Hong 1

Hong is Hoping to Hatch an Un-horrible

Horror Movie
Alex Hong
Independent Research G/T I
1 May 2018

Advisor: Rod Lopez

Instructor: E. Leila Chawkat
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Hong is Hoping to Hatch an Un-horrible Horror Movie
Abstract
This paper collects information from a number of sources to discover what filmmaking

techniques contribute to the effectiveness of a horror film. Many horror films of the past have

used excessive violence to produce their scares, but this can be damaging to the film’s

effectiveness, and in the eyes of some, morally wrong. The information from the collected

sources was combined with original observations from a number of horror films to form a

formula to creating a strong horror movie without excessive gore.

Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………………………………………………….…Pages 2-3

Literature Review…………………………………………………………..…………….Pages 3-8

Data/Analysis..………………………………………………………………………….Pages 9-21

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………......Pages 21-23

Works Cited…………………………………………………………………………....Pages 24-25

Introduction

Movies have been a popular form of entertainment for audiences since their creation,

dating back to even before the 1900’s. They allow audiences to experience a wide range of

emotions from the safety of their seats. These experiences are provided by various types of

movies, but perhaps one of the most popular genres of film is the horror film. Even within this

genre, there are many of subgenres that create their thrills in many different ways. Some revert

to psychological tricks, disturbing imagery, or violence, as well as many other scare tactics. But

as the genre has grown, so has its content. What was considered inappropriate in a horror movie

from the 60’s is considered tame today. Horror movies continually use the same techniques to
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evoke fear in their audience, desensitizing them to the violence and gore, prompting filmmakers

to try and top a previous film’s bloodshed. This is a dangerous, possibly unhealthy, trend.

Horror movies can provide their thrills without extreme violence, as demonstrated by movies like

The Shining, The Haunting, ​and ​The Innocents. ​Even more recent movies like ​Insidious ​or ​The

Conjuring ​have been successful without excessive violence. Whatever violence that ​is ​present in

these films is either offscreen, limited, or brief. If such critically-acclaimed horror films can be

so successful without using the same cheap tactics, what are they doing right? The effectiveness

of a strong horror movie can be attributed to editing that favors long sequences of suspense,

appeals to the fear of the unknown, and is based on the grounds of an atmospheric story,

supported by a careful sound design.

Literature Review

The Unknown

To support this thesis, a list of sources was collected and analyzed to find common traits

of good horror films. The sources were written by people with experience in filmmaking, or by

people who have been studying film and media for a long time. One important element of horror

films is the element of the unknown. Though visuals can evoke fear to an extent, leaving things

in mystery forces the audience to imagine their own, deepest, personal fears in place of what is

not shown. Since every person is afraid of different things, utilizing mystery helps to truly

frighten the audience without knowing what they are afraid of (Miyamoto).
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Outcomes

Horror movies also make great use of getting the audience to question the likelihood of

different outcomes (Frome), and leaving things unknown forces the audience to wait in suspense,

generating fear because they do not know what will result from different discoveries (“How to

Make Your Horror Screenplay More Effective”). But of course, the likelihood of different

outcomes is more directed by the plot of the movie than any other factor. When a story has

different possible outcomes, there has to be both desirable and undesirable outcomes. But the

undesirable outcomes have to be higher in possibility and higher in number to increase the stakes

of the film (Frome). Stephen King, the famous horror writer, hints towards these possible

outcomes early on in his stories, calling back to them later to remind the audience of the potential

danger that a triggering plot point might possess. For example, in ​The Shining, ​Dick Hallorann

warns young Danny to stay away from 217, and when Danny later passes room 217, the audience

remembers Hallorann’s warning and fears for Danny’s safety (Freese). Some horror stories also

use isolation in the set-up of their stories. If the characters are isolated, then they will have no

access to help when danger strikes (Calvo).

