movies/tv What makes a good horror film?

[Electric Velocity 7]

A lot of movies I watch just don't leave much of an impression on me. I've never seen a movie that made me have nightmares. Maybe it's because of the stuff I've gone through in my life. Or maybe it's because I know it could never happen. Movies like The Great Gatsby do make me think about a subject, but they rarely have an effect on me.

 

So, what makes a horror movie scary? Is it the knowledge of inevitable doom, or simply the possibility of it? the unknown has always scared man, so how can a serial killer be scary when he's right there on screen with a knife?

 

Maybe the only thing that's scary is the music. Music can influence emotions and make people relaxed or anxious. 

 

Or maybe the camerawork can make it more scary. When you cut to another angle just before showing something "scary" it can make it that much more interesting. 

 

I'm a big fan of horror movies because of the ideas they have. Some propose that the ideal family dream is a lie. Some say that everyone will eventually die. Some are about how humanity leads to destruction. They all make very big philosophical debates. But, some are not as well thought through.

 

Take Paranormal Activity, for example. That movie rides on jump scares and the characters' reactions to random occurrences. It never makes the audience think about their own life or what it would be like if the stuff actually happened. It just tries to scare you with loud noises and bad acting. Also, the camera thing gets really old. It just shows how anybody could do it if they had the time.

 

Movies like Alien, Predator, and The Thing are very sci-fi, have a lot of gore, but also state the fact that everyone will die. Whether it's by natural causes, their stupidity, or a monster. I love Alien not only because of the world it establishes, but because of the creature itself. I'm not scared of the Alien. I'm in awe of it. It's pure existence is to kill and hide. And it does a good job of that.

 

Prometheus is in my top ten favorite films of all time. I can say I got goosebumps watching some of the scenes. I let myself get drawn into the world and characters, and that really helped me to see how great it was. It has a lot of statements too. Such as, knowledge is power. The whole movie is about humans treading where they shouldn't. They want to find out the meaning to life, why they were created, and they use technology to do that. This isn't necessarily a horror movie plot, but it does have its moments.

 

So, what makes a good horror film? I don't know, but the makers of Cabin In The Woods sure knew. It was more of a parody of horror movies, but it made some really good points about plot structure and characters. Even the ending of it proved that all horror movies are alike. So what do you guys think? Am I looking at this too hard, or not enough? 

[Dusty Soul 2,611]

I think good acting, original ideas, and good deaths/scares.  Any movie can have jump-scares, but it takes a great one to make you have a very creeped out feeling all the way through.  Saw really comes to mind.  (forget about the sequels) Saw as a stand alone movie was actually very creative.  The acting wasn't terrible, and the deaths were realistic.  

 

So any horror movie that actually does something new, is fine by me. 

[Scootalove 10,684]

Well to make a good horror film you need to have originality, ideas that work or make sense, superb acting, and good deaths with good scaring tactics. Oh and, let's not put all of the horror film cliches that we have seen before in the past and don't make a sequel that will be awful.

[Batbrony 15,994]

I'm gonna start this off by saying I don't like horror movies, I don't watch horror movies, and generally avoid the genre.  That said, I also respect the genre and enjoy knowing what makes a good film in any genre.  So here's my two bits.

 

I think that a good horror movie, plain and simple, has to earn its scares.  A series of factors in tone, setting, music, cinematography, and character/plot development go into achieving this, but if scares are thrown in gratuitously and not truly earned, then in my measure the film overall fails as a horror film.

 

Note: this is not taking into account sub-categories of film within the horror genre, such as the popular horror-comedy, just because you have to take different factors into account with what makes good movies within those categories.  This is plain and simple my take on what makes a good, straight-up horror film.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Batbrony

[Moonlight 7,279]

"Sinister" is both my favorite horror movie and movie all of time. 

 

So, a horror film doesn't hurt to:

 

• Have some amazing background music.
• Either build up the tension or get straight to the point.
• Creepy looking monsters, ghosts, or whatever the main enemy is.
• Good sound effects.
• Disturbing imagery.

