Elements of Successful Horror Media
It has been three days since I saw The Woman in Black, and I am still jumping at shadows. This is the true sign of a good horror movie (or book)—not whether or not you think the ending could have been different, not whether or not you thought a few scenes were unbelievable, but whether or not it sticks with you and the scare continues long after the lights have come on.
Just how do you do that, though? Knowing whether or not your choices will affect people deeply is hard, so the first step, I think, is to know what scares you. Whether it’s a graveyard or a creepy old house or clowns, make sure you include it in the way that it scares you (all of these items, incidentally, are included in the film above).
Next, select elements that prey on people’s biggest fears. Successful movies like 28 Days Later and I Am Legend, for example, are so scary because they feed off of our collective fear of the world ending—or, worse, what happens when most of civilization is gone and what the rest of us have to deal with. Movies like The Woman in Black and I Am Legend also deal with losing children—as do many other horror movies—which is the ultimate horror for a huge percentage of the population, including parents, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. I keep worrying that I’ll see her, and I have a young child. That’s pretty terrifying, if you know what happens after you see her—and I’ve been avoiding windows ever since!
While a good scary movie should not have endless gory sequences—this is just pure laziness in MOST cases, as I have seen—it should have a couple of really strong visuals that stick with you after the movie. These are the ones that will likely pop into your head long after seeing the film or reading the book—whether it’s Bev’s blood-in-the-bathroom scene from It (one of my most haunting scenes, though there were several) or the creepy monster with eyes on his hands in Pan’s Labyrinth (again, among many stunning yet terrifying visuals).
Finally, a good scary piece of media has you constantly looking over your shoulder—and this is often accomplished with subtleties that can be hard to master. Creeping dread that is done with a lot of building tension and there, then not-there imagery that makes you jump hard is a good way to establish this. Once you master that, let me know how it’s done!