Emotional Connection

Isolated characters are not enough to evoke fear. The characters must be sympathetic and

likable. The audience must connect with the characters, and if they care about them, there is a

greater level of suspense because the viewers are unable to help endangered “friends” on-screen

(Frome; Wixson). The characters are who the audience experience the movie through, they are

vessels for the viewers to feel the same emotions as the characters do without actually having to

be put in danger. But without a sense of connection, these emotions are cut off, and the audience
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will be heavily uninterested in the movie (Miyamoto). Of course, the characters are the

audience’s way to experience the story, but without a story there is nothing to experience. James

Wan, a very popular modern-day horror filmmaker, explains three elements he finds important in

his own films: “the fear of the unknown; that is a very common fear for all of us because we

don't know what happens, therefore we're kind of apprehensive about it. Then, there’s fear for

one's life; human preservation is an idea that a lot of horror movies prey on. All the classic

slasher movies are about someone running for their life or trying to not get killed, right? Then

obviously the third one, which is one that [he plays] a lot in the two ​Conjuring​ films, is fear of

losing their loved ones. That is very important” (Wixson). All of these things can be

incorporated into a horror film’s plot, playing off of these primal traits to touch the audience in

just the right spots.

Atmosphere

A horror movie needs a story--not necessarily a plot, as proven by the film version of ​The

Shining​, which is a character driven movie--or premise to keep the audience invested. It is the

story that proposes outcomes to fear, it is the story that sets up a location in isolation. It is the

base on which the movie is built, and from there the filmmaker adds scares and suspense. On top

of a strong story, a horror movie needs an effective atmosphere, one of creepy uneasiness

throughout the entire movie. Wan explains that if a horror movie has a chilling atmosphere

throughout the entire run, then the audience will already be unnerved and vulnerable to being

pushed over the edge (“Director James Wan discusses ‘Insidious.’”). A horror story is made

more horrific when it carries a creepy atmosphere, which can be enhanced by a variety of

different editing techniques.

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Anticipation in Timing and Framing

Alfred Hitchcock, the master of suspense, once said that “there’s no terror in a bang, only

the anticipation of one” (Konow). Hitchcock takes time to carefully structure his sequences of

suspense leading up to a scare, or the revelation of a threat. His suspense is different from a

shock scene, where the shocking occurence ends just as quickly as it started. With suspense,

Hitchcock gives the audience more information than the characters are aware of. He shows the

audience that the characters are in danger and that something bad is going to happen, leaving the

audience in a strong state of tension as they are forced to wait and see when the terrible thing

will happen to those characters (“These 3 HITCHCOCK Techniques”), to whom they have an

emotional attachment. Other directors have used other techniques to build suspense as well.

Fred Walton, director of ​When A Stranger Calls, ​spent a good portion of his suspenseful

sequences showing every detail of the scene, allowing the viewer to absorb everything in the

setting and more fully engage in the world of the story (Konow).

Timing is an extremely important factor in a horror movie and can be executed in

different ways. A horror movie can use long, unbroken shots to further intensify the sense of

waiting, building tension up to the scare. Shorter sequences that have quicker cuts can be used to

confuse the viewer and create a sense of chaos. They work best when there is a lot of

information to be given to the audience in a short amount of time, and if there are multiple

perspectives to cover (Gates). Both styles of timing can be used in different scenarios,

depending on the taste and purpose of the filmmaker, but are often used so that shorter sequences

are used to introduce a scare, while the longer type builds off of the set up of that idea. In
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addition to timing, framing can also prove to be a powerful technique in the creation of a strong

horror film. Negative space is the space in a frame that is not the subject of the camera’s focus.

Improper balance of positive and negative space looks and feels uncomfortable to the viewer, but

this can be done on purpose in horror films. Also, tight framing restricts what the audience can

see. If there is a close up on a character and the character holds a frightened expression, the

close up prevents the viewer from seeing what is so terrifying for the character (Shelton), which

then works with the previously explained fear of the unknown.