That's how it is for me.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,274]

Two of my favorite horror movies of all time, is The Blair Witch Project and (the original) The Fog. The main reason, is that these films play with the concept of the unknown. The way the scenes are shot in The Fog, like how the characters look out at the water, wondering what is out there, then the fog rolls in, with that incredibly ominous music, to me, that is terrifying. I think that movie has the most terrifying soundtrack in film history. Blair Witch is excellent because it focuses on the same concept but with a more 'real' approach, you could say. It makes you wonder 'What is really in the darkness?' What is the beyond where the light shines? What is really out there? To me, that is one of the most horrific things, the unknown, depending on the situation. Just the simple scenes in that film send chills down my back. Paranormal Activity tried to emulate this style, but in my opinion, it failed.

 

Good horror is subjective I suppose. I know many people who hate TBWP, which is fine, but in my opinion, that is one of the scariest films. To me, a good horror movie should have mystery, but not too much where you lose the atmosphere. It has to have that too, it's own atmosphere. Both TBWP and The Fog had very distinct atmospheres and they worked so well. I am just not fond of slashers film or gorefests at this point. If either of those can achieve what I just mentioned, then I would be interested, but just those alone, gorefests/slashers (slash slashers? HA!) don't do it for me.

[TomokoKuroki 1,707]

For me, a horror film can only be truly horrifying if it can scare you both mentally, and emotionally. A blend of psychological and physical fear can really get to people. There are so many films that have the "scary" antagonist who pops out of nowhere, or kills in brutal methods, but often times, you don't get the psychological antagonists who play with your weakened mind until you're driven mad. The kind of fear that you don't see or sense with the other senses. But the ones that haunt your mind, and make you think not about who is hiding in the dark, but what is the dark hiding from you.

 

Being afraid of who is in the darkness, is not as scary as being afraid of what the darkness is hiding from you. They are not the same thing.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Tomoko Kuroki

[Icicle the Ice Pony 14]

One thing is not showing completely the monster, killer, or gore. It gives the watcher supsense, makes them wanna close their eyes, like "What's gonna come up?"

Rutheless killing movies like Human Centipede are just cruel, sick and not even scary or anything.

[Jokuc 8,172]

*Jokuc's seal of approval*

 

Very good post there! I am also a huuuge fan of horror movies, and I agree with you on pretty much everything.

 

If you ask me, "what makes a good horror film" I'm going to answer, well that depends on what you want from the film. As you know, there are so many sub-genres within horror, and many of them does not focus on being scary. Gores for example, even if the scares in a gore movie are scary, I would not be really impressed if the gore in it sucked or if it did not contain all of these puzzle pieces I wanted. Let's say, for example that a "Hostel 4" would be announced. When the movie then has premiere, it has suprisingly many good scares and such but it barely has any gore. That, to me, would be disappointing since I was looking for something grotesque. Even if the acting and everything is great. Some movies deals with this by using the unwritten template that is used way too many times for today's subgenres within horrors. Especially american slashers. I mean how many times have we not seen a movie that works like this:

 

>we get to meet a couple of teenagers (or 20-22)

>teenagers goes somewhere

>teenagers has fun which in many cases involves sex

>killer comes and walks close to them without them noticing

>1-2 teenagers dies/is gone and "maybe alive"

>other teenagers leaves their safe place to look for them

>1-2 of other teenagers dies

>last teenagers [one of them is a girl]

>teenager runs, teenager falls

 

...Anyways, I think that a good horror is either something that follows the most important things that "should" be in it and does it very well and original without throwing in a bunch of unnecessary things. I'm directly thinking about Halloween from 78 here, and I know it still has a few of those things that could be seen as "unnecessary" but it's original and had a scary idea about a masked man coming inside your house.

 

I can't talk about what makes a good horror film for each subgen, but something that has gathered a couple of pieces from each subgen template is something I really like. A horror movie which can be both gory and have a great story, but for me, most important of all: be scary.

 

I have not seen many of those though. I am basically like OP. I never get scared of anything, and I think that is sad. Because I do want to get scared! That's when I love horrors the most. When they get scary and you are actually a little bit afraid.

