Horror movies, we all love a good scare and to be quite frank, the world would be a different place without them. The movie industry would be somewhat different aswell. Producers, writers and directors from around the globe frequently test their skills and divulge into one of cinema's oldest and most famous genres, but have horror flicks maintained their scare factor over time? 95% of horror films made today are still entertaining to some degree, but very rarely do these films really have the ability to frighten like the classics once did.
A large percentage of horrors brought to the big screen in recent years annoyingly fit into the PG-13 horror thriller category, but are these really going to have the same effect as The Exorcist once produced? What does a successful horror flick consist of? Let's take a look..
Going To The Extreme
Remember "Friday the 13th" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (Original)? Both timeless classics, extremely successful AND very scary. The reason why these movies were so terrifying in the 1980's is because they showcased what can only be described as extreme elements never before seen. Both films featured violent, murderous villains intent on causing as much pain and suffering as possible.
The extreme nature of such films is what essentially kept the viewers' eyes glued to the screen. Murder is unfortunately an everyday occurrence in todays society, it's a fact of life.. but seeing someone getting split in two with a chainsaw is much more disturbing than hearing about a stranger who's been killed in a random stabbing or drive-by shooting.
The team behind the more recent "Saw" Trilogy adopted the effective 'extreme element' rule, the villains twisted and bloody survival games in the films tested the limits of the average viewer's imagination, viewers couldn't help but put themselves in the horrific situations displayed withing the Trilogy, this resulted in countless toe curling moments, cringing left, right and center and of course viewers wanting to see more - the perfect horror!
The Soundtrack
A major MUST and one of the most important rules in creating a successful horror is optimizing the use of sound. The more traditional horrors have fairly predicatable soundtracks, viewers can usually predict when a scare is going to take place by taking note of the forboding tunes played immediately beforehand, it's all part of the fun! Another common trick that producers and directors like to employ in their films, is placing the music directly before the scary scene itself, only to end it suddenly, (providing the audience a false sense of relief), and then resuming immediately just as the next "shock" appears.
These tactics have worked for many years, and it continues to be a staple of the horror genre. Unfortunately after a period of time, much like a magic trick that has been used multiple times, it loses it's appeal.
More recent films are now implementing new formulas into the mix, attempting to highten the scare factor. A trick that is becoming more common is omitting sound completely. Using music as a "cue" for the
scary scenes can be somewhat distracting in some films. For example, if you were alone in a house and saw a ghost, you obviously wouldn't have a musical warning. Therefore, when directors opt for no sound in
introducing their frightening material, the scares often seem and feel more authentic.
The Unexplained
It is no secret that humans are most afraid of what they don't understand, something we can't comprehend can easilly become frightening. Think of it this way, the fact that whilst most people are not afraid of death, they ARE afraid of the manner in which they will die. Fear of unknown, the unexplained phenomena in life that causes a huge sense of discomfort too us all, film directors simply love to exploit this and it's extremely effective. More and more horrors are employing examples of the unexplained, stories about ghosts, the occult, and human possession are fascinating because to this day, these subjects are still ultimately a mystery to us. The "what if's" start kicking around your head, conveniently complimented with the uneasy feeling in your stomach - could this really happen?
"Based On A True Story"
The bold "based on a true story" claim, often displayed shortly before the film begins. This trick is something that isn't widely used, but can certainly pile on the suspense before, during AND after the film has ended. "The Exorcist" for example was released during the early 1970's, nothing had been produced like this before, it was truly unique. An average, innocent young girl is targeted by a demon, a demon with otherworldly powers that is intent on pain and suffering.
The scenes that were featured within "The Exorcist" were for it's time period, nothing short of shocking. This combined with the fact that the film is actually based on a true story only fueled the fear within the viewers. Could this happen to me!?
A large percentage of horrors brought to the big screen in recent years annoyingly fit into the PG-13 horror thriller category, but are these really going to have the same effect as The Exorcist once produced? What does a successful horror flick consist of? Let's take a look..
Going To The Extreme
Remember "Friday the 13th" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (Original)? Both timeless classics, extremely successful AND very scary. The reason why these movies were so terrifying in the 1980's is because they showcased what can only be described as extreme elements never before seen. Both films featured violent, murderous villains intent on causing as much pain and suffering as possible.
The extreme nature of such films is what essentially kept the viewers' eyes glued to the screen. Murder is unfortunately an everyday occurrence in todays society, it's a fact of life.. but seeing someone getting split in two with a chainsaw is much more disturbing than hearing about a stranger who's been killed in a random stabbing or drive-by shooting.
The team behind the more recent "Saw" Trilogy adopted the effective 'extreme element' rule, the villains twisted and bloody survival games in the films tested the limits of the average viewer's imagination, viewers couldn't help but put themselves in the horrific situations displayed withing the Trilogy, this resulted in countless toe curling moments, cringing left, right and center and of course viewers wanting to see more - the perfect horror!
The Soundtrack
A major MUST and one of the most important rules in creating a successful horror is optimizing the use of sound. The more traditional horrors have fairly predicatable soundtracks, viewers can usually predict when a scare is going to take place by taking note of the forboding tunes played immediately beforehand, it's all part of the fun! Another common trick that producers and directors like to employ in their films, is placing the music directly before the scary scene itself, only to end it suddenly, (providing the audience a false sense of relief), and then resuming immediately just as the next "shock" appears.
These tactics have worked for many years, and it continues to be a staple of the horror genre. Unfortunately after a period of time, much like a magic trick that has been used multiple times, it loses it's appeal.
More recent films are now implementing new formulas into the mix, attempting to highten the scare factor. A trick that is becoming more common is omitting sound completely. Using music as a "cue" for the
scary scenes can be somewhat distracting in some films. For example, if you were alone in a house and saw a ghost, you obviously wouldn't have a musical warning. Therefore, when directors opt for no sound in
introducing their frightening material, the scares often seem and feel more authentic.
The Unexplained
It is no secret that humans are most afraid of what they don't understand, something we can't comprehend can easilly become frightening. Think of it this way, the fact that whilst most people are not afraid of death, they ARE afraid of the manner in which they will die. Fear of unknown, the unexplained phenomena in life that causes a huge sense of discomfort too us all, film directors simply love to exploit this and it's extremely effective. More and more horrors are employing examples of the unexplained, stories about ghosts, the occult, and human possession are fascinating because to this day, these subjects are still ultimately a mystery to us. The "what if's" start kicking around your head, conveniently complimented with the uneasy feeling in your stomach - could this really happen?
"Based On A True Story"
The bold "based on a true story" claim, often displayed shortly before the film begins. This trick is something that isn't widely used, but can certainly pile on the suspense before, during AND after the film has ended. "The Exorcist" for example was released during the early 1970's, nothing had been produced like this before, it was truly unique. An average, innocent young girl is targeted by a demon, a demon with otherworldly powers that is intent on pain and suffering.
The scenes that were featured within "The Exorcist" were for it's time period, nothing short of shocking. This combined with the fact that the film is actually based on a true story only fueled the fear within the viewers. Could this happen to me!?
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