Lighting

Another important contributor to the fear factor of horror films is lighting. Most people,

religious or even non-religious, associate light from above with heaven and light from below

with hell. Light from below is also generally uncommon in nature, and the way it hits the human

face from a low angle distorts a viewer’s perception of that face. For these reasons, light from

below can create the sense of unease, and can even make the audience feel that something

supernatural or unusual is at work, whether or not anything supernatural is actually present in

that scene. Limiting light or filming through objects that block light can also contribute to

feelings of fear. In fact, the absence or limitation of light causes the formation of shadows,

leaving the viewer to fear what may or may not be hiding in that darkness (“8 Spooky Lighting

Techniques”). All of these visual techniques play a major part in the effectiveness of a horror

film, but one factor that should never be neglected is sound design.

Sound

Many have looked at how sounds affect the brain, and came to the conclusion that

nonlinear sounds of high pitches and frequencies make humans feel uncomfortable, partially
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because they resemble the screams of the young (Stoller-Conrad; Shelton). But high sounds are

not the only useful noises in horror films. Infrasounds are sounds that are so low that they

cannot be heard, only felt by the human body. This disorients the mind, and has even caused

dizziness in some people who have been subjected to infrasounds (Shelton). Lots of sound

effects can clearly indicate to the audience that something or someone is on the way, which

works with Alfred Hitchcock’s theory of suspense. However, unfamiliar noises have their place,

too. Noises that do not sound like they come from the world as people know it can cause fear

because people do not understand them, or how they happened (Lopez), which fits with the fear

of the unknown.

Loud, sudden noises have also found their way into most horror movies, surprising the

audience when they least suspect it. The basic idea of a jump scare is a sudden burst of sound

accompanied by an unsettling image. They can follow a slow build of suspense or come out of

nowhere. There are also “faux jumpscares,” which are normal jump scares, only instead of

unsettling imagery, whatever is accompanying the loud noise turns out to be nothing worthy of

fear, like a cat or a friend of the protagonist (Calvo). James Wan’s films include lots of jump

scares, but both his work and his word in given interviews make it clear that he dislikes the fake

jumpscare. He believes that they would startle just to startle and do not leave a frightening

impression as a normal jump scare might, draining the tension and killing the potential of

genuine jump scares (“Director James Wan discusses ‘Insidious.’”). Although jump scares are

common, they are not required. Many horror films (like ​The Shining​) instead use a lack of

sound, leading the audience to worry that things are unusually quiet. Showing a threat without a

loud sound is a more subtle approach that can be quite unsettling in a clean, simple way (Calvo).
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Data

Title, year, Rating (5 being Notable Editing/Effects/ Significant

director, date effectively scary, Techniques Behind the Conclusions

observed* 1 being Scenes

ineffective)

Lights Out 3 Story played on Sandberg Emphasized the

(2016), dir. parent-child favored practical importance of

David Sandberg, relationship, effects and sympathetic

observed Feb 3 revisits settings authentic characters, made

known to be lighting for this great use of

dangerous, film, made use negative space to

developed of split screen make the viewer

characters, and green screen feel that

negative space (“Lights Out something was

(2016) Trivia.”) about to occupy

that space.

Showing the

ghost too much

was ineffective

The Innocents 5 Chilling The clapboard This movie was

(1961), dir. Jack atmosphere all was accidentally amazing with its
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Clayton, throughout, left on camera use of subtle

observed Feb 10 ghosts only seen and moved hints, and most

from a distance slightly in the scares were

or in the dark, background, but sounds that were

lots of Clayton kept it not loud and

mysterious in because he sudden, but

ringing noises liked the idea of instead soft and

throughout, something invasive.

subtle sounds to unknown When Peter

hint that moving in the Quint first

something was corner of the appears at the

present with the screen. For window, there is

characters, the Peter Quint’s no jumpscare

story involved first appearance, noise, just

seemingly Peter Wyngarde silence, which

innocent (actor) was made the scene

children being wheeled up to feel disoriented

influenced by the window by and unnatural

evil beings the crew because most

(“The Innocents modern horror

(1961) Trivia.”) audiences would

have expected an
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accompanied