 

They make sooo many horror movies all the time, how come none of them are scary? Well, I think it's because when they make a horror, they look at what others' has done and they say "hey, I like this little scene/trick/whatever, let's make something similar!" What I'm trying to say is, most horror movies I watch nowadays are just way too predictable for me to be scared. I mean if you hear scary music and some random girl with her family in her house during day, 3 minutes in the film, it's obvious that nothing is going to happen. And if you're wrong it's just a cat jumping out. When a girl is running in the woods, away from a killer, you know she's going to fall sooner or later. So I would love if a movie could find a way to scare us in new ways. Not just the old Scream "killer behind the curtain" which we all know there's nothing behind the curtain cause he's behind the corner.

 

Also, something that raises the "fear level" in a horror is when you don't know what's coming. The feeling of not knowing what to be afraid of until something happens, the feeling of not knowing if something is nearby (For example, the Friday the 13th movies does the opposite by actually showing where the killer is (though I love that)) or the feeling of being helpless, or knowing something will happen to a certain character. The last one works great if the "something" is not obvious to figure out!

 

Something else that really is important for me in a horror, shocker or not. It can be basically anything and I still want this to be in it (unless it's a Zombie movie or something) a scary atmosphere. Or just an atmosphere which you instantly get these weird feelings about. That you're unsafe.

 

Last but not least, the music. Obviously. As you already said, the music plays a big role in the horror movies. A horror movie without scary music is like watching an action movie with muted car sounds, muted gun shots and muted explosions.

 

---

 

@@Electric Velocity,

 

I would also like to say that I also love Alien and Cabin in the Woods (Cabin in the Woods was so fucked up but still hilarious and genious) though I must say that I dislike Prometheus and I expected a lot more of it. Random fact, I don't like Paranormal Activity. It's really lame.

 

Hey, you should look up the other threads we have about horror movies. There's a couple of them:

 

http://mlpforums.com/topic/36501-best-horror-movies/

http://mlpforums.com/topic/42994-horror-movies-recently-watched/

http://mlpforums.com/topic/54305-favorite-horror-movie/

http://mlpforums.com/topic/25735-scariest-horror-movie-you-have-ever-seen/

http://mlpforums.com/topic/8912-horror-movies-better-in-america/

http://mlpforums.com/topic/51026-scariest-film-youve-ever-seen/

 

I would love to hear your opinion on some of these things!

 

---

 

Oh and I forgot to say, after reading this, you might say "oh well then this guy must love The Blair Witch Project". And surprisingly... No. I don't like it. I have a post about that somewhere why but I'm too lazy to look it up. It has many of the things I am looking for but to me it's just boring.

Edited August 30, 2013 by Jokuc

[Electric Velocity 7]

@Jokuc I agree with you on every note. Well, except with Prometheus. I was expecting exactly what i got and it even surprised me. I'm a very visual person, so i could really appreciate the sets, costumes, vehicles, and art designs. that's probably the main reason why I'm not scared by all these so called horror movies.

 

I immerse myself in the way it looks, and then get disappointed when the big reveal of the villain is finally over with. Paranormal Activity was just some footprints in baby power and a chandelier moving by itself. No creativity.

 

But even when the movie has good visual design, the music can kill it. If I hear high strings or a super deep bass rumbling in the background, I know something is going to try its best to scare me. Then when it finally comes, I'm subconsciously ready for it.  The music in a movie has to lull you into a false comfort. It has to get creepy by sounding out of pitch, and off key. The music will always make or break a horror movie. 

 

I have never seen The Blair Witch Project, but because of all I've heard of it, I will most likely not be impressed. Once I have an opinion about a movie, I will keep it and try to match things to it as I watch. 

[Gamer_Luna27 77]

I think the scariest type of horror movies are the horror movies where you don't see what your supposed to be up against. It makes your imagination give you the ideas of what is coming, rather then showing you. And your imagination is a far more powerful tool to install fear into you then a TV screen can.

 

This type of horror is also good in video games. 

[Electric Velocity 7]

Video games are a different story for me. With Dead Space, I was never really scared by it, but I would say it is scary compared to other horror games. the problem is that it was too linear. I always knew where to go, and what looked different from before. Dead Space 2 improved on action and story, but fell behind in scariness.

 

Then Dead Space 3 came out and lost all the things that made it horror. The main thing that made DS 1 scary was the feeling of tight corridors and not wanting to look around the corner. In 3, you are in an open world with snow. yes, The Thing was also in that setting and was done very well. I approve of the imitation DS 3 tried, but it didn't make me feel claustrophobic anymore. 

