what makes a scene scary?
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it's sort of a vague question, i mean... there are, right off the top of my head, two distinctly different ways to "scare" somebody. the first is through atmosphere, the second is through shock.
atmosphere scares are the more old-school way of approaching horror. It's a sense of overwhelming dread that comes over you when you know something bad is going to happen, but not WHEN. For example, when the heroine walks in to the basement where the killer is hiding. without even showing the killer, the sense of dread builds because you know what the killer will do to her if he gets her, and if she enters a situation in which he has access to her (especially in a way where she can't see him coming, aka a dark basement or whatever), the sense of dread rises.
the main drawback for this, though, is that you have to CARE about the character. The reason it bugs us is because we, as viewers, see the character as a surrogate for ourselves. They are "us" in the film, we see, hear, experience and feel what the surrogate feels, or experience the scene vicariously through the surrogate. This is why stephen king says "it's about the characters, stupid."
Shock scares, on the other hand, are far more common, and have their place but they're generally overused. You can have a killer bust out of a mirror at any time or "OHMIGOSH IT'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" and sure it's good for a few scares, but it's not a particularly strong or long-lasting form of fright. It basically leads to people pulling themselves out of the film and just waiting for the shock to drop. They're also generally preceded by cues of some sort, so you can just start to watch for the cues and then wait for it to happen.
Shock scares try to make up for poor surrogates by catching you off guard, but the real true atmosphere of horror comes from having characters you identify with and want to have survive. In original horror, they would spread the atmosphere and dread out over the whole movie until the big scene at the end, and by that time you've turned in to a gibbering mess w/ soiled pants.
atmosphere scares are the more old-school way of approaching horror. It's a sense of overwhelming dread that comes over you when you know something bad is going to happen, but not WHEN. For example, when the heroine walks in to the basement where the killer is hiding. without even showing the killer, the sense of dread builds because you know what the killer will do to her if he gets her, and if she enters a situation in which he has access to her (especially in a way where she can't see him coming, aka a dark basement or whatever), the sense of dread rises.
the main drawback for this, though, is that you have to CARE about the character. The reason it bugs us is because we, as viewers, see the character as a surrogate for ourselves. They are "us" in the film, we see, hear, experience and feel what the surrogate feels, or experience the scene vicariously through the surrogate. This is why stephen king says "it's about the characters, stupid."
Shock scares, on the other hand, are far more common, and have their place but they're generally overused. You can have a killer bust out of a mirror at any time or "OHMIGOSH IT'S RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" and sure it's good for a few scares, but it's not a particularly strong or long-lasting form of fright. It basically leads to people pulling themselves out of the film and just waiting for the shock to drop. They're also generally preceded by cues of some sort, so you can just start to watch for the cues and then wait for it to happen.
Shock scares try to make up for poor surrogates by catching you off guard, but the real true atmosphere of horror comes from having characters you identify with and want to have survive. In original horror, they would spread the atmosphere and dread out over the whole movie until the big scene at the end, and by that time you've turned in to a gibbering mess w/ soiled pants.
I agree.
I believe films today have almost completely given up atmosphere in the search for cheap thrills. Look at 30 Days of Night, that film had no tension or build up, and greatly suffers from it. Classic horror/thriller films rely on the build up of momentum, and a characters that you don't want to die. Look at the Hostel films, they're just quick gore and guts that appease people's sadistic desires. Don't get me wrong, like in Cronenberg's films, gore can be effective and disturbing; but in films like Saw, its not there to scare you, but to be sensational. In good horror, you don't want the main character/s to die, and that's what is truly frightening about them. Plot suffers too, you can barely see a horror film without bimbos running from anonymous serial killers.
Alien is a perfect example of classic horror. You have a heroine who everyone roots for, the eeriest and most secluded place for a setting, and both add up to sheer terror.
