Editorials
What Qualifies as Scary Nowadays?
A complaint heard all too often about modern horror films is that they aren’t very scary. Our own Jess Hicks even wrote a piece on how horror movies don’t have to be scary to be good, which is true but still doesn’t mean that horror films don’t have to at least try to be scary. It got me thinking though: what does scare people nowadays? All too often, we will see a movie like The Babadook or It Follows get touted as “the scariest film you will see this year,” but all too often the majority of viewers find films like that to be the opposite of scary.
Personally, I find It Follows to be absolutely terrifying. The Babadook, not so much. The release of The Witch last weekend brought back familiar feelings, with many audience members having the same reaction to it as they did to The Babadook and It Follows (just look at its C- CinemaScore). Just looking over Facebook and Twitter, I’ve seen a slew of criticisms ranging from “that was boring” to “there was some weird ‘subplot’ about a cup that no one in the audience understood” (seriously, I actually read that somewhere). It’s absolutely mind-boggling to me.
Similar statements are made about any film made before the year 2000. I get nervous showing someone John Carpenter’s Halloween out of fear that they will find it either boring or not scary. Comparatively, Ti West’s The House of the Devil fell victim to the “that was boring” complaint from mainstream audiences, as the entire film was a buildup to the final 15 minutes. How can some people find a film utterly terrifying while others find it boring?
Of course, what people find scary is going to be subjective and completely up to the individual, but it seems that more and more people are desensitized to the horror that is happening on-screen. I should point out that in no way am I qualified to make an educated assessment on the subject of fear (my degrees are in public relations and radio/TV/film), this is merely a jumping-off point to start a discussion. What do you think qualifies as scary nowadays? Let’s look at the four main scare tactics that horror movies use to instill fear. I will provide examples of each them using moments/films that actually scare me.
Jump Scares
Ah, the jump scare. It is probably the scare tactic most maligned by horror enthusiasts but loved by general audiences. When used in moderation, the jump scare can be a powerful way to scare the living crap of viewers. Whether it be by the sudden appearance of a terrifying figure or a loud clash of musical instruments (it’s usually the latter), a jump scare is a great way to get a good jolt out of the audience. Whether it be the loud chainsaw sound effect in John Carpenter’s Halloween or the iconic final moments from Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, the jump scare will never go out of style
An example of a recent film to have an incredibly effective jump scare would be James Wan’s haunter Insidious. I think you all know the scare I’m referring to:
Then of course there is the famous hallway scene from the completely underated The Exorcist III: Legion:
These are all examples of effective jump scares, but all too often movies rely on them to much, and they become cheap. Think about the overuse of dream sequences. You know what I’m referring to: something jumps out at a character and then the film cuts to that same character suddenly waking up in bed. It was just a nightmare! Look at this years The Forest for plenty of examples of that type of scare. It’s lazy and just included to pad the runtime of whatever movie features it.
How about the mirror/refrigerator scare? This is when a character has either a refrigerator or medicine cabinet open and when they close it either the villain or a totally harmless character is revealed to be there! What about the animal scare? This is when a character is walking around innocuously and then an animal (usually a cat) jumps out at them! This particular scare was made famous in the opening sequence of Friday the 13th Part 2 (which is ironic since the first movie features one of the best jump scares) when a cat jumps through Adrienne King’s open window.
So what do we make of the jump scare? Since it is the one scare tactic featured most prominently in horror films today, it seems to be the litmus test audiences use to determine whether or not a horror film is actually scary. The problem with the jump scare is that it’s too easy to get lazy with them. The Witch features a total of three jump scares, each one of them effective. When used in moderation, the jump scare is scary. When peppered throughout the entirety of a film, it becomes too predictable. That being said, many people seem to disagree with that opinion.
When it comes to jump scares, I always go back to that famous Hitchcock quote:
“There is a distinct difference between ‘suspense’ and ‘surprise,’ and yet many pictures continually confuse the two. I’ll explain what I mean.
We are now having a very innocent little chat. Let’s suppose that there is a bomb underneath this table between us. Nothing happens, and then all of a sudden, ‘Boom!’ There is an explosion. The public is surprised, but prior to this surprise, it has seen an absolutely ordinary scene, of no special consequence. Now, let us take a suspense situation. The bomb is underneath the table and the public knows it, probably because they have seen the anarchist place it there. The public is aware the bomb is going to explode at one o’clock and there is a clock in the decor. The public can see that it is a quarter to one. In these conditions, the same innocuous conversation becomes fascinating because the public is participating in the scene. The audience is longing to warn the characters on the screen: ‘You shouldn’t be talking about such trivial matters. There is a bomb beneath you and it is about to explode!’
In the first case we have given the public fifteen seconds of surprise at the moment of the explosion. In the second we have provided them with fifteen minutes of suspense. The conclusion is that whenever possible the public must be informed. Except when the surprise is a twist, that is, when the unexpected ending is, in itself, the highlight of the story.”
It’s probably clear by now that I prefer suspense to surprise, but what are your thoughts on the subject?
Editorials
‘Immaculate’ – A Companion Watch Guide to the Religious Horror Movie and Its Cinematic Influences
The religious horror movie Immaculate, starring Sydney Sweeney and directed by Michael Mohan, wears its horror influences on its sleeves. NEON’s new horror movie is now available on Digital and PVOD, making it easier to catch up with the buzzy title. If you’ve already seen Immaculate, this companion watch guide highlights horror movies to pair with it.
Sweeney stars in Immaculate as Cecilia, a woman of devout faith who is offered a fulfilling new role at an illustrious Italian convent. Cecilia’s warm welcome to the picture-perfect Italian countryside gets derailed soon enough when she discovers she’s become pregnant and realizes the convent harbors disturbing secrets.
