Defining a Horror Film

What is the elements of a perfect horror movie concoction? Firstly you have to ponder why horror movies exist in the first place: To scare you!

What scares you? It could be spiders, death, evil clowns, or anything simple as the dark itself.

Ghosts, ghouls, goblins, demons, skeletons, cemeteries, ghost stories, zombies, oh my!

Here's some simple ingredients I know for a fact a true horror film cannot succeed without: suspense, a powerful music score, props, thrilling cinematography, substance, and atmosphere.

In the following video clip, this scene in the film: "The Shining-1980" is a perfect example of the elements I have mentioned. Watch the clip and I'll explain why...

As you watched this, the music is erratic and bold, heightening and eerie as Jack begins chopping at the door with an axe. Great example for a thrilling music score. His wife on the other side of the room is terrified and is trapped inside the room, and her screams become more shrill and fearful. Powerful cinematography has a role here, the camera focusing the most terrifying images that can be seen if there was a third person perspective. If you watched the movie from the beginning you know that the spirits of the hotel are having a negative effect on Jack and have embedded homicidal tendencies that are causing him to become murderous. Throughout the movie, the camera shows us what horror truly looks like. Here is one more clip:

The terror his wife is feeling is palpable as she reads the texts on the papers, which were supposed to be her husband's work. Obviously the hotel has drove him crazy, and the suspense thickens and keeps you on the edge of your seat as you await for what happens next. This film was an amazing adaption of Stephen King bestselling book, which fills the film with so much substance it's overflowing.

Music Score!

Here is a video a fan made of a compilation of all the best scores ever orchestrated. From John Carpenter with his infamous Halloween theme, to Bernard Herrmann with the theme of Psycho which has gone down in history as the sound to make when you are pretend slashing someone. *wink wink*

Another example of perfect cinematography is the movie: Jaws-1975. Why do you think watching this film was so scary? Think about it...it's all about how you are viewing what is going on. Almost every scary moment in this film is of the shark's POV (Point of View). You are up close and personal on the devouring, even closer to see the brilliant display of horror on the actor's faces. The score was also amazing, because the constant thumping in the music makes your heart start racing and if you're in the water...you'll always look behind you. This clip is the epic scene when Quint meets his end by jaws. Notice how the scene has no music, for Quint time has run out and you have to hold you're breath as you watch him struggle to keep his lower body away from the razor-sharp teeth inches away from him. The pain that is portrayed by Quint as the shark seizes him and flings him side to side and moments later sinks back into the ocean.

Props!

You have to have props! The reason why people react to physical props and artistic detailed make-up and special effects is because we know it is real. When our eyes witness that of the physical, it is believable and our brain has a hard time debunking what it interprets through the eyes.

Click Me! This crazy loon makes so much sense but beware, he has only 6 minutes to explain everything to you about horror, remakes, CGI and other media issues. So he's speaking very very fast. I wasn't able to embed the video but at least I could link the video.

And why do you think all these remakes that are surfacing just can't hold a candle to the originals...or even do them justice? It's a fact, they are carbon copying the originals and just replacing everything with CGI and therein lies all the focus. Just because you hype up a film with explosions, limbs being hacked off every two seconds, constant this and that...it doesn't make it a masterpiece. I'm sorry but the only Director and Writer that can come close to accomplishing the old thrill of the macabre is Rob Zombie.

I apologize but this video I had to play. It's a speculation on the originals and the current remakes...and why remakes bite. The creator terribly sings the song: Time of Your Life by Greenday and reworks the lyrics to express his distaste for remakes.

That Which You Fear Makes You Stronger

Have you ever thought why people become stronger? Mentally and Physically. There is a desire to become physically strong when the time arises that one must defend yourself. The fear that physical harm will overwhelm you is an invisible coach to improve. If you are studying for a test, you are exercising your brain to consume knowledge...for fear you may fail an upcoming test.

Fear does not mean you cower in a corner and hide under a blanket until you may think it might be safe to look again. It is a natural stimulant that alerts your brain to become aware.

"Fear must come in order to develop courage. Courage cannot exist and cannot be experienced or expressed without the presence of fear. Fear is often brought into the equation in order to help us tap into, develop and embrace our courage. Fear is just one example. Think of all our other emotions, both positive and negative. What about guilt, anger, excitement or joy." ~Deborah Battersby The Positive Power of Fear.

Fear also brings you closer to your loved ones. There's nothing like a horrific film that makes you want to grab a hold of someone close to you and pull them close. The intensity of fear is lessened knowing you acknowledge the people around you, or a pet, that you cherish.

