In a world where classic horror movies like Friday the 13th, The Shining, and Psycho have left an indelible mark, the task of creating a truly terrifying modern film seems daunting. Often, these newer releases fall short, their attempts at horror border on the comical.
So, what's the deal? Are modern film directors simply not up to par with their predecessors? What exactly are the ingredients that make a horror movie genuinely entertaining and scary? Let's delve into a detailed analysis and uncover the key features that make a good horror movie. Keep reading to find out.
What Exactly Is a Horror Movie?
First and foremost, let's clarify the definition of a horror movie. A horror movie is a genre set to fear the audience for entertainment. Such films often relate to a dark subject, featuring monsters, creepy creatures, and strange, unexplained events. The first horror movies were released around 100 years ago. In 1896, people saw a short motion picture, "The House of the Devil." It lasted only 3 minutes, but it was enough to claim it as the first horror movie.
Today, horror movies often contain references to historical events, building the plot around characters who existed in the past. Creators also build long franchises up to six or seven parts. Films are united by a single plot, and in every chapter, we see how characters evolve, face new challenges, learn from mistakes, etc. So, what are the critical components of the horror movie? Let's find out.
The Formula "Show, Don't Tell"
The science behind this concept is pretty simple. When authors need to scare the audience, they do it by showing action and active interactions between the characters. For example, in all parts of the Fear movie, the directors make people scary by showing how exactly the killer hunts down each victim. Characters don't talk about being scary - they are scared to death when the villain shows up, and they can't do anything, so he kills them. It's a part of the plot, and no professional essay writing service can write it. It's always in the head of a screenplay writer who creates a perfect murder scene.
Turning Safe Situations Into Unsafe
According to Reddit messages, a good horror movie shows how a safe situation can become unsafe. How many times we've seen a scene when characters split to find their missing friend? It's the most stupid move to make in a horror movie, but it happens every time. Characters believe they will find the missing person faster by covering different areas. Still, it's what the villain expects because victims are weak when split. Moreover, the antagonist usually has an advantage because his attacks are unexpected and fast, so nobody has enough time to react.
The Monster Is Not Shown Until the Last Moment
How to make sure the monster will be scary? Don't show it until the last moment. The film director makes people think they are prepared and the monster showdown won't surprise them. After that, when the perfect moment comes, evil appears and scares everyone. It's a general rule, but it's not necessarily for all the films. For example, in IT (2017), we see the clown in the first 10 minutes of the movie, and then the clown regularly appears to scare children even more.
Good Dialogues
Sometimes, movies have excellent action scenes, exciting plots, and fantastic soundtracks, but bad dialogue ruins everything. When characters talk, they represent themselves, show their emotions, and give the audience an understanding of which side they take. Moreover, the creators of the movie use dialogue to reveal essential plot details and say something that couldn't be said otherwise. Still, what makes a good dialogue?
● Natural language. Characters should sound like real people. They can use common phrases and idioms and avoid clichés.
● Unique speaking manner. Every character speaks differently, showing their identity. For example, if a girl always panics and thinks about how to escape danger, a boy stays calm and thinks about how to kill a monster.
A Monster Is Explained
Sometimes, it's strange to see a monster invincible to any type of damage, killing everyone from the first touch. It makes the whole movie pointless because the enemy will always win regardless of the circumstances. It's a bad trend, and it should be changed.
The film director should explain the monster's science and show its weaknesses. This can be done randomly in the fight or in a scene with a background voice explaining the creature's nature so the audience will understand who they are dealing with. For example, Jason, from Friday the 13th is afraid of water, and he will do everything to stay away from lakes, rivers, and other reservoirs.
No Typical Clichés
Over time, horror movies have developed a set of clichés that are now hated by new generations. People see the scene and can predict the twist before it happens, and the whole movie can be predicted only because of the clichés.
A good horror movie is one where you can't predict anything. Even the trailers show events randomly to make people build the sequence by themselves. Then, when it comes to the film, they are surprised about how the events are showcased. For example, the first scenes in the trailer turn out to be post-credit scenes, and some footage is not even shown because it was made specifically for the trailer.
The success of the horror movie lies in the element of surprise, which is one of the leading success indicators of the genre. If the director made everything right and surprised the audience by making them scared, it means he succeeded and the movie was good.
Final Thoughts
Horror may not be the most popular genre today, but it is for sure one of the classic genres of all time. People who watched horror earlier in the 1980s and 1990s will say that their movies were better, but modern horror fans don't accept old films for several reasons. Anyway, the genre is evolving, and we never know what horror movies will look like in the 2030s or 2040s.
