As the title sequence starts to finish, we are introduced to a Grandma and her granddaughter in a low- lit room. The low-key lighting and warm colours such as oranges, reds and creams used in this scene creates a warm atmosphere that denotes fairytale. Although, it could also connote that something unusual is going to happen because it seems too comfortable. You also get this feeling as the Grandma is looking out the window at the house on the hill as the lighting from the house denotes the cliché “do not go in there”. I believe Tim Burton chose to begin the film this way as to say that everything that happens onward is not real but in fact, a story that has been passed down through generations.
As the camera pans up to the mansion, there is a clear contrast between the grandma’s room and the suburb as it’s now dark and snowing. Low-key lighting is brought into the scene to create anticipation about how the suburb is going to look like. However, the bird’s eyeshot of the suburb also gives off the nail-biting effect of wondering what the main genre is, what the film’s plot is and what significance the suburb could hold in the film. We notice a figure at the edge of the frame, this is when we are first introduced to Edward but only his back is shown. As we only see his back, back lighting has been used to create a feeling of loneliness and isolation. In comparison to the feeling of loneliness, it also makes the audience empathise with Edward as most people can relate to wanting to fit in.
There is a sudden contrast of day and night, as we are shown suburbia in the daytime and high key lighting and an establishing shot have been used. The contrast of the lighting signifies that there was a flashback. As we see more of the suburb, we notice that the houses are colour co-ordinated in bright, pastel colours and the gardens neatly cut, not one piece of grass out of place. The impact it gives off is of a happy, safe and perfect suburbia but on the other hand, it makes us, the audience, suspicious that they could be hiding something under all the tidiness because it is just too perfect. The suburb is different from the house on the hill as the house on the hill gives off a Gothic appearance and the suburb is unrealistic enthusiastic. These two settings relate to my main point that Edward Scissorhands follows two genres; that subsequently mix together in every scene.
By putting the house on the hill in a close-up shot in the mirror, it introduces the audience to the mansion and shows contrast. The director is forcing us to see that behind every perfection lays an imperfection. We swiftly move on to an establishing shot of the suburb. The fact that the house on the hill is in the middle of the shot is that it says that the house on the hill is where the most important action is going to take place.
As Peg drives up to the mansion, the audience expectations are of what they would have been if sitting in a horror movie. The music changes drastically due to the atmosphere. Occasionally, the music peaks and creates a tense and hard-gripping atmosphere. Our expectations change as Peg enters the mansion’s garden as we come to see a beautiful, colourful garden filled with topiary through a bird’s eyeshot. The contrast between the dark, dingy and gloomy gates and the garden still makes the audience wonder what genre it is, as we, as an audience, like to figure it out through the opening scenes. This contrast between the gloomy gates and the beautiful garden is still an obvious but confusing mixture of the horror and fairytale genres. It also shows Peg as still vulnerable to her surroundings. The atmosphere returns back to a dingy, tense atmosphere as we see the cobwebs on the stairs, the abandoned living room and a low-key lit room. Tim Burton creates a horror scene and builds suspense through the uses of lighting and cinematography. He combines the two with props and fast-paced music; which still keeps the idea of the main genre as horror, fresh in our minds.
The director builds suspense when meeting Edward through cinematography and lighting. He uses a medium/torso shot alongside back lighting. This is to draw focus on his hands more than his face. The scissorhands make him look hazardous, as the scissors may be a weapon. A silhouette is created which also make him look as a threat towards the suburb that lays beneath the mansion. The music builds up, peaks and the tone of the music deepens. This keeps the audience on the edge of their seats as Edward is portrayed as an “obvious” horror villain but as you find out as he later steps forward, he is a lonely boy whose father died on him. We expect the meeting to be full of anxiety and screams. But in fact, it feels more like a mother and son conversation that’s full of humbleness, love and comfort. Arguably, this scene can be denoted as horror; in profundity, the genre connoted is fairytale.
Therefore, in response to your statement claiming that Edward Scissorhands is an ‘obvious horror movie’ I strongly disagree. Edward Scissorhands’ opening scenes do contain obvious horror conventions but also contain conventions of the fairytale genre. I believe that your statement is a presumption of the movie. The soundtrack that features with the movie seems to have a Gothic feel but in fact after those tracks have been heard, there’s chirpier sounds that also help to set the fairytale mood. If, analysed carefully, you will find that the movie tends to lean towards the fairytale genre rather than horror. The horror genre is mainly seen in the opening scenes. In horror, you usually come across the ideas of loneliness and isolation but Tim Burton shows us an alternate portrayal of these ideas. On this note, Tim Burton created a film that mixes genres and confounds audience expectations because as being the director, he found that he did not want his film to be predictable. Therefore, by creating contrast between two very different genres throughout the opening scene, the film loses its predictability and makes the audience start to relax and enjoy the storyline more; as it unravels.
Yours sincerely,
J Smith