The fear for yourself is weaker when you find the courage within you to find concern for those around you. We all have bravery in us, and fear brings that out better than anything else.

Not to mention the funny faces we make...

The Amygdala assesses whether a situation is dangerous, then fires signals to other parts of the brain. This triggers the release of hormones, including cortisol, which causes reactions like sweating and a tensing of the muscles.

The brain is a powerful tool. The brain can take in more and more information as we age, and our ability to learn and expand from said knowledge puts us in a position to say proudly that we are no idiots. Whether or not we choose to use this knowledge, and that is the tilt in the scale.

Fear keeps us alive. If I was to be offered money, to be set financially for the rest of my life in exchange I would allow scientists to experiment on me with unknown chemicals...I'll take the life is financial hardship, thank you. The fear over weighs stupidity, even if you choose to make a bad decision your body has already told you it's a bad idea. Horror movies are created for entertainment purposes, to make you wonder and imagine how it would feel to witness terror...which causes reactions to bubble from within you.

It's exciting, it's breath-taking...it's a roller coaster ride.

Concerning Money

We all know that the point of having a job in making movies is to make money. There has to be a level of profit or you're just sacrificing your time and effort for a passion rather than a cause to a means. As I've said before, there has to be a balance. You have to put an enormous effort into making sure your true intentions to your job and to yourself are aligned, while still abiding to a business stand point. After all, we can't survive off of success alone, and the definition of being successful today means efficiently cutting cost and the level of profit over weigh the level of investment. Media arts today has many aspects of financial requirements such as filming equipment, paying actors, ed
itors, digital effects crew, costumes, make-up, hair, and a slew of other necessities. This is why I've researched the contrasts between funds that are required for CGI effects and props, backgrounds...and so on.

I have researched many cases wherein digital effects are quite time consuming and here lies the irony, the professional computer genius needs to be paid, and as long as he's working more checks will be written off. Those young brilliant people who attend college and university for a very pricey bachelor's or master's degree intend to be paid for their efforts and perfected trade. I myself am enrolled in college for my bachelor's degree in media arts and animation which is going to cost me nearly $100,000! I would hope never to return to what retail salary has to offer me ever again!

It seems live-action movies can be quite expensive. Ranging from the thousands to millions of dollars because we all know the movie has to be set in the right scene, the actors have to have the right costume and make-up, and the camera's always have to roll. We all like big explosions, fireworks, and epic stunts to blow our minds. When we see shots like these in movies, we remember them a lot longer as if the stunt actually occurred.

When I am doing research, I usually go online and view the sites that allow people to voice their opinions on forums or polls. This website

called Ask MetaFilter contains many intelligent statements concerning the overuse of CGI in movies today. One poster with an inappropriate username who will not be named states: You're also paying the equivalent of programmers to work on the artistic attributes of 24 frames per second of a 2-hour movie.

This guy doesn't look to happy...

I'm not saying this isn't a fulfilling job when you see the final product of your work but once again....

It's all about BALANCE!

This is the future, and we are all evolving and with us our technology has evolved. We are meant to use the new inventions and designs that have been created but there is a simple matter of "too much of something good can be bad".

If the talents of technology merge with a harmonious balance of physical skill such as props and make-up, you are positively capturing your audience in making them believe what they are seeing is as close to reality and fantasy at the same time. This is how we create a blockbusting film!

For instance, Pan's Labyrinth which came out around 2006 by Director and writer Guillermo Del Toro used a mixture of CGI effects with the amazing cosmetic artistry for the monsters in the film such as this character.

This is brilliant! He uses CGI to eliminate parts of the actors body so he appears impossibly skinny and eerie. Along with the facial features and those eyes that move on his palms, everything else about his costume is all real. The silicone mold that is detailed to sag like stretched skin, the shadowing which provides definition of the protruding bones, and the detail of skin and veins which is quite detail oriented has a powerful effect on viewers. The more the audience stares deeply at something in a movie, trying to see any imperfection, "That can't be real!" statements mean you've done an amazing job!

Movies that have made a killing on a tight budget!

Halloween - 1978

Budget: $325,000

Worldwide Gross: $70,000,000

Friday the 13th - 1980

Budget: $550,000

Worldwide Gross: $59,700,00

Evil Dead - 1981

Budget: $375,000

Worldwide Gross: $29,400,00

Thanks for reading!

