Okay, so, I’ve always been a huge fan of horror movies. I mean, who doesn’t love a good scare, right? A few weeks ago, I decided to really get into what makes these movies tick. I started by watching a bunch of classics, you know, the ones everyone talks about like “The Exorcist” and “The Shining”. Those movies are seriously creepy, but I wanted more than just a good story. I wanted to understand the tricks they use.
First, I started noticing this “jump scare” thing. It’s like, the floor creaks, the music gets all intense, and then BAM! Something jumps out. I watched a ton of movies just to count how many times they did this. It was kinda fun, like a weird game. It seems like they were doing this less and less in recent years, but still more than in the 90s.
Digging Deeper into Jump Scares
Then, I got this idea to break down what makes a jump scare work. I read somewhere that it’s all about a character and some kind of threat that you can’t see. So, I started paying attention to that. Every time there was a jump scare, I’d rewind and watch it again. I’d note down stuff like, what the character was doing, how the music changed, and what kind of threat was hinted at. It was like being a detective, but for scary movies.
But it’s not all about jump scares. I also explored the psychological side of horror. Some movies, like “Repulsion” which I watched after reading about it, mess with your head more than they make you jump. I kept a journal for these ones. I’d write down how the movie made me feel, what scenes were particularly disturbing, and why. This was a bit tougher because it wasn’t just about what was happening on screen, it was about what was going on in my mind.
Creating My Own Horror Moments
After all this watching and writing, I felt like I had a pretty good handle on the whole horror movie thing. So, I tried to create a few scary moments myself. I didn’t make a movie or anything, but I wrote a few short scenes, trying to use all the tricks I’d learned. I’d set up a creepy situation, build up the tension, and then try to create a good jump scare or a psychologically disturbing moment.
- Character in a Normal Setting: I started by placing a character in a seemingly normal setting, doing something mundane.
- Introduce an Off-Screen Threat: I then introduced an off-screen threat, something that the audience couldn’t see but could sense.
- Build Tension: I used music and sound effects to build tension. A creaking door, a whisper, a sudden silence – things like that.
- The Jump Scare: And then, the jump scare. I tried to time it so it would be unexpected but also logical within the context of the scene.
It was way harder than I thought! Timing is everything, and it’s tough to get the atmosphere just right. I probably wrote like a dozen scenes and only a couple of them felt genuinely scary to me. It really made me appreciate how much work goes into making a good horror movie. It’s not just about making people jump; it’s about getting under their skin and making them feel uneasy. I get why people are into this stuff. It’s like a safe way to explore your fears, and when it’s done right, it’s a real thrill.
