Ah, horror. The genre of entertainment that people either love or hate. For the many non-fans, it’s easy to disregard horror because of clichéd storylines, cheesy dialogue, cheap jump scares and an overabundance of gore. While this may be true for the thousands of obscure b- and c-list titles, it’d be wrong to lump everything in the horror and thriller categories under the same roof… so why not check out a few good scary titles with Wordsmith? Just in time for the Halloween season, let’s explore the takeaways skulking about in the thrillers we like!
The Headless Horseman’s first appearance in Sleepy Hollow as he chases down Jonathan Masbath. Notice how the tension builds up without the Horseman even being on screen.
Mood setting and engaging the senses
At the core of any good scary movie lie the ambience and mood. Imagine if a vampire’s first appearance was made while attacking a victim at modern day Times Square in plain sight of hundreds… firstly, it wouldn’t be a very scary scene given the abundance of bright lights and people loitering the place. Secondly, we’d probably would consider the vampire stupid for exposing itself in public because it’d likely get tracked down soon after.
The hallmark of horror films is the antagonist’s use of darkness or breaks in line of sight to ambush their unsuspecting victims – it’s the writer’s duty to ensure that out bad guys have the right tools and environment for the job!
To give us a better idea of how writers use atmosphere to sculpt fear and apprehension, let’s take a look at an excerpt of the screenplay from Tim Burton’s 1999 film Sleepy Hollow, when the Headless Horseman first appears:
EXT. WOODEN BUNKER / FIELD -- INTERCUT -- NIGHTThe distant SOUND of the GROUND RUMBLING is HEARD. AT THE WOODENBUNKER, Jonathan looks out, fearful...The torches burn bright along the forest line. SEVERAL DEER stampedeout... sprinting across the field.Jonathan watches the forest. A horrible, SILENT stillness has fallen.Then, Jonathan's eyes widen...A thick FOG creeps from the woods.As fog overtakes each torch, mist snakes up, snuffing each flame... oneby one by one, all along the forest edge...Jonathan sticks his rifle out from the bunker, sights the gun alongthe treeline. JONATHAN Come out, devil... come...EXT. SLEEPY HOLLOW FORESTS, OVERVIEW -- NIGHTSilhouetted treetops. The SOUNDS of JONATHAN'S RIFLE FIRING are HEARD,echoing -- SEVERAL GUNSHOTS, then... SILENCE...EXT. SLEEPY HOLLOW FOREST -- NIGHTJonathan flees through the forest, glances back, terrified. THUNDEROUSHOOFBEATS are HEARD from behind.
Notice how we aren’t given any initial description on the appearance of the Horseman. We have the ominous rumbling of the ground and a creeping fog that extinguishes torches, then thunderous hoofbeats as the Horseman chases down Jonathan Masbath. Instead of just showing the Horseman, the writers heighten the frightful, threatening nature of the scene by engaging our senses:
· The sight of the torches being extinguished and the fear on Masbath’s face signifies impending danger;
· The sound of silence… followed by heavy hoofbeats further adds to the Masbath’s fate, and;
· Assuming the theatre has a good sound system, the rumbling hoofbeats shaking our chairs and reverberating upon our skin
Remember, our senses are not experienced individually – we go about life with all 5 senses constantly activated. When we experience something that triggers multiple senses, we are more likely to remember and be captivated by something. Here’s how we might describe a chocolate bar with and without mood-setting and engaging the senses:
Have a ChocoBar! A nutty almond centre wrapped in luscious milk chocolate, it’s perfect for when you are feeling snackish late at night.
When the hour is late, maybe sometime after eight, and there wasn’t enough on your dinnerplate, satiate your grumbling hunger with a ChocoBar. Velvety milk chocolate enveloping a nutty almond centre, every bite is a decadent *crunch* just waiting.
Fear: the ultimate motivator
Fear is an essential component of thrillers, and Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien masterfully taps into our phobias to manipulate our experience throughout the film:
· Xenophobia: Humanity has often regarded itself as an apex creature… but what happens when you introduce a new species that is fuelled by spilling our blood? It took the crew of the Nostromo several deaths before they realised that the creature could not be contained and that they must abandon the ship to survive… and even then, only Ellen Ripley managed to make it to the end.
· Autophobia: The quote “in space, no one can hear you scream” became more and more appropriate as the crew of the Nostromo dropped like flies. If you were Ripley, could you imagine the fear of being stranded alone as a relentless killing machine stalked you? No one is coming to help you. All you have are your wits and the equipment on the ship.
Obviously, creating feelings of terror is not the best way to market a product. However, when fear is used in small amounts, it can nudge people towards certain outcomes. Marketers often use the fear of missing out (FOMO) to influence their consumers’ buying behaviours – most commonly through phrasing that indicates time restrictions or product scarcity. Which of the following is more effective?:
A. Halloween is upon us! Enjoy special ChocoBars with an all-new pumpkin spice and toffee filling.
B. Limited edition Halloween pumpkin spice toffee ChocoBars are almost sold out! Grab some sweet pumpkiny goodness while you still can…
It’s an absurdly simple trick, but a simple phrase like “while stocks last” or “limited edition” can really make an impact on sales. According to a survey by Canadian marketing company strategy™, 60 percent of millennial consumers “made a reactive purchase after experiencing FOMO, most often within 24 hours”. Furthermore, with how entwined social media is with modern life, it’s expected that these people are more likely to share their experiences online and create word of mouth marketing. Provided it’s a positive one, who can say no to free exposure? Fear truly can be viral!
Horror and thrillers may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t learn from their spine-tingling talents. From setting the mood to creating fear, these techniques can be applied to any campaign around the year – not just during October!