I'm Back, Y'all

   I'm sure all the readers of my blog have been waiting with bated breath for my return. Well, worry no more, cause here I am. Granted, it's because it's the third quarter, which means its now Foundation Portfolio time. So, in the spirit of the season, hi Mrs. Marchetti, and hi Cambridge grader. 

   I've given my project a lot of thought in the time since my last post. Mostly, that means I've moved away from my previously picked genre, the black comedy, and have become more interested in straight up horror. Some horror movie openings that I've watched have been very insightful, giving me lots of good ideas, definitely more than is possible to squeeze into a two minute video. One of the foremost ones is the opening to the 1996 movie, Scream, dir. by Wes Craven. 

   I really appreciate the ways that Wes Craven plays with the "rules" of the classic horror movie, turning it on its head with a self aware killer, and referential discussions of other horror movies. But it is also emblematic of the first type of horror movie openings. These openings involve a killer stalking a person who we have not fully been introduced to, and, for the most part, serves as an audience surrogate who, like us, is unaware of what lurks in the night. 

   However, the second type of horror opening is a bit more interesting. This one sets up the main villain, since I am focusing on slasher flicks, by looking at an origin story, quickly setting up why the villain is the way they are. An example of this would be the first scene in the movie Carrie, dir. by Brian de Palma, in which the titular Carrie gets her first period during gym class. When her classmates notice, they mistreat her horribly, obviously causing her great mental anguish. The popping of the light bulb is just a small glimpse of the power that Carrie will eventually wield, and also sets up the mix of repression, mistreatment, and raw, unbridled strength that makes up the majority of Carrie's character. 

   For me, the villain is always the most interesting character of any horror movie. All the slain cheerleaders and jocks are pretty much replaceable, but a great villain can really make or break a movie, and, indeed, and entire franchise. Therefore, for my opening, I'd rather focus on the villain/slasher, and I would like to start my movie with the circumstances that twist them and turn them to darkness. While I'd like to go a less stereotypical route for a origin story, the conventions of trope, such as child abuse or revenge, are a good place to draw inspiration from,because of the near ubiquity of their base emotions.