Honestly, there was nothing scary about actually seeing the main character get killed; it was clearly fake. But, the suspense Hitchcock created is what really got me frightened. One aspect that contributed to this was the music. The high pitch music made it obvious something was going to happen before it was even executed. When I heard the repetitive haunting music, I knew immediatly something bad was going to happen. But, it took at least 6 bars in the music before it actually happened. Those 6 bars were absolutely agonizing. My heart was beating the whole time and I just wanted it to happen already so I didn't have to be on edge. Hitchcock also often allowed the audience to know things the characters did not know. This suspenseful technique not only made me extremely angry, but also made me scared for what could come next. For example, I knew where the "mom" was before the sister discovered her in the basement. When the sister opened the door I automatically knew the scene couldn't end well. I wanted to scream at the screen and let the sister know what she was in for. But, obviously all I could do was allow it to happen. A lot of other scary movies use this technique as well. For me, I don't think it is necessarily scary to see the person in the movie actually get killed. I think what is truly scary about a movie is when the killer is in the closet and you know that, but the main character does not. I always catch my heart beating so fast before the event actually occurs. Once the scene happening and then eventually is over, I no longer feel nervous or scared. Ultimately, it is the suspense the director builds up that makes a movie scary.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Psycho
As the black and white film, Psycho, begins the hair on your arms is already raised. There is something creepy about the way the movie is even introduced. The words "Psycho" appears on screen with background music that makes your adrenaline rush.
Honestly, there was nothing scary about actually seeing the main character get killed; it was clearly fake. But, the suspense Hitchcock created is what really got me frightened. One aspect that contributed to this was the music. The high pitch music made it obvious something was going to happen before it was even executed. When I heard the repetitive haunting music, I knew immediatly something bad was going to happen. But, it took at least 6 bars in the music before it actually happened. Those 6 bars were absolutely agonizing. My heart was beating the whole time and I just wanted it to happen already so I didn't have to be on edge. Hitchcock also often allowed the audience to know things the characters did not know. This suspenseful technique not only made me extremely angry, but also made me scared for what could come next. For example, I knew where the "mom" was before the sister discovered her in the basement. When the sister opened the door I automatically knew the scene couldn't end well. I wanted to scream at the screen and let the sister know what she was in for. But, obviously all I could do was allow it to happen. A lot of other scary movies use this technique as well. For me, I don't think it is necessarily scary to see the person in the movie actually get killed. I think what is truly scary about a movie is when the killer is in the closet and you know that, but the main character does not. I always catch my heart beating so fast before the event actually occurs. Once the scene happening and then eventually is over, I no longer feel nervous or scared. Ultimately, it is the suspense the director builds up that makes a movie scary.
Honestly, there was nothing scary about actually seeing the main character get killed; it was clearly fake. But, the suspense Hitchcock created is what really got me frightened. One aspect that contributed to this was the music. The high pitch music made it obvious something was going to happen before it was even executed. When I heard the repetitive haunting music, I knew immediatly something bad was going to happen. But, it took at least 6 bars in the music before it actually happened. Those 6 bars were absolutely agonizing. My heart was beating the whole time and I just wanted it to happen already so I didn't have to be on edge. Hitchcock also often allowed the audience to know things the characters did not know. This suspenseful technique not only made me extremely angry, but also made me scared for what could come next. For example, I knew where the "mom" was before the sister discovered her in the basement. When the sister opened the door I automatically knew the scene couldn't end well. I wanted to scream at the screen and let the sister know what she was in for. But, obviously all I could do was allow it to happen. A lot of other scary movies use this technique as well. For me, I don't think it is necessarily scary to see the person in the movie actually get killed. I think what is truly scary about a movie is when the killer is in the closet and you know that, but the main character does not. I always catch my heart beating so fast before the event actually occurs. Once the scene happening and then eventually is over, I no longer feel nervous or scared. Ultimately, it is the suspense the director builds up that makes a movie scary.
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The "knowing" that you speak of is dramatic irony. The audience is privy to information that the characters in the film are not. It's a very old technique that is very effective, especially in the horror genre. It works in literature too. When one of Shakespeare's characters provides a soliloquy, only the audience, and that particular character, know what's going to happen. So, in Macbeth, for instance, poor king Duncan has no idea what's about to go down...but we do. In the horror film, the audience knows, for instance, that the killer is in the basement, so when the guy/girl runs downstairs to check the fusebox, the suspense and tension builds. Add a pic/vid please!
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