A question for horror fans

Azmyth

Azmyth

Veteran
Do you like horror movies better that show you "everything" and get really gory? or do you like it better when the gore is implied, and its more "reactionary"?

I'm trying to figure out an effect for EXIT 101 and it "could" be extremely gory.. but also be costly... or it could be more "Reactionary" where you don't see as much, and thus be much cheaper to create. The question is whether or not it will get the same reaction from the audience.
 
Just my 2 cents, but I think if you're going to show something, anything, onscreen, it should be top-notch. Otherwise you're better off not showing it at all. The horror director has a great tool at his disposal: his viewer's imaginations. Think how much scarier it is in those moments leading up to a closed door, than after the door has been opened.

Good example: the first hour of "The Descent" is a LOT scarier than the 2nd hour after we've been allowed to finally see something.
 
It's a good point - technically poor gore is like technically-poor anything else: it will at best distract and at worst reduce your horror, to comedy...

The Descent didn't work for me as a scary horror movie, per se, but it did effectively hammer on my claustrophobia to the point where the end result was actually about the same. YMMV.
 
I find leaving some things to the audiences discretion is usually the best option. Use sound to tell them what's going on and let their imagination do the rest.

Of course it really depends on what we're talking about here.

MAH
 
implied gore! - unless you have the bones to spare for the "real" goods - even then, beware it looking cheesy if executed poorly (a la Syfy Sunday afternoon indie horror flicks)
 
I guess you're keeping it under wraps. An argument could be made for either choice. What is the tone of the rest of the film? Is this for kids? Has blood been splattering for the last 45 minutes?

I like gore to be extremely realistic if shown at all. That's difficult to pull off.
 
The film is a homage to 80s horror films. So it has a bit of campyness to it, but I do not want the "gore" to look like a troma film. More like the old Tom Savini stuff.
 
On my last film, Jack in the Box, we decided to go "implied" only because we were more interested in the PG-13 market as well as the budget involved to show it on screen. Sound is huge in selling the terror and the suspense... not to mention camera work, performance, editing, etc. Wait - just like any other movie genre! ;)

Good luck with the film.

Michael
 
Azmyth said:
The film is a homage to 80s horror films. So it has a bit of campyness to it, but I do not want the "gore" to look like a troma film. More like the old Tom Savini stuff.
Click to expand...

Well, watch Tom Savini's movies and tutorials and interviews, study stills, learn how to approximate his look, and go forth and do as Tom Savini does.

His stuff is pretty great. I hope the approach works well, for you.
 
If you really want it to look like Savini, get his books. They're loaded with sketches and photos and really break it down. I got both and they are worth tracking down.
 
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