I believe films today have almost completely given up atmosphere in the search for cheap thrills. Look at 30 Days of Night, that film had no tension or build up, and greatly suffers from it. Classic horror/thriller films rely on the build up of momentum, and a characters that you don't want to die. Look at the Hostel films, they're just quick gore and guts that appease people's sadistic desires. Don't get me wrong, like in Cronenberg's films, gore can be effective and disturbing; but in films like Saw, its not there to scare you, but to be sensational. In good horror, you don't want the main character/s to die, and that's what is truly frightening about them. Plot suffers too, you can barely see a horror film without bimbos running from anonymous serial killers.
Alien is a perfect example of classic horror. You have a heroine who everyone roots for, the eeriest and most secluded place for a setting, and both add up to sheer terror.
StefanHaynes
Well-known member
Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey used no extreme violence, yet it still ranks as one of the most disturbing horror films of all time. Astonishing piece of work. Why don't they make films like this anymore?
This generation of youth has no patience, and only wants cheap thrills. I know this firsthand, and that's why good horror movies are few and far between.
NashvilleActors
Member
What makes a scene scary to me is, me worrying about what's going to happen to character. I could care less about freaky monsters, ghost or the etc. I could get scared just from me caring about the character alone, but the movie has to make me like the character. If the protagonist is walking down a hall alone and suspenseful music is playing, that could be scary by itself.
10s
Veteran
When I was a child (many years ago) the wicked witch in Wizard of Oz was just too scary for me. Have we become too saturated with media to actually experience fear deeply? I guess the older I get it becomes more difficult to suspend disbelief. My son in the picture <---- I took him 23 some years ago to see these 1/2 size mechanical dinosaurs when he was about 3 yrs old. He thought they were real and practically ripped my leg apart hiding from these monsters. The little guys strength was amazing for his size. Of course I got him to realize they were fake but for that brief moment he was going through ultra - fear (Jurrasic Park fear) and it was absolutely shocking. We have to believe the threat to respond fearfully.
I agree, I MUST identify with the hero. I must care & root for the success of this person. I still get anxious & scared when a film takes the time to slowly broil me with anticipation and get me to believe. I need something that un-nerves me so I get on edge, then action can take place. I also find that what is unknown, is often more powerful and scary than when I can observe it and use reason to assess it.
I agree, I MUST identify with the hero. I must care & root for the success of this person. I still get anxious & scared when a film takes the time to slowly broil me with anticipation and get me to believe. I need something that un-nerves me so I get on edge, then action can take place. I also find that what is unknown, is often more powerful and scary than when I can observe it and use reason to assess it.
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NashvilleActors
Member
You're right, those movies to me are just gore, disgusting movies. I think they are meant to gross us out whether than scare us.
Brendan Stewart
Member
I didn't mind the first SAW, but after that it all turned to ****. Hostel was garbage, sure it had potential but the end product was a crap, gore fest.
Gore just doesn't represent fear in my books. I just can't help but laugh at most gore. I know alot of other people feel the same way.
It will be interesting to see what fear "becomes" over the next few years.
Like it's been mentioned, characters "make" and "break" fear.
Gore just doesn't represent fear in my books. I just can't help but laugh at most gore. I know alot of other people feel the same way.
It will be interesting to see what fear "becomes" over the next few years.
Like it's been mentioned, characters "make" and "break" fear.
HerzogisGod
Well-known member
"Shock" is the lowest form of horror.
Forget "Saw" and "Hostel" and all that Bull****. Those films are excerises in how to torture people and aside from the shock value, are boring as hell
Study David Lynch.
David Lynch makes real horror. His films are nightmarish and creepy and just downright messed up.
Forget "Saw" and "Hostel" and all that Bull****. Those films are excerises in how to torture people and aside from the shock value, are boring as hell
Study David Lynch.
David Lynch makes real horror. His films are nightmarish and creepy and just downright messed up.
Brendan Stewart
Member
Can't say i've seen any of David's work. What films do you recommend?
