SO, WHAT MAKES A GOOD HORROR?

There are certain things which are key to making a good horror film. Doing these things right can really boost the success of the film.

One key thing for me, as an audience member is the music. I want the music to warn me when something bad is going to happen. The music should build and get an audience on the edge of their seats waiting for the action and waiting for the jump.

(Jaws, 1975)

In my opinion, and probably many other horror fans, the best and most iconic horror movie music has to be the Jaws theme. Not only is it one of the most iconic horror film sound tracks, but arguably one of the most iconic sound tracks in film history. The music builds as the shark draws closer and closer and does a great job at keep an audience on edge.

Something else an audience wants in horror movies is someone to root for. As an audience we don't watch a horror film to watch everyone get killed, or it would be pretty boring. There is almost always someone to root for. Whether they just survive the events of the film, or if they actually manage to save the day.

The Scream franchise does a great job at making the audience root for the hero, Sidney.

Every film there's a creepy guy in a mask out to kill her, and she always manages to survive while stopping their killing spree. While it must feel horrible to have people constantly trying to kill you, the Scream films would not be the same without her. (Scream, 1996)

With every hero in a horror film, there must be a villain. Of course this is not always a person. It could be a shark, a doll or even a dancing clown. But no matter what type of villain, they always bring a sense of fear to the film. As audience we want to be scared, we want to be screaming at the screen telling the hero to run faster, we want to feel to need to hug

the cushion on the sofa while the killer stalks his latest victim.

And one of the most iconic villains has to be Jason Voorhees from Friday 13th.

From the hockey mask to the machete, everything about the character is perfect for a horror movie villain.

(Friday 13th, 1980)

This last one, for me is more of a pet peeve. Something I really don't like to see in horror films is unrealistic effects. I know a lot of people would probably disagree with me on this one, but in my opinion, the new IT is not as scary as the old one. One scene which did it for me was in the opening of the IT (2017) when Pennywise killed Georgie. The teeth for me just look too unrealistic to be scary. But the older Pennywise from IT (1990) his teeth looked real, they didn't look like CGI/animation. I get that now horror films have to be bigger and more scary, and the visual effects have come on a long way since then, but I find horror films much scarier if its something I could believe was real. I do still like the new IT films, but the originals will always have a place in my horror loving heart.

(IT, 2017)