[CT-1138 3,180]

It's not the gore, the death scenes, or the amount of jumps you get, it's the state of mind it places you in. True, good, horror is psychological horror. Take The Shining, Psycho, Halloween78, or Jaws. It's the music, the camera angles, the lighting, and the feeling of isolation and helplessness that is the scariest part about these films. They send you back to an infantile state of fear the leaves you scared to be alone.

[Discordian 6,013]

I'm not an expert on any level but I will say that I agree with Jokuc on one point: A horror movie/game/anything does not need to be scary to be called horror and I hate the fact that people will say "it wasn't scary, it's all action" as if it wasn't possible for it to be actiony and horror at the same time. That urks me to no end and not only because everyone has different levels of what scares them but I feel like it limits a genre EXTREMELY to put it in such strict terms as "It has to scare me to be horror" or "it has to scare me or else it's not good horror and everyone who is scared by it are pansies" or anything along those lines.

 

To me, horror is about the setting and story more than it is how it affects the viewer.

 

A friend of mine also brought up a point about mix-matching genres: It is possible to be more than one genre at a time. Something that's super actiony and hardly scary can still fall under horror under the right setting.

 

There is, of course, a fine line between a thriller and a horror movie and I often feel like they cross over entirely too often to the point I don't feel there's much call to consider them different genres at all but rather subgenres of each other or something. (If that's even possible )

 

Ultimately what defines a horror movie or game is far too ambiguous and varied to fit it into any sort of strict statement involving only one feature of it.

[Cloud Shadow 3]

Zombies. Plain and simple.

Okay well not specifically zombies but any good horror movie I've seen always has a person/thing who was once alive, then died, then came back to life and was all supper scary and whatnot.

Coincidence? I think not.

[ASocialyAwkwardPony 299]

Personally, while I am a big fan of horror movies, they rarely scare me, so a good horror comes in 3 variants for me: funny and over the top, interesting and imaginative, and of course actually scary.

 

For funny, good Slasher films and zombie flicks are what I put there. Nightmare On Elms Street never scared me, but it's still one of my favorite movies because I find it to be absolutely hilarious in a very dark way. Dead Snow is also a really fun watch that slowly fades from horror into intentional comedy really well (though the English dub is apparently terrible from what I have heard, I have only watched it with the original Norwegian spoken language).

For interesting and imaginative, nothing beats Saw for me. The way they blend a great thriller story with imaginative special effects and plot twists makes even the weaker entries of the series (mostly Saw 3D) a interesting watch.

 

Though for scary, only one thing have ever scared me as an adult in films, and that is the Weeping Angels episodes of Doctor Who. The way these beings always keep you in check, how you never know what extra abilities they might have, how they switch from their calm face to their demon face when they come after you, and also being shown to be able to kill actual main characters you care about makes them really creepy to watch. The episodes they are featured in are also extremely well shot and scored perfectly with music, making even the jump-scares come off as genuinely scary rather than just unnecessarily shocking.

[HunterTSN 1,444]

I think suspense is by far the most important element in a horror film, you know that something is going to happen, but you don't know what, and more importantly when. Also music is a big factor for me, as well as setting. My favorite horror film was by far the Blair Witch Project which is a golden example of what a horror film should be. It's a shame that all we have nowadays are these dime-a-dozen slashers who utilize enough fake blood to fill the gulf of Mexico. 

[Discordian 6,013]

I think suspense is by far the most important element in a horror film, you know that something is going to happen, but you don't know what, and more importantly when. Also music is a big factor for me, as well as setting. My favorite horror film was by far the Blair Witch Project which is a golden example of what a horror film should be. It's a shame that all we have nowadays are these dime-a-dozen slashers who utilize enough fake blood to fill the gulf of Mexico.

I can definitely agree with suspense. The problem that I find most people have is when they cut that suspense at any point. Suddenly it becomes "jump scares" which somehow makes it less scary. I kinda get that cutting the suspense randomly takes it away for the time being, and sometimes the point of suspense is to make you think things will happen but they never do, but too many people say jump scares are the only way horror stuff tries to scare you even if it's only a few times and at that point the logic is thrown out the window.