noise

Insidious ​(2010), 5 Atmosphere all When the ghost Highlighted the

dir. James Wan, throughout the twins appear in importance of

observed Feb 10 movie, littered the hallway, atmosphere and

with jumpscares their movements characters,

in clever are edited as showed that

situations, cuts, rather than jump scares do

another horror the usual not have to be

story about frame-by-frame cheap if used

challenging motion of cleverly, made

family/their normal scenes. the audience feel

values This gave them a as though they

more were constantly

supernatural being watched

essence that

made them seem

inhuman

Insidious 2 5 Atmosphere all Was filmed to Highlighted the

(2013), dir. throughout the have the threats importance of

James Wan, movie, littered appear briefly in atmosphere and

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observed Deb 17 with jumpscares the viewer’s characters,

in clever peripheral vision flashback scenes

situations, tied in the slower had a creepy

certain things to paced scenes surrealism to

plot points from them

earlier on in the (“Insidious

story, or to the Chapter 2

first Insidious Extended

movie Behind”)

Elf on the Shelf 1 Relied on No information Ironically, this

(2017), dir. Gabe cheesy gore and on the short’s showed how

Younes, poor effects. editing important

observed Feb 15 The acting was process/special sympathetic

not convincing, effects could be characters and

but the biggest found subtly are by ​not

crime in this using either of

movie was that those and

every character showing how

was extremely poor a movie

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unlikable. No that results in

care for any of

them

whatsoever.

The Ring ​(2002), 5 Dark The symbol of a Highlighted the

dir. Gore atmosphere, circle is hidden fact that silence

Verbinski, portrayed a all throughout can be chilling

observed Feb 19 twisted the movie, and and unnerving,

relationship images from the just as an active

between cursed tape are soundtrack can

parents/child flashed rapidly be. Also

(Samara), was in many scenes demonstrated

creepy through (“The Ring that less is more.

moments of (2002) Trivia.”)

gloomy

ambience and

depressing

silence

The Conjuring 4 Had a constant To have the girls Biggest

(2013), dir. sense of a in the film takeaway from

James Wan, supernatural levitate and be this movie was

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observed 2018 presence, jump thrown across the importance

scares (but no the room, the of character, did

fake jump actresses wore a great job of

scares). Would harnesses making the

often show a attached to wires audience think

ghost without a around the set that something

jump noise, but was about to

then the ghost (“Behind the happen, then

does something Scenes of The surprising them

with ​a jump Conjuring.”) with something

noise. The else

music box was a

slow build up of

tension that

made the

audience expect

a jump scare,

but it did not

happen

When A Stranger 4 Similar to Each time Jill This movie

Calls ​(1979), dir. Halloween, gets a phone call showed how

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Fred Walton, different rooms from the killer, it effective slow

observed Feb 24 of the house the is slightly progression can

protagonist was louder, so that be, as well as

trapped in were the audience will taking time to

shown in a feel just as get the audience

montage to the frustrated and acquainted with

audience, unnerved as Jill the world of the

indicating that does story. It also had

the villain might an interesting

be hiding (“When a way of hinting

anywhere. Was Stranger Calls that the killer

very slow in its (1979) Trivia.”) could be hiding

sequences anywhere, which

leading up to contributed to an

scares, creating atmosphere that

strong tension. carried a lack of

safety for the

characters

The Changeling 4 POV shots of Used practical Showed how

(1980), dir. Peter the ghost going effects to make powerful sound

Medak, observed through house, the necklace design is in

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Feb 24 echoed voice move, and to horror films, and

over of the ghost make Joseph’s how showing a

boy crying. wheelchair move character’s

Related the reaction but not

tragedy of the what they are

protagonist’s seeing can be

family to the effective.

ghost’s tragic

backstory,

touching a soft

spot in the

audience. Kept

the ghosts

offscreen (fear

of unknown),

and if they were

ever shown they

were distorted

through barriers,

like when the

ghost boy was at

the bottom of a
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bathtub flowing

with water

*all observations were taken in 2018

Analysis

This data collection is a descriptive study, because it seeks to describe what factors of

a movie and its editing evoke reactions of fear from horror movie audiences. To collect the

data, the observational method was used because the research is a creative endeavor that

requires the researcher to observe and analyze movies. The tool used in this observational

process was a double entry notebook, where the notebook was divided into observations and

personal interpretations. The observations were strictly what was seen or heard on-screen,

while the personal interpretation column allowed the researcher to explain what it was about

the observation was relevant to the research question. Observations were usually recorded to

highlight common traits amongst all nine films, or things that stuck out and were worth

mentioning. Notes also recorded things that did ​not ​evoke fear from the researchers. The

observed movies were ​The Innocents ​(1961), ​The Conjuring ​(2013), ​When A Stranger Calls

