How does the opening of Scream follow the structuralist theory of the horror genre?

Scream follows the structural theory of the horror genre through the use of paradigms, which is iconography, structure and theme. However it also challenges some conventions and can be seen as post modern because of its breaking down of the barriers between the fictional films. The first scene depicts the protagonist making popcorn alone, and then the isolated house, trees and darkness. The protagonist is a young blonde female and she is alone; this is created through iconography and conveys a theory that the flirtacious and promiscous female is always the victim.

Firstly the phone rings and Drew answers whilst walking around her house; giving the audience the ability to see that the house is fairly big and allows them to see what is there; she is alone. The protagonist then touches knives whilst leaning over the counter; this is significant as it creates the idea that something is going to happen, but also a mystery of whom the killer is- as everyone owns a knife. A knife is a weapon that has to be used up close, so it also makes it more personal as it creates more fear in the audience. This follows the paradigms in a horror film as a knife often the weapon used to kill. Scream challenges some conventions such as the killer and Drew discussing previous scary films, such as Halloween. The fact that the film is self referential embodies the post modernist structure that is set out in the beginning, that will be followed in the film. This affects our reading as the audience have an idea of what to expect.

Next when Drew starts to lock the doors in her house, we sense her insecurity, fear and helplessness. As she is locking the doors, there is diagetic background music which causes anxiety and intensity to the audience. The sound effects/editing construct the scenes and differ them, for instance in one scene it is silent and the viewer is watching Drew's every move. In another scene there are continous jump cuts and loud fast paced music as the killer is chasing Drew. The sound effects enable the audience to easily recognise when something is going to happen by the pace of the music, and in a way the music speeds up the heartbeat of the viewers. The other idea portrayed of the protagonist is that she is rather stupid as she flirts on the phone to the caller without knowing his identity, and then claims she doesn't have a boyfriend. When Drew turns on the patio lights, her tied up boyfriend is revealed and then killed grotesquely. This creates the 'last girl' theory that is often used in films. The audience warm up to the character and are on the edge of their seat, hoping that person survives.

The repetition of the phone ringing intensifies the scene furthermore, as we know the caller is not giving up so easily. We then catch a first glimpse of the killer dressed in black and in the smoke (from the popcorn), which makes it harder to see. The killer is dressed in black; this is following the structuralist theory that we never know the identity of the killer until the end, which intensifies as people hate the unknown. He chases her outside with a knife which confirms the paradigms used in the horror genre. The camera shots are from her point of view as he repeatedly stabs her; which adds realism.

The parents are at the scene when she is being murdered but Drew is unable to shout for help. This is an example of iconography through the character in the first ten minutes of the film. She is as helpless as she was in the beginning. The canted angle as she is trying to escape adds more uncertainty and dread, which makes it more uncomfortable for the viewers. The audience empathise with the mother as she opens the door to see her daughter hanging from a tree, covered in blood.

To conclude, Scream most certainly follows the structuralist theory of the horror genre through the use of paradigms. The genre only works through the rule of combination as the expected paradigms in this film are: young blonde female, knife, masked killer and isolated setting. Conversely the conventions Scream challenges, such as the intertexuality creates a sense of post modernism.