Mise – En Scene: Nightmare on Elm Street 1984

A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American horror film directed and written by Wes Craven. The film is set in the fictional Midwestern town of Springwood, Ohio. The plot revolves around several teenagers, Nancy Thompson and a group of her friends being terrorized and tormented in their nightmares by a clawed serial child murderer named Fred Krueger.

The opening part of the scene follows the typical generic conventions of a horror film. It the first two minutes of the scene we see both the protagonist and the antagonist this is what we expect from a horror film. There are also common elements that the audience associates with a horror, the feeling of danger, a victim being threatened and the use of a dangerous weapon. Although in this part of the opening scene we don’t see the event where the protagonist gets hurt, there is a sense that an event is going to happen which includes the character. The meaning of the opening part of the film is transmitted from the institution to the audience making this film an active institution. The audience is passive meaning that the audience itself creates the meaning of the scene. They are able to create this opinion from watching previous horror films and common elements that are used in the film.

The start of the film starts with the advertisement from the production company that produced the film- the institute. This stands out as the text is in red and it is set on a black background. This connotes to the audience that the film is going to have blood in it as red represents the colour of blood. This opening part of the scene is completely silent; this adds tension and draws people in to what is about to happen. It creates a sense of the unknown.

The scene begins with the camera panning around the room until it reaches the man’s feet which have just entered the room. This close up shot of Fred Krueger’s feet only shows what shoes he is wearing, what he is standing on and what is around him on the floor. The shoes that Fred are wearing look old and worn these tie in with the surroundings of the room as it is dark and untidy. The use or costume that Fred is wearing immediately make the audience think that he is the antagonist that is used throughout the film. This costume suggests that he doesn’t look after himself and that he is often in the room. At this point it is unknown to the audience where he is. This gives the audience a sense of uneasiness as they don’t know what is about to happen or what Fred is about to do.

Throughout this first part of the clip extra- diagetic sound and diagetic sound has been used. Although it is very quiet it does have an impact on the viewer. The extra- diagetic sound used sounds very distant, it almost sounds like a working factory from all the machinery hissing and moving. Although the audience can only see Fred’s feet the sound used allows the audience the picture where he is. The diagetic sound used is very powerful, all the viewer can hear is Fred’s heaving breathing, this makes the audience feel uneasy, panicked and almost that he is in a hurry as the audience still can’t see his face and expressions.

Fred then bends down and with his left hand he picks up the paper bag that is lying beside his feet. This is the first time the audience see Fred’s hands. The camera pans down and shows the paper bag next to his feet using a close up shot. From the diagetic sounds used the audience is aware that it is a paper bag due to the rustles of the paper. As the bag is closed the viewers don’t know what is in the bag making the audience suspicious of what he is going to do with the bag and what is in it. He then takes the bag from the floor to the table and empties its contents. A high shot and close up is used to show the items on the table and the man’s hands as he empties the contents of the paper bag onto the table, this reveals to the audience that the bag is full of knifes and other dangerous objects. These objects all relate to murder and pain due to the sharp edges of the knives and the dirtiness of the items making the audience feel scared and venerable. The high shot used to show what is on the table make the audience think that Fred is powerful; he is looking down at the objects making the audience think that he can do what he likes. The lighting used at this point is reflecting off the knife that he is about to pick up, this makes the knife stand out in the scene perhaps making the audience feel like it is important and powerful. Fred then searches through the contents until he decides to pick up the knife and what looks like a metal pipe or tube. At this point you can see Fred’s hands; this makes the scene more bizarre as Fred’s identification is still unknown to the audience. Fred’s hands and finger nails are covered in dirt suggesting to the audience that his hands fit in with the surroundings which suggests that he lives there and he often looks through bags if knifes. He then carries the two objects that he has just picked up to a table. On this table is a leather glove. Using tools and the items that he has collected he starts to craft a clawed glove using different tools and machinery. The shots used to show the audience how he is making the glove still don’t reveal anything apart from Fred’s hands, the tools he is using to make the glove and the materials he is using as they are all close ups. This puts the audience on edge as they still don’t know what is about to happen and what he is capable of doing.

