What ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS are required in a horror movie?
January 24th 2007 03:42
So just what are the elements that make up a good, even great, horror flick? Are there strict rules you should follow? Should you always try and break convention?
Here are some essential elements which go into making an interesting, or more precisely, an effective horror movie.
i) A pre-credit sequence. It’s ideal for setting up a revenge narrative (ie the soon-to-be-killer being done wrong), or luring an audience into a false sense of security with a seductive atmosphere that is suddenly destroyed by a savage act of horrific violence.
ii) A moody and minimal title sequence. A movie should never have a detailed or drawn out title credits sequence, it ruins the artifice and atmosphere. Preferably the only credit that should feature at a horror movie’s beginning is the production company logos (before the film starts), then the title and perhaps a historical quote or maybe a provocative statement.
iv) The camerawork and cinematography. Again, this is crucial to the mood and atmosphere. If it’s too flashy and slick it will deter from the movie’s sense of realism, on the other hand if it’s too cinema verite (handheld camera, using only available light) it will appear like it’s been made by incompetents. A combination of both would work effectively; fluid camerawork with a subtle use of expressionistic lighting.
v) The characters, the victims. They can’t all be obnoxious idiots. A couple will do. But to make a truly resonant horror, the audience needs to empathise with the poor bastards. They need to like them in order for them to feel horror-stricken when they watch the victims fall prey to the movie’s menace.
vii) The body count, the blood and gore. A high number of victims does not especially make for a memorable horror. Painting the entire town with scarlet entrails is not necessarily the most effective option either. However, as Martin Scorsese knows and exhibits as a director of extreme violence, the most “effective” violence comes out of nowhere and is vicious and nasty as Hell. If a horror is going for the gore factor then the producers have got to make sure they’ve got the best sfx make-up team they can get.
viii) False sense of security. This “trick” is always effective near the end of the movie where the audience feels that the menace might finally be conquered, or the killer has been exposed and captured. Yet, something is not quite right … Somethins is still horribly wrong.
ix) Does the killer get killed? Does the menace escape to terrorise another day? That’s a difficult one to answer as both options have pros and cons. Personally I prefer a horror movie where the killer gets away with it, or the hero(oine) has survived, yet sustained a tragedy at the “hands” of the killer or menace.
x) The denouement. This is another kinda grey area, but one which is very important as it contains the last images, music/sounds, and mood which the audience will take with them home (and into their dreams). If at all possible the ending of a horror movie should be shocking, disturbing, and harrowing, or at the very least, creepy, haunting, and possibly ambiguous.
* the images on this page were taken from the following wikipedia pages:
Haunting and The Blair Witch Project
They are licensed from the GNU Free Document License.
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Comment by Cibbuano
20/20 Filmsight
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it'd be interesting to defy all conventions and mess with the audience's mind. Like nothing creepy happening at the beginning?
the characters are the most important, in my mind. If they're unlikeable, you almost cheer when they bite it.
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
true, there's all the reasons in Hell not to follow any of the elements I've suggested ... And in truth I find supernatural horror films scary as Hell ... but recently have been drawn more to the realistic ones ... I think that might have something to do with my own research into writing a particular one myself ...
Comment by Damo
For the Sake of Argument
My Apologetics
I often wonder why something will terrorfy people now but will one day be okay to watch with your grandmother. Was it the original Nosferato that was famed when some had a heart attack watching it. Yet today it is sort of comical.
I think there must be a sort unexpected fear of the unknown element to the success of any horror. The sudden shock seems to be an art of manipulatiion that many film makers use. But the sense of impending and inescapable doom is something harder to master.
The bad guy is the star of the show and many horror films lose out by over exposing their star. Often letting people see it too clearly or by having too many sequals.
Just my rough thought on the matter.
Comment by Anonymous
And I have watched the Blair Witch Project and not been able to happily go camping since!!!.......
ix) does the killer get killed? - - - - I have noticed that recently some of the action films that have been coming out have portrayed the baddies triumphing over the goodies! Does make a more interesting movie doesn`t it?
Good post Bryn
Ash
Comment by Ash
Australian Traveller
Flashes of memories
Comment by Claire S
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I will say that keeping the audience of balance so their guard is down makes me more open to the nervous anxieties neccessary to live a horror, film rather than just watch it from a safe distance. Maintaining menace while also delivering striking visuals that make the unthinkable real.
Comment by CarolineTigeress
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