Pixels Comforting the Squeamish

In this current age of technology, I have spoken to a number of people who grew up watching the late horror movies of the 70's and 80's and their speculation of today's idea of what is

scary...their conclusion is silliness. The true meaning of watching a movie that is full of
monsters and terror is to be terrified! If you want to be terrified, take a look at the following video:


Evil Dead- 1981



And now look at this video...





Twilight: New Moon- 2009


We can obviously see the differences. Not only are props completely replaced by digital graphics in the entire scene, the perspective is not in the least captivating.

Twilight seems to harvest it's popularity from fan-fiction obsessed young girls who would like to see a monster truly feel and fall in love. This concept is trully fictitious, even more so than the possibility of a living Frankenstein today. I will give you an example of a true and heart-felt scene of beauty turning away a hideous monster, which is symbolic for the cruelty that those who are misunderstood truly feel.






Bride of Frankenstein- 1935

The bride of Frankenstein has herself become like a corpse, but once was alive and beautiful. She still doesn't understand what she has become after she was brought back to life, and is terrified of Frankenstein. We can all deny it but this is our perception on what we consider bizarre and abnormal. We are disgusted by what we do not understand and rebuke what we consider lowlier than ourselves.

This is another observation I have made which is another cause of the decline of Horror: The lack of substance in the literature and less plot-twists that are witty and unpredictable.


Back to the topic...


An American author and screenwiter/filmmaker named Sara Caldwell who is very intelligent on the factor in captivating an audience. She was asked her opinion on the use of CGI versus the use of props in the horror genre. Here is what she has to say...

Hey, isn't she talking about the fact that LOW-BUDGET movies are the most successful? Isn't this the biggest issue by the producers? CGI is equally expensive because it requires state of the art technology and programs that are not cheap.

Closer To Death is an amazing website I've located that gives examples of fan and professional based opinions concerning the dire need of props and physical realism in horror films. There is also a video about Tom Savini's Special make-Up Effects Program that is a prestigious course in the art of cosmetics, prosthetic, and media art, which not necessarily have to do with film-making.

Tom Savini is a world-renowned make-up artist who has created the most jaw-dropping faces in the macabre. Such as:

And finally the Deleted Scene also has some things to say about the preference between CGI and the old school trick of the trade.

I think those who are not passionate about really letting themselves go to terror like to smile when they scream. Which is far from the raw thrill of fear. They're not going to the theater to be scared! They're going for a thrill and because they are misunderstanding the true meaning of the genre, they are making mainstream filmmakers target the wrong people to make movies for. Remakes...this is another topic for a different post.

Another individual who shares the same ideas and passion for fear is Eric Ford-Holevinski whose site he created is all about the true meaning of the macabre and why we enjoyed the late horror films of the 70's and 80's...maybe the early 90's.

Who am I?

My name is Christina. Ever since I was young I was lucky enough to be gifted with an Aunt and cousins who adored Halloween. They would watch horror films constantly, enjoyed the inspirations of fear and everything scary and frightening, and this was something they took great pleasure in. Although I loved my two cousins, they would push boundaries and expose me to watching said films with them, putting gooey fake bugs down my shirt, putting on masks and chasing me around their house that sometimes led to me darting out of the house and down the road. The fear I was exposed to at a young age began to give me a feeling of longing for the darker side of enjoyment. It made me feel alive and think about how far can I push myself in the name of fright. I became addicted to looking forward to October when Halloween was a festive and largely practiced holiday, taking out my decorations and watching cable for specials. Even all year long I refused to take down the spider webs, orange lights, skeletons, and jack-o-lanterns until my mother had enough and they all moved into my room and never came down.
The ideal of horror films presenting you with slashers, murderers, monsters, demons, and witches is everything that makes up a nightmare, and in nightmares you always wake up and the fear is electric. Fear keeps you alive.

Proposal:

Today scary movies are overwhelmed with CGI (Computer Generated Images) and digital special effects. They are not in the least frightening and the audience is convinced less and less as more movies are being produced. I have concluded that there requires a balance of animation and art when it comes to creating a masterpiece. I have done extensive research on this topic and I look forward to showing some light in the darkness. Horror is my favorite genre, and it always will be. We need to bring back the raw, substantial literature, and graphic gore-filled scenes that do not require digital effects so the ambiance that is felt is real and breathtaking. Come on guys, fake blood is not expensive and make-up is a very specialized form of art. I hope to accomplish bringing new and fresh terror back to movie theaters, fans leaving quite frazzled and satisfied, terrorized girlfriends clutching to their boyfriends, and give the imagination a jolt of real horror again.