There’s an eerie forest in the distance, you hear ethereal special effects, you see a blur dart across the screen and the main character makes their way towards it. This is the basic set-up for a horror film, but what is it about horror that makes us coming back for more? Do we enjoy being frightened? Is there such a thing as a “great” horror film? Let’s get into the details.
From the dawn of cinema, there has been plenty of uses of horror elements, whether it is the suspense in films like Psycho, or the image of a terrifying creature such as Dracula or a Werewolf. Horror has been part of cinema for a very long time. As humans, we all have a universal fear of the unknown. If we can’t explain something, or experience something out of the ordinary, it delves deep into our fears. This is what horror filmmakers set out to do.
The supernatural and the extraordinary are common elements found in horror films for these very reasons.
If you look at The Shining it feels creepy, almost otherworldly because there is this large space with hardly any people around. The setting and atmosphere create this uneasy feeling from the start, and you follow the main character’s journey into madness as we take our journey into experiencing his madness. This fear of not knowing what to expect is the hook behind the story, and I’m not sure about you but it always makes a gripping story.
Now there are some people who associate horror with blood and guts. The slasher subgenre, with films such as Scream and Halloween, offer a different kind of horror. The fear of death. Death is a natural experience, but also an unsettling one. Seeing a character die on-screen makes you think about your own life, even if you’re watching the film in a cuddly toy factory. Unless you’ve seen Chucky too many times! This connection between character and audience is what makes or breaks a horror film. Do you remember the main victim in The Silence of the Lambs? Of course, you do, it’s Clarice Starling. She makes you care for her safety, you feel the humanity in her character and so you know she isn’t safe when Hannibal Lecter is after her.
Having characters to root for is the key to great horror. Usually, horror films have a gimmick or focus too much on the plot or the methods of killing. Take Happy Death Day for example. It’s just Groundhog Dog meets Scream. It’s an interesting hook, but the character isn’t memorable and so it doesn’t stick to you as much as a classic horror film like The Blair Witch Project.
The fact is, at the end of the day, we keep watching horror movies whether they’re bad or good. A bad horror film is just as good as a great horror. But why? We just like being scared from the safety of our own homes. But it’s the great horror’s that stick with us. Those are the horror’s that make you check under your children’s beds, or your closet’s, or even keep your lights on in your room at night. At the end of the day, we just prefer to watch someone else suffer, but not ourselves!
Interested in my top 5 horror films? Check this out!
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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