(1979), ​Insidious ​(2010), ​Insidious 2 ​(2013), ​The Changeling ​(1980), ​The Ring ​(2002), ​Lights

Out ​(2016), and ​Elf on the Shelf, ​a 2017 short uploaded to YouTube by CryptTV.

It is very important for filmmakers to play off of the audience’s expectations, tricking

them into believing that a certain event will happen, and as tension builds up to that event,

something else occurs, surprising the audience. Most, but not all of the horror movies that

were observed also contained supernatural antagonists. Horror movies can have effective

human antagonists, but based on the observations, it is ineffective to cross over elements.
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The spirits in ​Insidious ​and ​The Changeling ​would communicate to the characters, only they

did so through other human characters, usually psychics. This kept the ghosts in mystery, and

the lack of direct communication allowed the audience to individually imagine how such a

horrible thing might sound. Diana, the ghost in ​Lights Out​, spoke English and could be seen

up close, slamming doors and rocking on the floor. This was not as scary, because her

movements looked too normal, and it did not feel like a supernatural being was present, it

simply felt like there was an actress trying to be scary.

While the filming process is what gives the villain movement, the editing can also

determine how the movements will look in the final film, and the issue could have been

resolved That is not to say that supernatural villains cannot have human traits (or vice versa),

but it is just beneficial to keep these traits to a subtle limit. If there ​are ​human antagonists,

then the movie can use that to its advantage. What makes movies like ​Black Christmas,

When A Stranger Calls, ​and ​Halloween ​scary is that the killer is just a normal person.

Movies like these warn the audience that the “normal” person right next to them could be

dangerous. But mixing elements from either type of villain, if not properly handled, can

possibly result in an ineffective villain. In addition to the portrayal of the villain, James Wan

(director of ​Insidious​)​ ​explained in an interview that it is crucial for horror movies to have a

consistent undertone of dread and unease, so that audiences are already at the edge of their

seats when the frights occur to push them over the edge. The observed movies achieved this

feeling, often having characters framed in a way so that a dark background loomed behind

them, or by using shots where the characters could be seen standing alone in wide, open

spaces. These images indicate that anything at any time could come out from that supposedly
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empty space to harm the character, even in scenes that seem safe. This sense of false security

keeps every scene uneasy, whether or not a threat is actually present. In ​When A Stranger

Calls, ​the character Jil is on the phone when it suddenly cuts to a subtle movement in another

room, then cutting back to Jil on the couch. Jil believes she is safe, but the audience is now

aware that she is not as safe as she thinks. This builds suspense through dramatic irony, a

technique that Alfred Hitchcock was very fond of. ​When A Stranger Calls ​and ​Halloween

both used a similar technique: in both movies, a character is made aware that something evil

is in the house, only she does not know where. The editor then briefly cuts to various rooms

in the house, each shrouded in darkness, to visually inform the audience that the character

could be in any location. ​Halloween ​further enhances this effect by editing in the sound of

Michael Myer’s (the film’s antagonist) breathing over this sequence of cuts. Lastly, a very

common technique that is used in multiple films was used for scenes when a character sees

something horrifying. The editor lingers on the character’s reaction for a moment before

revealing what they are actually seeing, or sometimes they do not reveal that horror at all.

Lingering before revealing forces the audience to wait, and there is suspense before the shock

that will release the unbearable tension. Lingering on the character’s reaction and then ​not

showing what they are seeing can also be effective, because it builds the suspense and does

not release it, carrying over the tension to the following scenes while also making the

audience feel that the subject of the character’s view was too scary to be shown, which

ironically frightens the audience into imagining the subject themselves.

These were just some of the things that were taken away from the observation process.

