in the way he continuously attacks the girl without seeming to stop for anything such as pain or discomfort. his black costume conntoes that he is incredibly menacing  and his mask however makes him childish at the same time, like children are relentless and you could say sometimes look out for themselves only. The overall effect of the costume could one again be compared to the horror classic Scream (1996) in the ghost face esc style.

This whole opening sequence in fact seems to borrow ideas heavily from Scream in the way it is executed including costume and plot and even character archetypes such as the damsel in distress presented in the character of the young woman. It think the narrative will have something to do with why this killer came after the young woman and why he is so expressions in terms of everything he did when pursuing her. I think this narrative was successful and portraying dark atmosphere with an engaging pursuit however I feel there could have been more to the scene that would hint to the narrative later on.