For God's Sake, Don't Split Up
In a dark, empty alleyway in the midst of the film world lies a monstrous blend of cliché tropes, overbearing music, and down-right stupid protagonists. Many avoid this ghastly boulevard altogether, and others simply watch the action unravel from a distance, but some valiant filmmakers are brave enough to enter for a closer look. All it takes is courage, money, and a single idea for some wicked plot to be birthed from the scene: a horror story.
The genre of horror typically reels an audience to touch upon their deepest, darkest fears, whether it be the monster under their beds, or a societal terror, like the enemy being one of their own. In order to bring these beasts to life, horror films invade not only the space of the characters within them, but the viewers themselves through intimate shot composition and sound. It is not pricey to produce a horror movie, but truly yanking at an audience's heartstrings is a skill that is priceless and takes extreme precision. A production within the genre could be a total success, or its failure could prove more terrifying than the film itself.
CONTENT
The root of a successful horror movie is what people scurry into the theaters for: to feel fear.
It is impossible to terrify every audience member; What may leave one person awake at night could bore the other to sleep. This is why many films bring the action up-close and personal, specifically through what I like to call "mirror-mirroring." It is human instinct to imitate what we see in others; When someone smiles at you, you, more often than not, smile in return. This copycat phenomenon applies not only to mere body language, but inner emotions. While seeing a killer searching for their victim raises suspense, a close-up of the protagonist's terrified expression increases tension to another level. This is because the audience is being reminded that they are witnessing the character in a vulnerable position in which fear is the appropriate response, allowing the viewer to feel the same physiological reactions despite the fact they are looking at a screen.
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| Example: In the opening scene of Scream, a terrorized Casey Becker fills the screen when she sees Ghostface. |
Rather than focusing on a single phobia (this would be rather ineffective at scaring an entire audience), many films achieve true fright through a broader fear: vulnerability. Whether it be through a superpower, mind of a genius, or a mere weapon, when the villain is in a position of higher power, the characters and audience have every more reason to be afraid of their capabilities. Due to this principle, countless cliché tropes within the horror genre have developed, many of which have become iconic to the category. For example, in many films, protagonists lack common sense, which often leads to them making awful decisions, putting them in even more danger than before. Walking into an abandoned home, attempting to contact evil spirits, or splitting up are all viable options for characters in a horror movie. |
Example: In Friday the 13th Part VII, Judy hides from the killer hunting her down by covering herself in a sleeping bag, despite the fact he is right outside her tent.
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In other films, however, characters are intellectually superior to what they are up against. In order to maintain high stakes, their strengths are often balanced out with their weaknesses, as seen in films such as "Hush," in which the main character is deaf, or series like Stranger Things, in which protagonists face a supernatural beast beyond their capability of fighting.
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Example: In Hush, the protagonist, along with being deaf, has her phone stolen by her attempted murderer, which prevents her from calling the police.
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Example: In Stranger Things, the main characters are hunted by the Demogorgon, a monster that takes victims into another dimension.
PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES
Horror productions use shot composition, lighting, and sound techniques in order to reinforce the sense of tensions rising.
SHOT COMPOSITION
Tight shots are commonly used to portray a character as trapped and reinforce the sense of entrapment, while long shots from a distance create a feeling of loneness.
The Shining: The protagonists are alone.
LIGHTING
Lighting can make or break a tense scene. Too much light could reveal too much on an antagonist or setting, while too little may prevent the viewers from seeing important details. For the classic silhouette look, backlighting is used to make a figure look entirely black, which is a common technique when introducing a villain for the first time.
SOUND
In the right moment, a blood-curling screech or a soft child's lullaby can have heartrates quickening. Even films like "A Quiet Place," which are meant to take place in a silent environment, rely heavily on sound design to send chills down spines. Noises can be used to intensify mystery; Watching a killer hunt down their victim is a frightening sight, but hearing their footsteps grow closer to the protagonist leaves the audience in the same position as the character themselves: in a state of unknown. This also leaves viewers vulnerable to another iconic technique: the jumpscare.
