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r/TrueFilm•
inky95

Looking for some discussion on managing tension in horror movies...

Just recently got into reading/watching lots of horror, and I'm interested in the subject of tension.

After watching that video of Vonnegut explaining the shape of stories, I started thinking about a similar way to plot tension in horror.
Some questions I'm interested in:

  1. What does the 'prototypical horror story' tension graph look like?
  2. How could graphs like this be used to inform the ever-present discussion of the validity of 'jump-scares' in modern horror?
  3. Is it possible to visually show how various creators of horror stories manage tension differently? Kubrick vs Hitchcock vs Del Toro vs Carpenter, or maybe Stephen King vs Edgar Allen Poe.

Maybe similar discussions have already taken place, and my Google-Fu just isn't good enough to find them- in which case, could you smart film-fans do me the favor of pointing me in the right direction of further reading?

Posted Apr 26, 2019, 8:45 PM UTC

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GobblignashGo watch Lily Chou-Chou•

Well firstly Vonnegut is talking about dramatic turningpoints, not tension. You can't really put down "tension" on a graph, because tension is the opposite of turningpoints, tension is what happens when we eagerly await the next turningpoint in the story, we can't see the graph yet. That said:

What does the 'prototypical horror story' tension graph look like?

Leaving tension out of it, the normal horror story would look like:

Establish an irrelevant character getting killed in a vague way (optional). Introduce main character in a normal situation. Main character to exposition'd (in some cases related to the first scene) of evil threat. Evil threat displays why it's a threat by attacking main character/killing side character (usually the "expert" or "the cocky one"). Main character gathers more information how to stop evil being (usually visits the "professor" or "doctor" character). Evil being get's exposition backstory (last piece of the puzzle being revealed). Evil being attacks for the last time, kills last side character, main character emerges victorious. Twist ending where the bad guys win anyway (optional).

How could graphs like this be used to inform the ever-present discussion of the validity of 'jump-scares' in modern horror?

Jump scares are the filmmaking equivalent of having a sad puppy instead of real drama. Sure a sad puppy is sometimes sad, and sometimes a scene like that might be good filmmaking, but in most cases it's poor filmmakers using a tried and "true" formula to provoke a predictable reaction.

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inky95OP•

Hey Gobbli - thanks for the well-thought-out reply, even though you disagreed with the premise that my question was based on.

Your 'normal horror story' is spot-on, I think.
I don't think I agree that tension can't be (roughly) quantitatively represented, but instead of trying to convince you otherwise, I think my follow-up question would be:

What do you think is the best-paced (or worst-paced, if you feel like it) horror movie of the last 20 years? Why?

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GobblignashGo watch Lily Chou-Chou•

I wouldn't say that tension can't be discussed in an informed way, but tension are slaves to the scenes they're in, scenes have tension, narratives do not. Narratives have scenes which have tension. You definitely can point to singular scenes and filmmaking techniques which create tension, but you don't build narratives from the stuff (unless you make short films).

As far as best pacing, psshhh, can't think of one at the top of my head really. Horror movies tend to be around 90 minutes the lot so very few of them drag. Can't really think of one where I noticed the pacing being excellent. Most of them sort of drag in the beginning in order to establish to boring ordinary character we're about to care about.

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npcdel•

Main character gathers more information how to stop evil being (usually visits the "professor" or "doctor" character).

Just want to point out, this is one of the geniuses of Ghostbusters; horror/adventure movies are often pretty reactionary - only by approaching the ancient demon on their terms, or using an amulet from their time to banish them can the heroes succeed. The 'Busters reject that and say "nah, son, science beats history" It's a subtle thing, but it's one of the reasons it holds up so well.

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ASmartKid24•

If you want to understand how tension builds up in a horror movie, you probably need to take a step back and focus first on the concept of "horror". Specifically: how is the feeling of horror perceived by the audience?

Check out Noël Carroll's essay The Philosophy of Horror, or, Paradoxes of the Heart. In this book, Carroll tries to define how the sense of horror emerges from the images on the screen and reaches the viewers, turning fear and disgust into enjoyment.

A recent movie that in my opinion managed to do a really good job in keeping the tension high from start to finish is Hereditary. You may or may not like it, but that's not the point. Try to watch it while focusing on the themes explored and how they are represented, and look at how the gradual development of key elements (the complex family relationship, the grieving process, the focus on introspection) is tightly connected to the stylistic approach, such as the way the eerie soundtrack by Colin Stetson perfectly merges with the horrifying and unsettling imagery showed.

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inky95OP•

Yes! Hereditary is a great example. Like if I had to graph it, the tension on that one was a straight diagonal line. No moments to rest for the characters, absolutely no catharsis for the viewers... just increasingly high-stakes shit. And I don't know how I feel about that.

I find horror uniquely hard to parse.... I was uncomfortable throughout the whole movie. But maybe that was the idea. The more I type, the more I realise I probably just need to read the essay(/book?!) you recommended.

I guess my question for you is... do you think the end-goal of a good horror film is to keep the tension high all the way from start to finish?

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ASmartKid24•

I think that the end-goal of a good horror film should be the "production" of a feeling that we as viewers could perceive as horror. Keeping the tension high from start to finish is one way to achieve it, but it depends on how it is effectively done. Mad Max: Fury Road does that but it's not a horror movie. In my opinion there should be a balance between the horrific elements, the tension aspect and the narration. In Rosemary's Baby, for example, there's no practical need to keep the tension high throughout the whole movie, because the story doesn't require it.

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