Alfred Hitchcock once said, “There is no terror in the bang. Only in the anticipation of it.” It’s that classic moment in a horror movie when the scene becomes quiet and still. There is nothing but silence in the scene to build the tension between the characters and the audience. As the fear builds, the audience is longing for the moment the killer pops out from around the corner to end the moment of dread. When the tension snaps, the audience jolts back in the chairs before laughing off the scare and relaxing again. This is a classic jumpscare, a technique used to surprise the audience with an abrupt change in image or event. Jumpscares are one of the most basic building blocks of a horror movie. They are based on a theory of what fear is. The ultimate goal is to build the tension and fear from the moment you think something might happen to when it actually happens. There are a few tell-tale signs of when a jumpscare is lurking around the corner, including a music queue, dimmed lighting, things turning on by themselves, and a slowed-down edit. Read More...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Friday, 29 October, 2021