AHS opening prop deconstruction

In the openings of all American Horror Story opening there are a range of convention codes and iconography t o support the horror/possession genre.

• The majority of the openings are set in dark lighting as part of the mise-en-scene to add to the horror genre of linking darkness with evil. The long shots of the characters outlines are also blackened as we see the outline of a character in a wheelchair, representing the idea of disability both mentally and physically which links well to our genre as the wheelchair is enforcing the Asylum element. This is familiar to our narrative as our opening takes place in a hospital asylum.
• The mise-en-scene implies that the location is abandoned with the use of old surgical equipment and rubber gloves, which is what we used. The extreme long shot of the surgery room that shows four ghost like figures around a patient on a dated hospital asylum bed. The use of ghosts tells us that the building is dated with old spirits and is currently derelict which adds to the horror genre as abandoned buildings are common conventions for a horror film. The ghosts also add to the possession side, giving the impression that spirits lurk. The coal cart also tells us that the building is abandoned because the dated props link to how the building was used but not for a while since coal mining stopped in the late stages of the twentieth century. This suggests that to emphasize the conventions of an abandoned buildings the props are dated and are effective in supporting the horror genre. Dated props are also found in the opening of Murder-house as there are black and white pictures of children from decades ago giving the same further enforce the horror genre.
• Gore is also a key use of iconography which we have also used to add to the genre as it is a common convention found in horrors. The use of blood and gore is abundant in the opening of Asylum with short close ups of organs, body bags covered in blood and used surgical equipment.