Supernatural or Pyschological: What makes a movie scary?

[Acinonyx]

I don't think I've always hated horror movies. I've watched The Sixth Sense when I was about eight years old and it didn't scare me much. But as I grew older, I started to actually UNDERSTAND the horror movies I watched and therefore even after the movie was over, they would keep replaying in my head and cause me to stay up at night.

 

 

 

As a result, I've been avoiding horror movies as much as possible though some have been unavoidable, like the ones I would watch at a friend's slumber party or something. One such movie was Signs, directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Don't get me wrong, Signs is a great movie...but I hated it right after I watched it the first time because I just could not get it out of my head for weeks to come. I was constantly afraid of being assaulted by aliens and had a hard time sleeping at night.

 

 

 

Later on, however, I realized that the movies that really scare me are the ones that connect with science in some way...like Signs. Why? I'm guessing it's because it makes the film more believable when you base it on solid fact with proof behind it. When the director makes this connection, it make the film more believable (making you think it could happen to you) and therefore frightening you even more. :ohnoes: So in this area, psychological thrillers REALLY scare me. I recently saw an Indian movie about a guy suffering from split personalities...and this kind of thing is true. Though I know that the guy in the movie was exaggerated a lot, it scared me to know that this sort of thing can really happen to anyone who faced some sort of trauma.

 

 

 

The movies that had ghosts in them do still scare me, but not so much because they're not necessarily connected to science in some way. This makes them less believable.

 

 

 

 

 

__________

 

 

 

So...sorry I wandered off my point in a ton of different ways....but here is my question to you readers: What in a movie scares you the most? Are you like me - scared of psychological/sci-fi horror flicks...or the traditional ghost/haunted house/zombies/vampires sort of thing (Sorry if I'm stereotyping by grouping all those together)? And please add any of your thoughts on anything I said...I'm trying to make this as general a discussion as possible.

 

 

 

I really want to know what you think!

[OnyxPete]

Definitley psychological/sci-fi horror movies. Personally I don't find horror films with ghosts and stuff like that in very frightening at all. Also I agree that Ghost films etc. aren't scary because of the unrealisitic themes.

[apinagez]

I think what makes a movie scary isn't any of those. It's the music.

 

Watch any horror movie without audio, you won't get scared at all.

[____]

I think what makes a movie scary isn't any of those. It's the music.

 

Watch any horror movie without audio, you won't get scared at all.

Agreed. It's all in the music.

 

 

 

Without it, most movies are hopeless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the only reason I don't say 'all' is because there are a lot of older, silent movies which are quite good without any sound at all.

[Shadd]

I think what makes a movie scary isn't any of those. It's the music.

 

Watch any horror movie without audio, you won't get scared at all.

Agreed. It's all in the music.

 

 

 

Without it, most movies are hopeless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the only reason I don't say 'all' is because there are a lot of older, silent movies which are quite good without any sound at all.

 

 

 

Well said =D>

 

 

 

It's all about the sound effects, especially if you have surround sound. The surround sound is something that brings it out 110% percent. Be scared then :ohnoes: :uhh:

[How2PK]

Everything is of the same value, from editing, to music, camera angles, acting etc.. Everything, it's the entire thing that gets the job done, if one of the elements lacks quality or isn't there everything will fall down. Especially with genre movies. Of course there are exceptions where things are left out (Such as music, which if chosen well can be even more frightening than with music) and everything is very well considered.

[____]

Logically. Although in most cases, the score will clinch it - in terms of getting the atmosphere just right.

[How2PK]

Score is the most notable, not most imporant. But that's what I think.

[blushenka]

Special effects and the music scares everyone, yeah, but it's a 'cheap' scare. You jump from your seat, pulse races for a second, then you relax again and even go 'duuh' when you see that you were scared for nothing, as it usually happens. Mediocre horror movies resort only to that, and to shocking imagery, like a lot of blood and gore that fails to scare anymore because it's so overused. I don't give such movies a second thought after they're over.

 

 

 

But the kind of scare that stays with me as well, is the one from movies that are realistic and freaky enough to make you think about them after you watched them. Twin Peaks is a good example of that, so is the tv show Millennium. Such movies throw in gore and shocking imagery, although the score is not at all that of a horror show. But the fear they create is not the one when you go like 'aaaah!' then 'whew, thank god it's over'. It's a more permanent and lingering one, something like 'Hm, what a sick crazy world we live in' and most importantly 'This could happen to me.'