 

 

Now don't get me wrong. I understand the sentiment on relying on jump scares but far too many people are so against jump scares that even one can ruin an entire movie or game's horror element. I've seen it happen numerous times. >_<

 

And on a slightly off-topic note, I have an eight pack of horror movies that I picked up for cheap and I was wondering if people in this topic could throw any thoughts my way about them.

 

The Prophecy

Scarecrow

Hindsight

Cruel World

The GingerDead Man

Howling

Disturbed

Inside

Edited September 1, 2013 by Discordian

[Jokuc 8,172]

Inside

 

Well this is one of those movies you like or hate. I don't know if you have seen it already but it's pretty gory. I'm not going to spoil the story for you, but the movie takes place inside a house where a girl pretty much hides inside a bathroom since there's someone in her house who wants to cut her stomach open with scissors. It's a French movie, and a typical one too.

 

The story is a bit weird if you ask me. Effects and such are nicely made, I don't remember much about the music but I love the intro of the film, haha. Since I do like gory movies, I don't have much to complain about here since it was said to be a gory movie and it gave me gore. But something I really disliked was some of the things the main character (the girl) and the killer did. The thing I hated the most was how ridiculously OP the killer was with one certain "weapon". Two cops were easily killed with one strike and I hate how they didn't notice something they should have noticed.

 

It's quite hard to tell what I like about this movie since it feels like all that happens is us seeing this girl hiding. Even though much more happens.

 

by the way, I think you mean "The Howling" and not just Howling, if it's the one from 81

Edited September 1, 2013 by Jokuc

[Discordian 6,013]

Well this is one of those movies you like or hate. I don't know if you have seen it already but it's pretty gory. I'm not going to spoil the story for you, but the movie takes place inside a house where a girl pretty much hides inside a bathroom since there's someone in her house who wants to cut her stomach open with scissors. It's a French movie, and a typical one too.

 

The story is a bit weird if you ask me. Effects and such are nicely made, I don't remember much about the music but I love the intro of the film, haha. Since I do like gory movies, I don't have much to complain about here since it was said to be a gory movie and it gave me gore. But something I really disliked was some of the things the main character (the girl) and the killer did. The thing I hated the most was how ridiculously OP the killer was with one certain "weapon". Two cops were easily killed with one strike and I hate how they didn't notice something they should have noticed.

 

It's quite hard to tell what I like about this movie since it feels like all that happens is us seeing this girl hiding. Even though much more happens.

 

by the way, I think you mean "The Howling" and not just Howling, if it's the one from 81

Yeah I haven't seen any of the movies yet. The DVD is still unopened so I'm glad you kept spoilers away.

 

Also, I looked again to make sure. Apparently it is indeed Howling but I didn't see it was the fourth one. (I was looking at it kinda in the dark at first)

 

Howling IV: The Original Nightmare

 

Inside sounds pretty interesting. Thanks for the input.

[HunterTSN 1,444]

I can definitely agree with suspense. The problem that I find most people have is when they cut that suspense at any point. Suddenly it becomes "jump scares" which somehow makes it less scary. I kinda get that cutting the suspense randomly takes it away for the time being, and sometimes the point of suspense is to make you think things will happen but they never do, but too many people say jump scares are the only way horror stuff tries to scare you even if it's only a few times and at that point the logic is thrown out the window.

Now don't get me wrong. I understand the sentiment on relying on jump scares but far too many people are so against jump scares that even one can ruin an entire movie or game's horror element. I've seen it happen numerous times. >_<

That is one of the reasons I love the Blair Witch Project, it keeps you on the edge of you seat waiting for the jumpscare that will never come. It gives you that feeling of uneasiness when you know something is about to happen any second, yet it never actually happens and it just keeps you waiting.

[Adash 193]

It takes two things to make a good horror movie.  First, it takes incredible acting.  I need to be convinced that the people are truely scared.  Second, it must have suspense.  I need to be on the edge of my seat. 

[cuteycindyhoney 13,283]

Horror doesn't have to include monsters and the like. True horror comes when the villain of the piece is an intelligent human being. Hannibal Lecter is one of the most frightening characters ever created. Book Hannibal is far more frightening than movie Hannibal. Have you ever read the book simply titled "Hannibal" by Thomas Harris? It was riveting and very well written, but it is one of the most profoundly disturbing things I ever read. I most likely will never re-read it. 