MARKETING
Horror films are not for the faint of heart, quite literally. Younger people, specifically those between 15 and 30, are more drawn to the genre, consisting of 60% of its viewers. Teenagers especially enjoy the risk-taking shown in such films because they have a larger risk center in their brains and are more prone to risk-taking themselves. For this reason, these frightful movies tend to star teenage characters, and display scenes that appeal to them, such as sexual acts. Furthermore, blood and gore are often used to surprise (and disgust) audiences, which grants younger people their desired rush of adrenaline.
To increase viewership, film posters often include common horror symbols, like knives, eyes, and oozing blood. These items remind potential viewers that there is something to fear within the film, which is why many eyes shown in posters are those with an expression of fright. These posters typically have a black or red background to reinforce the aggression, evil, and power of the villains.
SAMPLES
A QUIET PLACE: A Quiet Place is a film that emphasizes on physical vulnerability. In this post-apocalyptic world, blind monsters hunt their prey through their super-hearing. With just a single sound, they can search and kill within seconds. Evelyn and Lee, parents of two children, are seeking a way to kill this alien-like species tormenting them.
In the opening of the movie, the family is seen walking on a bridge, and the only daughter, Regan, gives her 4-year-old brother a space toy. Little does she know, the toy plays a loud sound, which ends with the toddler being snatched by a monster in front of them. This scene also introduces a major weakness of Regan: she is deaf, which means that the monsters can hear her, but she can't hear them without her cochlear implant turned on.
A major conflict in the film is the fact that Evelyn is giving birth while she is alone at home. In this portion of the piece, sound design is especially important, as every little noise, like the creaking of stairs, is placed carefully.
Throughout the viewing, the family's sharp-thinking and intelligence is repeatedly displayed, such as Lee speaking with his son, Marcus, at a waterfall, where the monsters can't hear them. They also hide underground to avoid being killed, and set off fireworks when Evelyn is giving birth. Nearing the end of the film, Lee screams loudly in a sacrifice to protect his children from the monsters above them, and Regan discovers the secret to killing the creatures: her cochlear implant.
TWIN PEAKS: This unusual television series of the 90's is labeled a "mystery," but some elements of the show leave viewers (like me) with nightmares, giving it the second title of a horror piece.
The series follows the journey of various characters in the city of Twin Peaks, Washington after the murder of teenage girl, Laura Palmer. After her death, paranormal activity increases in the once-ordinary area, with her mother seeing visions and the FBI agent on her case receiving strange clues via dreams. Palmer's friends desperately try to find leads on her case, but fall down a rabbit hole of dark, twisted secrets that not only Laura, but those around her, were hiding.
“I think a couple of times he’s tried to kill me. But guess what? As you know, I sure got off on it.”
-Laura Palmer
What makes Twin Peaks so terrifying is not simply the content of the show, but the unsettling manner in which it is presented. Jumpscares are rare (they do happen, just a warning!), and sound is what is mostly used to increase tensions. Similarly to The Shining, Twin Peaks uses repetitive and still sounds that elongate anticipation, creating a sense of dread that is never released.
But occasionally, it is released. In one scene, Laura's cousin, Maddy, is left alone in the Palmer's living room. Then, she sees a demonic figure that repeatedly torments the characters throughout the show, referred to as "BOB." He can be seen coming closer through Maddy's point of view, with the only sounds being low music and his breathing as he crawls over.
OTHER HORROR MOVIES:
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"Get Out" (2017)
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"Let the Right One In" (2008)
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| "It Follows" (2015) |
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| "Candyman" (1992) |
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"Hereditary" (2018)
Sources
http://culture.affinitymagazine.us/horror-movie-marketing-is-terrifyingly-genius/
https://gabriellemariem.wixsite.com/thatsoundsscary/horror-film-sound-techniques
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53420/
https://www.polygon.com/2016/10/24/13329230/twin-peaks-horror-halloween
https://nofilmschool.com/2018/04/5-lighting-techniques-you-can-use-your-next-horror-film
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