From Will Bates’ gothic score to the filming locations and even shot compositions, Immaculate owes a lot to its cinematic influences. Mohan pulls from more than just religious horror, though. While Immaculate pays tribute to the classics, the horror movie surprises for the way it leans so heavily into Italian horror and New French Extremity. Let’s dig into many of the film’s most prominent horror influences with a companion watch guide.
Warning: Immaculate spoilers ahead.
Rosemary’s Baby
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The mother of all pregnancy horror movies introduces Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow), an eager-to-please housewife who’s supportive of her husband, Guy, and thrilled he landed them a spot in the coveted Bramford apartment building. Guy proposes a romantic evening, which gives way to a hallucinogenic nightmare scenario that leaves Rosemary confused and pregnant. Rosemary’s suspicions and paranoia mount as she’s gaslit by everyone around her, all attempting to distract her from her deeply abnormal pregnancy. While Cecilia follows a similar emotional journey to Rosemary, from the confusion over her baby’s conception to being gaslit by those who claim to have her best interests in mind, Immaculate inverts the iconic final frame of Rosemary’s Baby to great effect.
The Exorcist
William Friedkin’s horror classic shook audiences to their core upon release in the ’70s, largely for its shocking imagery. A grim battle over faith is waged between demon Pazuzu and priests Damien Karras (Jason Miller) and Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow). The battleground happens to be a 12-year-old, Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), whose possessed form commits blasphemy often, including violently masturbating with a crucifix. Yet Friedkin captures the horrifying events with stunning cinematography; the emotional complexity and shot composition lend elegance to a film that counterbalances the horror. That balance between transgressive imagery and artful form permeates Immaculate as well.
Suspiria
Jessica Harper stars as Suzy Bannion, an American newcomer at a prestigious dance academy in Germany who uncovers a supernatural conspiracy amid a series of grisly murders. It’s a dance academy so disciplined in its art form that its students and faculty live their full time, spending nearly every waking hour there, including built-in meals and scheduled bedtimes. Like Suzy Bannion, Cecilia is a novitiate committed to learning her chosen trade, so much so that she travels to a foreign country to continue her training. Also, like Suzy, Cecilia quickly realizes the pristine façade of her new setting belies sinister secrets that mean her harm.
What Have You Done to Solange?
This 1972 Italian horror film follows a college professor who gets embroiled in a bizarre series of murders when his mistress, a student, witnesses one taking place. The professor starts his own investigation to discover what happened to the young woman, Solange. Sex, murder, and religion course through this Giallo’s veins, which features I Spit on Your Grave’s Camille Keaton as Solange. Immaculate director Michael Mohan revealed to The Wrap that he emulated director Massimo Dallamano’s techniques, particularly in a key scene that sees Cecilia alone in a crowded room of male superiors, all interrogating her on her immaculate status.
The Red Queen Kills Seven Times
In this Giallo, two sisters inherit their family’s castle that’s also cursed. When a dark-haired, red-robed woman begins killing people around them, the sisters begin to wonder if the castle’s mysterious curse has resurfaced. Director Emilio Miraglia infuses his Giallo with vibrant style, with the titular Red Queen instantly eye-catching in design. While the killer’s design and use of red no doubt played an influential role in some of Immaculate’s nightmare imagery, its biggest inspiration in Mohan’s film is its score. Immaculate pays tribute to The Red Queen Kills Seven Times through specific music cues.
The Vanishing
Rex’s life is irrevocably changed when the love of his life is abducted from a rest stop. Three years later, he begins receiving letters from his girlfriend’s abductor. Director George Sluizer infuses his simple premise with bone-chilling dread and psychological terror as the kidnapper toys with Red. It builds to a harrowing finale you won’t forget; and neither did Mohan, who cited The Vanishing as an influence on Immaculate. Likely for its surprise closing moments, but mostly for the way Sluizer filmed from inside a coffin.
The Other Hell
This nunsploitation film begins where Immaculate ends: in the catacombs of a convent that leads to an underground laboratory. The Other Hell sees a priest investigating the seemingly paranormal activity surrounding the convent as possessed nuns get violent toward others. But is this a case of the Devil or simply nuns run amok? Immaculate opts to ground its horrors in reality, where The Other Hell leans into the supernatural, but the surprise lab setting beneath the holy grounds evokes the same sense of blasphemous shock.
Inside
During Immaculate‘s freakout climax, Cecilia sets the underground lab on fire with Father Sal Tedeschi (Álvaro Morte) locked inside. He manages to escape, though badly burned, and chases Cecilia through the catacombs. When Father Tedeschi catches Cecilia, he attempts to cut her baby out of her womb, and the stark imagery instantly calls Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s seminal French horror movie to mind. Like Tedeschi, Inside’s La Femme (Béatrice Dalle) will stop at nothing to get the baby, badly burned and all.
Burial Ground
At first glance, this Italian zombie movie bears little resemblance to Immaculate. The plot sees an eclectic group forced to band together against a wave of undead, offering no shortage of zombie gore and wild character quirks. What connects them is the setting; both employed the Villa Parisi as a filming location. The Villa Parisi happens to be a prominent filming spot for Italian horror; also pair the new horror movie with Mario Bava’s A Bay of Blood or Blood for Dracula for additional boundary-pushing horror titles shot at the Villa Parisi.
The Devils
The Devils was always intended to be incendiary. Horror, at its most depraved and sadistic, tends to make casual viewers uncomfortable. Ken Russell’s 1971 epic takes it to a whole new squeamish level with its nightmarish visuals steeped in some historical accuracy. There are the horror classics, like The Exorcist, and there are definitive transgressive horror cult classics. The Devils falls squarely in the latter, and Russell’s fearlessness in exploring taboos and wielding unholy imagery inspired Mohan’s approach to the escalating horror in Immaculate.
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