How successful is the opening scene of The Stepfather as a thriller film?

For the first 31:00 seconds, we see a single establishing shot.

This sets the scene, and gives us a little insight as to where the film is going to be based. Although there has only been 31 seconds, the film opening has already used a very common thriller convention, the use of ordinary suburbs.

The SOT begins right from the very start, and the music has been composed especially for this film, therefore making it a score. The music appears quite calm, but the staccato instruments add tension and make the viewer wonder why there is a pace beginning to form right at the very beginning of the film. Stereotypically, we would hear the trees swaying, and the child whistling or humming to oneself, however there is no ambient noise, therefore creating an atmosphere of suspense.

How successful is the opening scene of The Stepfather as a thriller film?

Now, we see the use of mirrors and reflection starting to take place. As we already know, mirrors and reflection are a common convention of the thriller genre. This makes it a successful opening as it is recognisable as something from the thriller genre.

The mirrors signify self-reflection, and the director has used an over the shoulder shot to show exactly what the man can see.

This is a close-up of the man. He has blood splattered all over his face; this is a use of make-up and special effects. The use of make-up can be generalised into the category of mise-en-scene. The man is looking at himself in the mirror, almost in shock at what he looks like. This shot makes us very intrigued as to why he has blood on his face. We also wonder, what has happened, and also, what is about to happen.

Due to making the audience feel like this, it is therefore a successful opening.

How successful is the opening scene of The Stepfather as a thriller film?

After his transformation, we see him for the first time fully after ridding his facial hair, applying contact lenses, and smartening himself up.

A medium shot is used, to show what he is wearing. If a close-up shot was used instead, it wouldn’t look as good, and we would not be able to see the full extent of his transformation.

The shot zooms in slightly as he raises his head, pouts, and admires himself in the mirror. The zoon highlights his emotion, and clearly displays his facial expression.

We see him place a toy back away into a toy box. This makes the viewer even more curious as to what it is he is doing. We get a flashback of the blood on his face and begin to form many questions regarding what has happened, and who he lives with. It is a nice shot, however is quite dark, which incorporates low-key lighting, a common code of the thriller genre. This once again, makes it a successful opening as a child’s bedroom is usually bright and airy.

We then get a tracking shot of him walking down the stairs, and as it slowly zooms out to reveal the whole of the downstairs area.

How successful is the opening scene of The Stepfather as a thriller film?

We are very shocked when we see the bloodshed all over the house’s downstairs. It makes us wonder why the man has not reacted to all the dead bodies, subsequently resulting in the audience suspecting the man of killing them all.

The director has chosen to reveal what has happened now, because we have had the build- up of all the shots regarding the man’s transformation from covered in blood, to a stereotypical business man, on his way to work.

This is an absolutely horrible shot. Although we cannot see the face, we know that it is a child due to them holding a teddy bear.

A teddy bear connotes innocence and the vulnerability of a child. This shot has been taken from above which high shows how vulnerable the child is.

The colour red is from the blood. This shot makes us even more intrigued to know how this child was killed, and why they were killed.

How successful is the opening scene of The Stepfather as a thriller film?

He casually walks out of the house, looking like he has not a care in the world. He picks up his paper, and flips it round with ‘swagger’.

The director uses a tracking shot to show the progression of his walking down the lawn. The fact that he walks straight across the grass, and not on the path suggests that he has little or no respect to the building. The audience then question whether or not it is his house or not.

What have you learnt from the opening of The Stepfather that you could use in your own film?

A good build up is important as it makes the audience very intrigued and desperate to keep on watching. This is the ultimate aim for any filmmaker, and I would like my viewers to want to continue watching.