The comparison of the openings and the use of horror conventions within two horror films:

For this post in my blog I will be comparing the opening and horror conventions in the film 28 day later to the opening and conventions used in an American werewolf in London.

In the opening of the film 28 days later we are shown a animal research area, with a monkey strapped down watching certain things, this gives an idea of a test been in progress, then a small group of animal activists break into the area where the animal that have been tested on are kept. A scientist warns the activists not to release the animals as they have a virus known as ‘rage’. However the young female activist ignores the forewarnings of the scientist and opens the cage to one of the infected animals and is the first to get attacked and infected by the rabid monkey, this is a typical convention in a horror film, it is known as “damsel in distress” it is where a female character is in trouble and needs to be saved. After this we see the locked up animals get excited as the woman mutates due to the ‘rage’ virus into a zombie and fatally attacks the scientist and her companions ending the scene and showing how the situation within the main body of the film was first started. In this scene there was a great use of suspense that appears to the audience as horrific and terrifying. From the opening scene the viewers know that the scenes ahead in the film will be a number of things such as gruesome, gory, upsetting and violent. There is also a more discreet convention within the opening sequence, earlier I said that there was a monkey that was been experimented on, the televisions show conflicts, violence and emotions such as anger and jealousy. These negative emotions give the audience a taste of what is to come further in the film, this is also very common convention used in horror films.

For the beginning of the opening scene in the film American werewolf in London we are given an oversight of the area where the main event happens, we are shown the Yorkshire moors. A van comes into view and stops to drop off a couple of young American men, the first convention in this horror film is the bad weather, in this case we could see that the moors were foggy, there was a strong wind and judging by the clothes worn by the characters it was cold. Bad weather is a very common convention for horror film as it gives a warning that the film is a reflection of that weather, the next convention in this scene is the music that comes on as they make their way to the pub, the music in a piece played using a piano with a minor key, this gives the audience a sort of sad feeling as if something sad will happen, music is a good convention in a horror film as it sets the mood and prepares the audience for what is to come. When the pair reach the pub we see the sign on the pub, this is the next convention in this scene as the name of the pub is the slaughtered lamb, lamb could be otherwise known as young so gives us a clue that one of the young Americans will be killed, it could also be seen that the lamb/American is sacrificed. The logo is also a convention as it shows a head of a werewolf on a pike/spear, this could be seen as a clue as to what happens in the end of the film.

I believe that due to its use of horror conventions and its slow paced and mysteriously intriguing opening, which leads me to the conclusion that the opening of an American werewolf in London is a better representation of what a horror should be than 28 days later is. Even though I do prefer horrors that are more fast paced and understandable such as 28 days later, I still say that an American werewolf in London is more suited to horror.