horror films

U.S.Amateurfilmaker · Post by **U.S.Amateurfilmaker** » Wed Aug 20, 2003 7:42 pm

Has anyone tried to do a scary movie, I mean SCARY, not one of those things that you think will be scary, but ends up getting laughs in the end. If you did get people to scream, wet their pants, etc, I would really appreciate it if you could give me some tips!

2nd_Recon · Post by **2nd_Recon** » Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:44 pm

The only tips I have is go Excorcist/Shining. Meaning, If all's quiet as you pan across a room, have a cat loudly jump into shot. Also, for the Shining effect, trap the victims alone in the house with the killer

SgtPadrino · Post by **SgtPadrino** » Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:45 pm

The scariest thing you can do is attack the mind - never show a scary act happening, cut out right before a grisly murder is about to happen, play mind games with your audience. A perfect example of this is 'The Mothman Prophecies.' That was one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. And above all else, remember this - BLOOD ISN'T SCARY, SO DON'T OVERDO IT.

U.S.Amateurfilmaker · Post by **U.S.Amateurfilmaker** » Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:51 pm

Thanks, I'll take those bits of advice. However, one thing that really sucks is that when you show it to a group of friends, they will laugh the whole way through if it involves actors that they too are friends with, no matter how scary it is. (ie: oh, look how stupid he looks in tat costume) It totally defeats the purpose of the entire film!

But, i guess you can't go wrong with a comedy!

foxwood · Post by **foxwood** » Wed Aug 20, 2003 10:10 pm

don't show everything look at phyco, or anything hitchcock did, and play with the mind, look at Silet Hill1-3 for the playstation scary stuff that all works with the mind low light, and such helps as well.

Ornsack · Post by **Ornsack** » Wed Aug 20, 2003 10:37 pm

We managed to scare my sister at least when we did Shosk... Basically we just did lots of slow paced and quiet scenes and then when we wanted things to get scary we made things fast paced with loads of loud and scary noises on top of each other.

View This (with the sound up!) - 1.37mb

U.S.Amateurfilmaker · Wed Aug 20, 2003 11:14 pm

that was pretty cool. Just a quick quetsion, what kind of camera did you use?

BrownCowStudios · Post by **BrownCowStudios** » Wed Aug 20, 2003 11:20 pm

On top of all that, be original! Have your killer be different than most Hollywood stereotypes, and have the killer actually have a reason for killing the victims...

Of course, you could always base it on an Urban myth or legend, that scares people because it's semi-real to them...

U.S.Amateurfilmaker · Wed Aug 20, 2003 11:51 pm

not a bad idea...

Ornsack · Post by **Ornsack** » Wed Aug 20, 2003 11:57 pm

Originally posted by U.S.Amateurfilmaker
that was pretty cool. Just a quick quetsion, what kind of camera did you use?

An old VHS-C one! (That clips a good few years old now) But it was graded down to a darky bluey colour with a low exposure to make it seem like early morning.

U.S.Amateurfilmaker · Thu Aug 21, 2003 12:25 am

wow! From what I could see it lacked that "camcorder" look... Did you just de-interlace it, or did you apply other effects?

Ornsack · Post by **Ornsack** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 12:47 am

Really? I was scared we'd get the 'Blair Witch' look! That's good to know.

It was Deinterlaced, well technically it was. It was all edited at Pal Video CD resolution (352x288) which means there's no room for interlacedness. I guess the grading of colours also help get rid of the video camera look.

Deinterlaced PAL is also 25fps which isn't far off from film and looks less smooth than deinterlaced NTSC.

I can't believe I've had yet another interlacing based rant on this forum! Argh!

Sayhi · Post by **Sayhi** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 1:04 am

One of the most scary things in a film is an empty town. Not ghost town...
The thing about an empty town is that it gives you that the actor can't escape and will allways be chased. I don't think films like scream were scary because the main actor could face the killer/bad guy/... (e.g. she punches him and bolts out of the room) so the threat must be sth. really scary. Maby supernatural. What do you say about it?

Ornsack · Post by **Ornsack** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 1:05 am

I say... 28 Days Later! Yay!

foxwood · Post by **foxwood** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 1:07 am

Ya those first shoots of empty London were really strange, I think it was lost on some Americans because even though they know what big citys look like the fact that they hadn't been to london made it less creepy, even though I was mystifed by it, as I have been to London, and walked across that bridge, and such.

Sayhi · Post by **Sayhi** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 1:10 am

How about adding some strange residents (it must not be a ghost town) and some profecies? Maybe the residents are allways affraid about sth. and everything seems strange. The time seems to have stopped, a strange wind is blowing in the night etc. (or maybe this ''strange scilence'' thing)

2nd_Recon · Post by **2nd_Recon** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 2:03 am

Make the bad guy be able to hide in plain sight. Like a demon who can become anyone and anything. So that nowhere is safe

bangoker · Post by **bangoker** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 2:47 am

and GREAT audio, I think audio is vital for scary movies

U.S.Amateurfilmaker · Post by **U.S.Amateurfilmaker** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 6:50 am

The "the killer could be anyone" tip sounds GREAT!

Audio is also important... I wish there was somewhere i can get those heart-pounding orchestral scores they have in most scary movies, anyone know where to get these, I've looked but turned up nothing

Grant · Post by **Grant** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 9:32 am

I think a good soundtrack makes most movies effective

foxwood · Post by **foxwood** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 11:58 am

you have got to use sound corectly, and you have to set stuff up very well like sign, they set up wach aliean incounter so that even a leg would scares the p*** out of you.

2nd_Recon · Post by **2nd_Recon** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 4:20 pm

The killer could be anyone. Theres nothing more damaging to the phyce than having, say, the pope coming at you with a knife.

Sayhi · Post by **Sayhi** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 6:55 pm

Come on...don't push it. Anyone but the Pope.

XeFx309 · Post by **XeFx309** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 8:49 pm

You have to learn how to make scary shots, study the scariest movie you have seen and study how they make it scary. (How they pan, how they shoot it, music, etc.)

That's my advice.

foxwood · Post by **foxwood** » Thu Aug 21, 2003 8:51 pm

Watch Hitchcock and M. Night Sha...crazy indean name, he did the sixth sence and signs.