Adam's Media Studies Blog: Research: Titles and opening scenes

Opening Credits and Typography

One of the biggest aspects of horror movies would be the mood that is created, with opening credits sequences being one method to accomplish the mood for the rest of the movie. ITC Serif Gothic is the most used font for horror movies, starting with Halloween, and is used for mid-budget and indie horror films, while Benguiat was big in the 80s and was brought back into use by Stranger Things. Trajan has been one of the most overused fonts in horror movies since the 90s, giving a grand and formal feel to a film and helps deliver on the eerie mood when used in combination with blood red, as in A Nightmare on Elm Street. Fonts in the horror genre seem to be in bold, as this creates impact and is in the audience's faces, and there are different types of fonts that range from handwritten fonts to fonts that look like they've been written in blood.

Scream V (2022) Opening Scene

Jenna Ortega's Tara Carpenter survived the first Ghostface attack in the 2022 Scream revival, which turned out to be one of the franchise's most unexpected turns. A similar moment occurs in the first Scream film, but the character dies, so Tara's survival demonstrates the expansion of the Scream franchise and the horror genre in general. Additionally, it's a meta-commentary that challenges the audience's assumptions. Tara claims that she detests how "Stab" films follow a formula and "always start with a kill scene." The footage mentions other relevant modern horror movies, such as The Babadook, The Witch, and Hereditary, in addition to talking about "elevated" horror, which has become more popular as the genre develops. Jenna Ortega gives a fantastic acting performance because, despite her fear, she doesn't seem powerless, as she is strong-willed and confronts the murderer. Instead, she seems genuinely frightened for her buddy Amber.

X (2022) Opening Scene

The opening of X (2022) uses a clever visual trick to establish both the time period and modern relevance of the film. The opening shot appears in the older 4:3 aspect ratio as the camera moves slowly through barn doors towards a farmhouse in the distance. As the camera passes through the doors, the view widens to the contemporary widescreen ratio, revealing police cars surrounding the farmhouse in a scene of chaos. This framing device is a smart metaphor for the entire movie - a modernized throwback to 1970s slashers like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween. The film then flashes backward to show the events leading up to this scene, following a group of young filmmakers in 1979 who travel to rural Texas to shoot an adult film on an elderly couple's farm. While the first half focuses mainly on character building and weaving in major themes, a sense of eerie anticipation underscores the entire viewing experience through guiding hints rather than misdirection. The tension builds slowly but masterfully before the film changes gears into a full-blown slasher at the halfway point.

Common Elements in Modern Slasher Openings

Both films share similar opening structures that update classic slasher conventions for modern audiences. Scream 2022 features phenomenal horror trivia and meta commentary relevant to today's audiences while evoking nostalgia for die-hard fans of the franchise. X takes a different approach by using visual techniques like the aspect ratio shift to bridge the gap between classic 1970s slashers and contemporary filmmaking. The opening scene of a slasher is tasked with establishing the landscape of the film both literally and figuratively—introducing the audience to the shape and figure of the killer, the degree of gore, and the way in which horror will color the space. While X employs a flash-forward structure that depicts the aftermath of violence before rewinding to illustrate how it happened, Scream 2022 defies expectations by having its initial victim survive. Both movies show that contemporary slashers function finest when they recognize their origins while coming up with fresh approaches to captivate viewers.

Reflection: Applying Modern Slasher Openings to My Film Opening

After analyzing these two openings, I found some interesting patterns that could work for my movie opening. The biggest thing I noticed was how both films use modern techniques to pay respect to classic slashers. Scream 5 includes a conversation on how slasher movies have become predictable in their movie openings, so by switching things up, I can create something that feels unique to the genre. The X opening is really clever because it uses that aspect ratio change to literally show the transition from old to new, which sets up the whole retro vibe of the film. Both openings start off pretty calm and then ramp up the intensity, which seems to be a consistent pattern in slashers. For my 2-minute opening, I'm thinking I could use a similar approach where the first minute establishes what is going on and everything seems normal, and then things get chaotic in the second minute. Tara surviving in the Scream V movie demonstrates how experimenting can be good and how you don't have to repeat the same formula over and over again, which is something I can use to create this movie opening.

From a technical standpoint, both films heavily use close-ups and specific camera choices to create atmosphere. The close-ups on the victims' faces show their fear in a way that makes it feel more personal and intense. X uses slow camera movements and wide shots to build tension before anything violent happens, showing that in horror, action is not needed to grab the audience's attention. For my opening, I could try using similar camera work like POV shots from the killer's perspective, or false pov shots which put the audience on the edge of their seats since they will have no clue where the killer is. Using extreme close-ups during tense moments will also be a key part of the movie's opening. Lastly, for camera movement and angles, using unorthodox angles is a very iconic part of horror because it builds tension very effectively. One challenge I'll face is that I only have 2 minutes, so I need to compress all these elements into a shorter time frame. These films have shown me how to balance key elements of films and use them effectively, as well as the conventions that are usually followed in these movies. Researching the opening credits gives me options on the fonts I will personally use for my own movie opening. When creating the movie's opening, I will need to balance incorporating new elements—such as setting, character choices, or technical execution like X's visual storytelling—with adhering to the genre's classic elements.

-Unique Camera angles which could be adapted from the analog horror/ found footage movie Skinamarink

Sources:

Adam's Media Studies Blog

Sunday, February 1, 2026

Research: Titles and opening scenes

Opening Credits and Typography

X (2022) Opening Scene

Common Elements in Modern Slasher Openings

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