Jump scares

Jump scares are based on what the theory of fear is - fear is the buildup and time in between when you think something will happen to when it actually happens.

There are 6 factors that will help your jump scare; Breadcrumbs, Buildup, Misdirection, Limited view, Sting and Threat.

Breadcrumbs is an indication that something scary is likely to happen e.g things open on their own, strange sounds start to occur, etc… A famous example of this is the music in Jaws the (dun dun dun dun dun dun) music when you know the shark is near but cannot see it. Each breadcrumb raises our anxiety a bit more and like a balloon inflating until it pops. For most great jump scares you have to make the viewer wait and drag out the scene as the buildup until the tension is too much.

Filmmakers is an indication that something scary is likely to happen e.g things open on their own, strange sounds start to occur, etc… A famous example of this is the music in Jaws the (dun dun dun dun dun dun) music when you know the shark is near but cannot see it. Each breadcrumb raises our anxiety a bit more and like a balloon inflating until it pops. For most great jump scares you have to make the viewer wait and drag out the scene as the

“There is no terror in the bang. Only in the anticipation of it.” Alfred Hitchcock

A common and effective but often overused form of misdirection is the mirror trope where for example the protagonist opens a medicine cabinet. This technique was first used in Roman Polanski’s film ‘Repulsion’ which was released in 1965.

Anything you can do to limit the view of the character is good. Through that anxiety and tension is always increased because audiences do not know as much as they would like to. There are 2 ways of accomplishing the limited view - camera and lighting. Some common tricks are to use flashed from a camera, others can use night vision goggles or light from a flame. All of these limit the surface of what we can see making us uneasy and unsafe. You can still make scary scenes during the day however, these need a bigger build up.

The more confined you are and less information you have about the situation, that's when it’s scary. Camera movements can also force you into areas you wouldn’t normally choose to go as they make you follow the character and that therefore puts you in their shoes.

Sometimes if the camera holds still that can be equally anxious as we are used to movement and cutting.

When something does happen it is usually accompanied by a loud sound known as the sting.

A good example of the use of stings can be seen in the opening credits of ‘Insidious’. The crash accentuates the moment we are supposed to be scared. A sting can only really work well with a good build up.

In a lot of movies there is an element of threats not being real. For example cats are used a lot of fake jump scares as something the audience were not expecting. And while something might make you jump, it is not a threat. One of the most famous fake scares is in the 1942 film ‘Cat People’ where a bus suddenly arrives in the shot accompanied by the sting. This has gone on to be known as the Lewton Bus Technique named after the director Val Lewton.

There is a problem with these fake scares though, because if they are overused, they will just damage the story and further jump scares. So, the best way to use a jump scare is to not overuse it. Too many jump scares takes away from the impact it has the possibility of creating.

And although jump scares can make a horror movie more scary, they are not necessarily needed. This is shown by ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ which won the best picture winner with no one jump scares in it. Even the ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ only has two.

So, to sum up, remember a jump scare is not always needed but, to make it as good as it can and use the 6 factors to create a successful jump scare!