 

Warning, the book's ending is drastically and horrifyingly different than the movie ending! Only read the synopsis in that link if you want a SERIOUS spoiler!

 

"You still wake up sometimes, don't you? You wake up in the dark and hear the screaming of the lambs."

- Dr. Hannibal Lecter

[Iudicium86 24]

To me, horror is about atmosphere and subtlety. I love horror films and books, and an element I always liked was the unkown. 'slasher' and thriller movies don't cut it. Or one with a defined monster/creature to destroy. Might be a scary movie, but doesn't reach the levels of horror. I read H.P. Lovecraft a lot, and sadly no half decent film has been adapted despite many attempts and being a major influence on the horror genre to this day.

 

Anyhow, what I mean is I like things with a slow buildup and just hints of the big picture. There's something wrong the whole time, but you can't put your finger on it. And even when piecing together the horrors beyond your comprehension, it only gets worse and more dreadful as you realize there is nothing to do to stop it or run away. Your life and existence only shrinking as you break down with the reality that you are powerless and helpless, unable to do anything other than go mad or just accept your fate against something so grand. Horror shouldn't have happy endings! Horror leaves you with a lasting sense of dread even after the movie is over, and you're afraid to be in the dark or be alone, lest the same fate befall you, whether real or simply just mentality as you are shown just how defensless and small the human mind and body can be.

 

Destroy the monster? HA! Sounds like an adventure.

Use an ancient seal to banish the evil for good? Will make a good story for the kids.

 

To me, horror is about your own weakness and helplessness, both physical and mental, against something you can't possibly fight or even understand. We go around thinking we'd get through things. But reality sets in when shown how vulnerable the human condition truly is and keeps you up at night.

Edited September 3, 2013 by Iudicium86

[Orablanco Account 3,706]

Atmosphere. Atmosphere is the single most important thing in a horror movie.

 

Horror movies, probably more than any other genre of film, require its audiences to be in a specific mood if they are to be truly effective. If the viewer is removed from the proper mindset or is not involved in the movie on some emotional or psychological level from the get go, the movie stumbles.

 

Whether it'd be the inescapable isolation of the Arctic in The Thing or Midwest America in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or the uneasy quiet of The Shining, or the act of placing the terror in a relatable suburban setting like Halloween or Paranormal Activity (the movie deserves credit for tapping into that feeling we all get when we're alone i our house at night), a horror movie needs to know what it wants its audience to feel and how to achieve that. Even good horror comedies like Shaun of the Dead and Evil Dead II know how important maintaining a "fee" is to a scary story; those movies don't exactly keep me up at night, but they are both impeccable at keeping a consistent atmosphere.

 

Another important element to a good horror film is that the audience should never feel like they are waiting for something. One of the biggest problems with the found footage genre is not atmosphere (some, like Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity, are actually quite good at it), but rather that we feel sort of bored while we wait for something good to happen. This is also a big problem with the Friday the 13th movies; too much time spent with one dimensional teenagers, not enough time being frightened by Jason. There should never be "downtime" in a horror movie. The best found footage movie ever, Troll Hunter, gets a lot of millage out of the scenes not focusing on actively troll hunting. We get to know the troll hunter and how his job works, we learn about the genuinely interesting ins and outs of trolls, and we're allowed to appreciate the Norwegian landscape, which in turn makes it feel like this is something that could happen in the remote areas of that country. Or in The Thing, the tension is wrung tight and we're being invited to try and figure out who's a thing, or The Fly, which is essentially a long stretch of increasing dread as we witness the horrific transformation the character undergoes and what it's doing to his mind.

 

Basically, don't be boring, and always have payoff. All too often we hear the complaint "the ending sucked" whenever we discuss horror movies, and that's because nobody seems to remember that, like any other story, a horror movie needs to be building up to something worthwhile, whether it be a plot twist that changes our whole perception of what we just saw (Psycho, The Sixth Sense), the answer to a mystery (Scream), the emotion payoff of seeing characters we care about make it (Jaws, Aliens), or just a really, really awesome scare or kill (too many to count).