Through of the second part of the scene, where Fred is constructing the clawed glow the sound used if very important. Diagetic sound is used to describe the tools that he is using this sound is very loud; the diagetic sounds describe the banging of a hammer and scraping of a file etc. There is now more extra- diagetic sound in the scene- this music is very mysterious still making the audience wonder what is about to happen and what Fred is going to do with the glove. The high pitched sound gradually gets louder as the glove is being made indicting that he is becoming more dangerous. As the extra- diagetic sound gets louder it blocks out the sound of the factory and Fred’s breathing. This makes the audience focus more on what he is doing with the glove. After Fred has completed making the clawed glove he puts it on. Although the camera zooms out the shot is still a close up, it shows his hand opened up and the full extent of the claws.

Throughout the first scene the lighting used is very dark, this makes the scene more mysterious and scary. Although the scene is very dark it is also red causing the audience a feeling of unease and suspicion. Fred is wearing a red jumper; throughout the scene this is visible. This redness denotes blood, gore and pain making the audience aware that he is going to do something with the clawed glove that he has just created. Although there is lighting used it doesn’t create many shadows this is because the shots used are only close ups not allowing much room for a shadow to be made. It is hard to observe where the light is coming from as all parts of the shot have been lit.

The title then appears, this is like the production advertisement. The Background is black and ‘The Nightmare’ – the title of the film is in red. This makes it stand out making it easy for the audience to see as it is in red it connotes the thought of blood and violence. The part of the title which say ‘on elm street’- this is in white making it stand out even more. The extra- diagetic sound used at this point is very loud, it makes the audience stunned and involved and they want to know what is going to happen next.

The shot then changes and shows the claws piercing a curtain. This close up shows the claws as they cut through the material and the damage it has caused. This is used to provoke the audience think that an event is going to happen. I think this shot has been used to show the audience how hazardous and sharp the claws really are and what they are capable of doing. The diagetic sound used in this shot is very loud. It sounds like a scream which has been created by Fred as he attacked the curtain this loud scream creates a tense atmosphere for the audience. This scream shows the audience how much effort he has put into cutting through the material. The change from the extra- diagetic to the loud scream of the diagetic music puts the audience on edge and makes them feel venerable. The light used in this shot creates a shadow. This shadow shows Fred’s arm with the claw glove. The shadow created from the light makes his arm and the claw seem bigger than it really is making the audience feel threatened.

After the shot showing the claws in the curtain it changes to a close up of a girl- Tina standing in what looks like her nighty. Her facial expressions and the way that she is looking around connote to the audience that she is dazed and confused and she doesn’t know where she is, like she is in a dream making the audience think that she is the protagonist due to the innocence that she is displaying in her body language and expressions. The light used in the scene is very bright making it almost white. The white light is lighting up the whole shot and we can only see the girl. This light used makes the audience feel that she is somewhere she shouldn’t be, it gives a sense of the unknown as the viewers can’t see what is around her, and the whiteness of the light connotes her innocence. The shot then changes to an extreme close up of her face. This close up shows her eyes, she looks like she is a trance as her eyes are fixed on something, her eyes convey her feelings to the audience using an eye line match with the camera.

A wide shot then shows where she is. The shot shows Tina in her night dress at the end of an ominous alleyway which is filled with steam, shadows and dripping water this set is very powerful, and leads the viewer into believing something sinister is going to happen. Tina is still looking around; her expressions and body language indicate that she is still unaware of where she is and what she is doing there. He arms are moving around almost if she is feeling for something that isn’t there, this makes the audience feel scared as she is opening herself up, she isn’t protected. She begins to run forwards, she is looking round for somewhere to go or for someone to help. She runs forward until she is now in a mid shot. This shot still shows the alleyway that she has just run down and Tina from the waist upwards. The camera again changes to a close up of her face, this close up shows the audience how important Tina is in the scene. The shot then changes to the mid shot. Tina then turns around, she turns slowly, her body language convey that she is vary about what is behind her. After the girl turns round an over the shoulder shot had been created, as the audience can still see down the alleyway and the back of her head as she is static. This over the shoulder shot allows the audience to see and feel what the female character is feeling. It puts the audience in her situation and creates a panicked atmosphere as the audience don’t know what is going to happen.

Throughout this part of the scene where the girl is showed extra- diagetic sound is used. The mysterious music puts the audience on edge and connotes that she is in a dream. It gradually gets quicker as she begins to run down the alleyway, showing her panic towards the situation she is in.