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In a world where classic horror movies like Friday the 13th, The Shining, and Psycho have left an indelible mark, the task of creating a truly terrifying modern film seems daunting. Often, these newer releases fall short, their attempts at horror border on the comical.
So, what's the deal? Are modern film directors simply not up to par with their predecessors? What exactly are the ingredients that make a horror movie genuinely entertaining and scary? Let's delve into a detailed analysis and uncover the key features that make a good horror movie. Keep reading to find out.
What Exactly Is a Horror Movie?
First and foremost, let's clarify the definition of a horror movie. A horror movie is a genre set to fear the audience for entertainment. Such films often relate to a dark subject, featuring monsters, creepy creatures, and strange, unexplained events. The first horror movies were released around 100 years ago. In 1896, people saw a short motion picture, "The House of the Devil." It lasted only 3 minutes, but it was enough to claim it as the first horror movie.
Today, horror movies often contain references to historical events, building the plot around characters who existed in the past. Creators also build long franchises up to six or seven parts. Films are united by a single plot, and in every chapter, we see how characters evolve, face new challenges, learn from mistakes, etc. So, what are the critical components of the horror movie? Let's find out.
The Formula "Show, Don't Tell"
The science behind this concept is pretty simple. When authors need to scare the audience, they do it by showing action and active interactions between the characters. For example, in all parts of the Fear movie, the directors make people scary by showing how exactly the killer hunts down each victim. Characters don't talk about being scary - they are scared to death when the villain shows up, and they can't do anything, so he kills them. It's a part of the plot, and no professional essay writing service can write it. It's always in the head of a screenplay writer who creates a perfect murder scene.
Turning Safe Situations Into Unsafe
According to Reddit messages, a good horror movie shows how a safe situation can become unsafe. How many times we've seen a scene when characters split to find their missing friend? It's the most stupid move to make in a horror movie, but it happens every time. Characters believe they will find the missing person faster by covering different areas. Still, it's what the villain expects because victims are weak when split. Moreover, the antagonist usually has an advantage because his attacks are unexpected and fast, so nobody has enough time to react.
The Monster Is Not Shown Until the Last Moment
How to make sure the monster will be scary? Don't show it until the last moment. The film director makes people think they are prepared and the monster showdown won't surprise them. After that, when the perfect moment comes, evil appears and scares everyone. It's a general rule, but it's not necessarily for all the films. For example, in IT (2017), we see the clown in the first 10 minutes of the movie, and then the clown regularly appears to scare children even more.
Good Dialogues
Sometimes, movies have excellent action scenes, exciting plots, and fantastic soundtracks, but bad dialogue ruins everything. When characters talk, they represent themselves, show their emotions, and give the audience an understanding of which side they take. Moreover, the creators of the movie use dialogue to reveal essential plot details and say something that couldn't be said otherwise. Still, what makes a good dialogue?
● Natural language. Characters should sound like real people. They can use common phrases and idioms and avoid clichés.
● Unique speaking manner. Every character speaks differently, showing their identity. For example, if a girl always panics and thinks about how to escape danger, a boy stays calm and thinks about how to kill a monster.
A Monster Is Explained
Sometimes, it's strange to see a monster invincible to any type of damage, killing everyone from the first touch. It makes the whole movie pointless because the enemy will always win regardless of the circumstances. It's a bad trend, and it should be changed.
The film director should explain the monster's science and show its weaknesses. This can be done randomly in the fight or in a scene with a background voice explaining the creature's nature so the audience will understand who they are dealing with. For example, Jason, from Friday the 13th is afraid of water, and he will do everything to stay away from lakes, rivers, and other reservoirs.
No Typical Clichés
Over time, horror movies have developed a set of clichés that are now hated by new generations. People see the scene and can predict the twist before it happens, and the whole movie can be predicted only because of the clichés.
A good horror movie is one where you can't predict anything. Even the trailers show events randomly to make people build the sequence by themselves. Then, when it comes to the film, they are surprised about how the events are showcased. For example, the first scenes in the trailer turn out to be post-credit scenes, and some footage is not even shown because it was made specifically for the trailer.
The success of the horror movie lies in the element of surprise, which is one of the leading success indicators of the genre. If the director made everything right and surprised the audience by making them scared, it means he succeeded and the movie was good.
Final Thoughts
Horror may not be the most popular genre today, but it is for sure one of the classic genres of all time. People who watched horror earlier in the 1980s and 1990s will say that their movies were better, but modern horror fans don't accept old films for several reasons. Anyway, the genre is evolving, and we never know what horror movies will look like in the 2030s or 2040s.