Suspense In Horror Films

Merriam Webster defines “horror” as “painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay.” A popular definition of horror film argues that horror is subjective-anything that evokes the emotion of horror in an individual is a horror film to that individual. (Horror Writers Association) This definition is far too dependent on the audience for its categorization. Although, the emotional argument being made in films is an essential factor when defining a genre, it cannot be the only device considered for defining the entirety of a genre. I contend that some films are objectively horrifying. Further, a definition of horror should not only incorporate a film’s emotional appeal. The definition must expand to include a film’s ethical and logical appeal. The definition of horror should be all-encompassing. It should articulate how a film argues in every medium, by every element, and from every angle. Additionally, a horror definition should not be limited to the subcategories that it has typically produced: the uncanny, the marvelous horror, and the fantastic horror. (Prohászková, 1-2) This allows no room for growth and expansion in the genre. This definition cannot be articulated without specific examples, and is, therefore, insufficient for our purposes. A narrative, objectively horrific in nature, which contains horrific elements, which delivers strong appeals emotionally, logically, and ethically, which features a “monster,” or source of evil, regardless of its sub-category, falls

Throughout the film industry, Alfred Hitchcock has directed many films filled with suspense that puts the viewer in confusion on what is going to happen next. Alfred Hitchcock is known as the ‘Master of Suspense’ because of his filming techniques which made his films stand out compared to other horror films during his period. The combination of these techniques throughout the film The Birds adds confusion and throws the viewer into a state of chaos similar to the film Psycho. This leaves the viewer lost as to what is going on and what is about to happen next. One of his scenes, where Hitchcock used several of his techniques, is the playground scene. The shot-by-shot analysis of the playground scene is characterized by various of camera shots,

The absence of a person, idea, or object in fact creates something. A hole in the room is the absence of the floor, but this absence becomes the main focus of the room. It is no longer a room, it is a hole in the room. This analogy is to express this void in most Hitchcock films that hurts the main characters. In several occasions main characters are hurt by nothing. It seems strange to be hurt by nothing, but the absence or rather the presence of this absence creates psychological torment for these characters. This absence and withholding of knowledge creates the perfect atmosphere for Hitchcock’s suspense. The looming absence controls the scope of the film and is what makes Hitchcock the successful suspense director he is today. The absence is where the anticipation lies and there’s an irony of the absent taking form, the black humor underneath, and the suspense it brings.

The reason why I explored the Insidious film franchise judiciously is due to it being my favourite franchise of all time. The unique production process, along with the huge sales of the franchise simplified that Blumhouse is evidently heading in the right direction. According to Puchko (2013), “Blum has become a tastemaker in horror”.

Suspense is what fuels horror films. If the director was able to get you sitting on the edge of your seat, holding your breath, and waiting, they did their job. It is why people go and see new horror films. A lot of things factor into suspense in horror films, such as: plot, camera angles and shots, setting, and information the audience may already know, but nothing is as directly correlated to suspense as music and sound is. Sound is what makes a horror film scary. In the cases of some classic horror films like Jaws (1975) and Psycho (1960), the music is sometimes more widely recognized than the film itself. Music can also be an indicator that something bad is about to happen or is going to happen in the not-so-distant future. Although there are a lot of ways that suspense can be placed upon an audience, I will argue that music and sound, or the lack thereof, is the most efficient way to create suspense and increase thrill.

via the help of a metal spoon and not some of the members of her

It can be argued that utilization of suspense is the single most connecting element in the films of Alfred Hitchcock. ? Suspense is a dramaturgy technique that plays of the difference in knowledge between the audience and the characters on the screen? (Allen 32). Hoffman and Fahr define suspense as: ? Suspense can be conceptualized as an enjoyable experience between hope and fear that relies on certain cognitive mechanisms and often goes along with autonomic, physiological arousal?

While not everybody has seen the iconic thriller Psycho, most people will recognize its now infamous, chilling theme. Though, how exactly does a music piece like it or other horror film pieces, the Jaws theme for example, succeed in making its audience uneasy and thrilled? It’s easy to tell when a song is meant to be scary or creepy because of the way it is executed. Horror or creepy music is unlike other genres in the sense that its instrumentation, tempo, and such things, when put together, produce an eerie tone and trigger a feeling of fear in its listeners. By using non-linearities, noises that alert the human brain, and specific techniques in their music, horror films create suspense and fear in viewers.

Many different things contribute to making a scene scary, but the biggest effect they use to create a fearful atmosphere are the sound effects. Different sounds can affect your perception of the scene as well as affecting how your brain registers the scene. In movie scenes they can create a calm atmosphere or a frightening one to keep you on edge. The way they do this is by using sounds to let you brain know that the scene is peaceful or scary.

When in a scary movie does the director have a nice and pleasant scene when they are trying to display a feeling of fear? He or she usually does not do this when trying to portray fear for the audience. The setting themselves might not be a terrifying scene to begin with, but with the right conditions almost anything can turn into a picture straight out of a horror movie. These pictures do this perfectly to portray the thought of a bad outcome or a menacing turn of events. The thought of a church like the once in the pictures seem to be of a place only the dead shall walk, or ghost to appear floating around. The mountain might be a beautiful sight during the summer months when all the flowers and green grass is out. During the winter though

Horror movies have been classified as the type of genre that heavily exploits the use of violence and grisly images to appeal to different audiences. In fact, one of the main reasons that horror movies are still celebrated is because of a term, discovered by behavioral researchers, called the “horror paradox”. Joanne Cantor, the director of the Center for Communication Research at University of Wisconsin, states that “Since it doesn’t require logic to appreciate, audiences watch them enjoy the experience of the feeling of being scared.” Therefore, it can obviously be stated that people genuinely love the feeling of getting scared from watching these types of movies. Not only does it generate many intense emotions

THE CONSULTANCY’s first 25 pages reads like a dramatic crime thriller. The idea of a man working as a “consultant” for criminal activity is a premise with strong merit. It’s an appealing hook. It appears that the protagonist will get more and more entangled within this world, with possibly no way out. The tone is consistently dramatic.

After watching both scenes, I had a different perspective about one each scene. The first scene that I watch give me a sense of a horror movie just by the sound effects. The sound was not bad, but there is some that I would have used a different effect. Therefore, I would have added squeaking to the floor to add a little more suspense. The music that was add was a good fit for a horror was a nonlinear sound. I Like the swipe sound toward the end because without seeing what was pulled out you still had a sense that it was a knife. The scream was more of a scared scream which fit the concept of the scene.

Because people are experiencing horror in a controlled medium such as film, they are relieved of the stress that accompanies those horrors and fears. The films act as a practice run for our minds to reenact. In addition, because people are not in any actual danger the fear becomes an enjoyable experience instead of a stressful one.

Psychological thriller movies tend to fascinate a lot of viewers since they create suspense, anxiety, fury and confusion at the same time. The audiences of such films are trying to figure out what’s next and then a sudden twist comes leaving you with a feeling of exhilaration.