Horror and terror

Sound sets the tone, the mood, the mise-en-scene of the shot. Sound tells us much about the movie and also clarifies the situation. If we are to feel the suspense and fear of a scene, the background sounds get louder such as foot-steps and ticking clocks. A close-up of a sweating face in the dark tells us the person is scared of what might happen or that they just woke-up from a nightmare, depending on the sounds or lack thereof. Sound has great meaning in film when used creatively as a means of…

In one of the most infamous horror film scenes from Silence of the Lambs (1991, dir. Jonathan Demme), FBI agent Clarice Starling played by actress Jodie Foster staggers shaking and gasping for air as she tries to escape serial killer Buffalo Bill’s (actor ted levine) basement in the pitch darkness. The audience sees and follows Clarice through Bill’s night vision goggles. Placing the viewer in Bill’s perspective gives the popular human fear of being watched in the dark a terrifying realness.…

Out of all the things that make me joyful, one of them is when track season starts. I love going to the track meets and competing against other people. Track is honestly my number one favorite sport. On the other hand, something that makes me feel better when i’m gloomy is knowing that all my friends are there for me. Sometimes all I need is for them to hug me tight and tell me that everything is going to be okay. Strangely enough, being around my family makes me feel extremely secure and…

Blu-ray debut of the Oscar-winning dark comedy “Death Becomes Her” in a Collector’s Edition. Although it definitely fits into the supernatural realm, many would argue Robert Zemeckis’s 1992 hit is a little tame to be released under Shout Factory’s horror umbrella. Either way, it merits the extra special care it gets from the company. A star-studded cast headed up by Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, and Meryl Streep all give elegantly wicked performances based on a story by Martin Donovan (“The…

television show Orlock still frightened me to my core. Little did I know back then that that powerful character came from one of the most significant horror films. That is a strong statement, but I believe that F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu may be one of the greatest horror films made. Ninety years later and this movie is still heavily relevant in today’s horror scene. One of the scenes that is especially disturbing to me is when the camera is in the front door of Count Orlock’s decrepit castle and he…

Why is American in love with fear? There is a certain genre of movies called “Horrors”, which when a director creates the intense shock, fear, or disgust in their movies. These so called horror films include murders, ghosts, demons, monsters, and creature. Horrors get people’s hearts racing, and a movie like, The Children of the Corn, could leave some with the eebie-jeebies. Most people want to know why American’s enjoy the serial killing, ghost hunting flicks, but it all directly relates…

stories at camp? “Nobody comes to summer camp to have nightmares.” Indeed, Thurber made a valid point because the main focus for the camp is for young adults to be involved with the summer activities, not to dread the night recalling the memories of the horror stories. Thurber introduce another reason to eliminate such stories at camp, “We want kids to sleep well at night and enjoy the next day.” Studies have shown that as an…

As they secured my seatbelt my heart began to be faster and faster my palms were sweaty and my stomach has butterflies. My first time riding a roller coaster terrifying at first but an absolute black. My adrenaline was pumping and I was overcome by excitement. So, what is the allure of fear? It’s that rush of adrenaline that flood your body. People around the world seek that feeling that creepy scary feeling that can even be found in literature! In many pieces of literature you can see humans…

Imagine being placed in a horror story full of dread and isolation, would one be able to remain sane throughout their whole experience? Horror stories in all types of media from novels to films often focus on a protagonist eventually losing their mind, as well as their grasp on reality. This same idea is presented in each media; The Real Bad Friend written by Robert Bloch, The Others directed by Alejandro Amenábar, and I Am Legend directed by Francis Lawrence, where the protagonist slowly loses…

Why does the Ouija board get a bad rap? The Ouija Board is known as a talking board from the late eighteenth century for a novelty toy. It is merely a large board that has the alphabet, numerals, and a planchette to guide over the board. It has been known by many names throughout its history, but when the Parker Brothers' at Hasbro coined the named “Ouija” it stuck ever since. Its purpose from the early beginning of its journey was to decipher messages from the mysterious beyond through its…