While not every finding was exactly surprising, it definitely brought more attention to
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techniques that might have been neglected if not given careful attention. These results

demonstrate some of the editing techniques that filmmakers of good horror films have used to

communicate messages to the audience in a way that frightens them. However, the method

used to collect this information was limited, because artistic topics like filmmaking are

subject to opinion. There was not a concrete way to determine the exact reason a scene was

effective, because the editing alone did not make the movie impactful; the story, the

soundtrack, the performances, and the writing are just as important. Editing is crucial and

brings these elements together, determining the direction of the film, but it is very difficult for

editing to support a weak story with unconvincing performances and terrible writing. If this

research were to be repeated, the observations would be more specific to more carefully

separate elements of editing from other filmmaking factors. For example, future research

could look at scenes building suspense and measure the time between cuts until the final

release of tension.

These results can further help researchers look at how movies affect audiences,

especially as Internet streaming and the increase in personal technology bring media to people

of all kinds and ages. Finding a way to create horror without conforming to the usual jumps

and violence can provide the thrills that people seek without subjecting them to offensive

material. The hope for this research is to encourage creativity, as well as developing the

strong story and characters that many movies tend to lack. Much was taken away from these

findings, such as how subtle hints in editing can have a major effect on the audience. The

research also stressed the importance of mystery and leaving things to the imagination to
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conjure up personal fears, rather than directly giving the audience something that may or may

not be afraid of.

The effectiveness of a strong horror movie can be attributed to editing that favors long

sequences of suspense, appeals to the fear of the unknown, and is based on the grounds of an

atmospheric story, supported by a careful sound design.

Conclusions

Based on the information gathered from the literature review and the data collection,

the many elements of a strong horror film can be compiled into a new formula for an effective

horror movie. James Wan explained that horror movies should have a consistent undertone of

dread. In the data collection, the most successful horror movies possessed a strange quality

that made the audience feel as though they were constantly being watched. These two

elements can be combined, so that the underlying tone throughout the horror movie ​is ​the

feeling that the audience is never truly safe and away from prying eyes. To achieve this, the

lighting can hit faces from below. Scenes of dialogue will be shot over characters’ shoulders,

or from a distance. Seeing the characters from a distance will also be applied when the

characters are alone, imitating the point of view of a villain. The camera will peer at them

through barriers, like windows or bars. This style of filming will only be broken when

characters discover something. In those cases, the camera will draw closer to the character’s

face, utilizing the fear of the unknown because the audience can not see the horror that they

do. Additionally, eerie sounds (as described in the literature review) will be present in scenes
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where the true presence of a threat is unknown, so that the audience can feel uneasy even if

there is no clear threat.

In conclusion, horror movies are each unique in their own way. Even copycat films

and shot-for-shot remakes are in ​some ​way different from the movies that inspired their

creation. Because they are each unique, it can be hard to decipher how each tiny element

affected the movie as a whole. But it is possible to look at what the best horror movies have

in common, based on information provided by literature and by close observations of

different horror films. The observed movies showed that an effective horror film needs an

engaging story or premise with sympathetic characters that carries a chilling atmosphere

(which can be achieved through editing, lighting, sound, etc.) throughout, with long

sequences of suspense building up to genuine scares, either to introduce a scare or to build off

of the introduction of a threat from earlier in the film. These visuals are to be supported by a

soundtrack, with nonlinear noises and infrasounds that surprise and unnerve audiences. In

addition, the editing of sound into the movie should not neglect a lack of sound, which is

effective in its own way. The sounds can indicate a threat that is not explicitly shown on

screen, forcing the viewers to personally imagine the worst thing that their minds can conjure

up. The events of the movie (as experienced by the audience through sympathetic characters)

are the meat of its effectiveness, supported by atmosphere, sound, and timing, which are

glued together by the mentioned editing techniques. Of course, even this balance of elements

can differ between films depending on the people who make them. Some might include some

things, while leaving out others. But an absolute necessity for an effective horror film is

imagination and creativity from both the filmmakers and the audience. With this in mind,
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horror films can be made to provide the desired thrills without having to resort to tiring tactics

of offensive nature.
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