How do you make a scene visually terrifying?
There is a lot that goes into making something scary. The sound design, characters, and visual techniques are used to make us feel on edge or shock us. But it’s the embrace and rejection of cinematic techniques that makes horror the best place for a filmmaker to flex their creative muscles.
The visual language of a horror film can be seen throughout almost all media. It is a genre that doesn’t restrict filmmakers to a set approach to cinematography. Instead, the genre wants filmmakers to go against the norm, bend and break the rules, and create a truly terrifying story.
Although we might know what makes a shot terrifying, understanding why it is scary is something that we often neglect. Film Riot breaks down a handful of techniques commonly used in horror films like shadows, uncommon camera angles, lack of lighting, and colors. You can check out their full video below.
Author: Alyssa Miller
This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