I had a quick look on IMDb and pretty much all his work has good ratings/reviews which is a good sign
Gore films, aka torture porn, aren't meant to be scary. It's just different death situations with mini-climaxes that give you a rush of adrenaline. You don't identify with the characters because they mean nothing and you know nothing about them - you just show up to see what they're willing to go through to stay alive. It's purely a rush, it's completely different from "horror"
I would classify them more as like a subgroup of corny action films, but instead of one character who makes it over increasingly difficult obstacles, you have a series of characters pitted up against one obstacle each and you don't know whether or not they'll make it. The only thing that connects it to the horror genre is the blood and guts, but it's not like horror's got a monopoly on gore.
I would classify them more as like a subgroup of corny action films, but instead of one character who makes it over increasingly difficult obstacles, you have a series of characters pitted up against one obstacle each and you don't know whether or not they'll make it. The only thing that connects it to the horror genre is the blood and guts, but it's not like horror's got a monopoly on gore.
10s
Veteran
I'm wondering, what are the Scariest movies and what makes them scary?
Any ideas?
For me Jaws is still a great horror movie because I know how vulnerable I am in the water, (humans aren't well suited for this environment) and this helps me get nervous when a natural killer is circling down below, especially when we can't see them or sense if they're around. Sharks are so good at what they do and we are so helpless. The anticipation and the slow demise of the victim is truly horrific.
It wasn't so long ago that humans were terrified of wild animals, bears, tigers etc... I know in Africa they truly respect lions/tigers and other predators. Some villages have thick walls of brush that keep these creatures out of the village at night. I guess they got tired of waking up seeing their children being hauled off for a midnight snack. On the other hand we now have drunk kids taunting tigers at the zoo because they don't understand nor respect the power of nature.
Any ideas?
For me Jaws is still a great horror movie because I know how vulnerable I am in the water, (humans aren't well suited for this environment) and this helps me get nervous when a natural killer is circling down below, especially when we can't see them or sense if they're around. Sharks are so good at what they do and we are so helpless. The anticipation and the slow demise of the victim is truly horrific.
It wasn't so long ago that humans were terrified of wild animals, bears, tigers etc... I know in Africa they truly respect lions/tigers and other predators. Some villages have thick walls of brush that keep these creatures out of the village at night. I guess they got tired of waking up seeing their children being hauled off for a midnight snack. On the other hand we now have drunk kids taunting tigers at the zoo because they don't understand nor respect the power of nature.
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That's another thing about Jaws. The fear behind Jaws was compounded by not showing the shark that much. It increased the mystery and dread behind the shark, and was incredibly effective. I refused to swim for weeks after seeing it.
Most movies today just want to give you a quick jolt and splatter of blood, they don't build up the one thing that makes or brakes a horror movie---suspense.
Most movies today just want to give you a quick jolt and splatter of blood, they don't build up the one thing that makes or brakes a horror movie---suspense.
Capt Quirk
Veteran
I still vividly remember a scene from Dr Faust, where thousands of hands reach up from Hell, and drag him down with them. I was only 4 or 5 when I saw it, and it stuck with me all that time. There are also scenes from Attack of the Mushroom People too 
Go with the stuff that plays on peoples oldest fears. Hands under the bed, bugs, snakes, the dark and shadows. Dolls are pretty creepy too. It depends on what kind of scare you want. Supernatural horror? Reflections in the mirror work. Make the doll's head turn slightly.
Go with the stuff that plays on peoples oldest fears. Hands under the bed, bugs, snakes, the dark and shadows. Dolls are pretty creepy too. It depends on what kind of scare you want. Supernatural horror? Reflections in the mirror work. Make the doll's head turn slightly.
Ming
Well-known member
Certain things just resonate I think with primal survival instincts. We've become desensitized though. A lot of techniques have been so overused. The peek-a-boo for example, where the protag flips aside the shower curtain, or whips off a blanket. We've become experts at picking up the queues (the music.. the sudden quiet.. the sudden deliberate contrived let off of tension (i.e. the original Friday the 13th Jason coming out of the lake at the end.) that out attention for queues overrides our suspension of disbelief.
Todays most frightening films are docu's.
Todays most frightening films are docu's.