 

The X Files, is another good example of a psychologically frightening movie. The greatest thing about The X Files is that it never spelled out things, it never explained stuff completely. Because as soon as a thing that is ambiguous/paranormal is fully explained and brought to light, it loses most of its scare potential. Light kills all demons. And of course, the open endings, which is a classic element in most horror movies. It has ended for now, but it may happen again...

 

 

 

Oh yeah and Signs is indeed disturbing movie as well, which is weird actually because the idea in itself is so overused. An alien invasion, it's been done to death. But that fact that it isn't boring and it *is scary proves my point. The atmosphere is created so skillfully that everything that happens becomes very believable. And therefore scary.

[Mr_Putter]

Well, I think it personally varies from person to person, based on where their fears lie. Like, I get creeped out by some horror movies, even if they are completely outlandish, impossible, and has terrible writing.

[indy500fan]

i dont really like horror movies.

 

 

 

i did get pretty scared from the hannibal lector trilogy (red dragon, silence of the lambs, hannibal). that had me scared for a couple of days (home alone, i got out empty pop cans, and stacked them 3 high in front of all my doors, they would knock over if someone came in :lol: ). i dont know exactly what kind of horror you would call it. but it could have been (or was?) completely possible. no aliens/vampires/werewolves. just human beings that are seriously *ed up.

[Aznhuskarl]

That depends on the overall performance of the horror factor of the scary movie. It should affect the psychological degree of fear in a controllable and balanced way {by using the music ambience correctly, with the story plot, the acting, the effect, the moment of the story, the horrific moment, and then the rest of the movie.}

 

 

 

 

 

What makes a movie scary is mostly on the psychological factor. The supernatural doesn't necessarily need to be scary. Superman isn't scary. Some more horrific monsters or people may loko scary but there's nothing spooky with the surnatural.

 

 

 

Fear comes from the psychi. How scary can you make depends on the director.

[Acinonyx]

Special effects and the music scares everyone, yeah, but it's a 'cheap' scare. You jump from your seat, pulse races for a second, then you relax again and even go 'duuh' when you see that you were scared for nothing, as it usually happens. Mediocre horror movies resort only to that, and to shocking imagery, like a lot of blood and gore that fails to scare anymore because it's so overused. I don't give such movies a second thought after they're over.

 

 

 

But the kind of scare that stays with me as well, is the one from movies that are realistic and freaky enough to make you think about them after you watched them. Twin Peaks is a good example of that, so is the tv show Millennium. Such movies throw in gore and shocking imagery, although the score is not at all that of a horror show. But the fear they create is not the one when you go like 'aaaah!' then 'whew, thank god it's over'. It's a more permanent and lingering one, something like 'Hm, what a sick crazy world we live in' and most importantly 'This could happen to me.'

 

The X Files, is another good example of a psychologically frightening movie. The greatest thing about The X Files is that it never spelled out things, it never explained stuff completely. Because as soon as a thing that is ambiguous/paranormal is fully explained and brought to light, it loses most of its scare potential. Light kills all demons. And of course, the open endings, which is a classic element in most horror movies. It has ended for now, but it may happen again...

 

 

 

Oh yeah and Signs is indeed disturbing movie as well, which is weird actually because the idea in itself is so overused. An alien invasion, it's been done to death. But that fact that it isn't boring and it *is scary proves my point. The atmosphere is created so skillfully that everything that happens becomes very believable. And therefore scary.

 

 

 

Agreed...its those kinds of movies that really scare me. I don't get spooked by trick or treating on halloween...that's for fun. I get scared by things that are definitely freaky and realistic enough.

[Daruina]

I think that a movie composed of both those genres, psychological and supernatural, make a scary movie.

[Mercifull]

Special effects dont automaticly make a movie scary. Some of the best horror films have little or no special effects at all.

[Ragen]

I tend to stay away from horror movies as they make sleeping for me impossible. Gore, blood and guts I am usually not affected by. What I can't take is knowing that someone is going to die a horrible death and there is nothing they can do about it.

 

 

 

But I think the whole horror genre is immoral, watching other peoples suffering in the name of entertainment. There are a few exceptions but generally this is true.