Suspense created in horror films

Suspense is one of the main conventions used in horror films. It keeps the audience on edge and wanting to carry on watching the film. Suspense can be created through a number of different ways, such as camera angles, music, lighting, and long pauses. Directors can use camera angles to create suspense by only showing the viewer what they want them to see. They can use close ups to show characters emotions or long shots to show the whole scene. This creates tension as the viewer can see everything happening and they can see what the characters are feeling. An effective way of creating suspense using camera angles would be to use point of view shots, from the killer for example. By doing this, the audience will be able to see the victim as the killer is coming towards them, which will build up suspense. The camera angle could also be from the victim’s point of view which would place the audience in the film, so they would feel part of it.
An example of where the camera is from the killer’s point of view is in the opening sequence of Halloween. This builds up suspense as the audience does not know who the character is, but they can see that they have the intention of killing someone when they pick up a knife. The music also builds up suspense as it is low and eerie throughout this scene creating tension and keeping the audience on edge. When the killer puts the mask on, this places the audience behind the mask, so they can only see what is happening through the eye holes. At the end of this sequence, the killer is revealed as the victims little brother which would shock the audience and make them want to carry on watching the film.





Another way to create suspense is to use music and lighting. The way that lighting can be used to build up suspense in horror films would be to use dark lighting or shadows. This creates suspense because the audience cannot see what is happening properly, or if the killers face is not revealed, this would also build up tension. Furthermore, in murder scenes, the music usually starts of low, and then gets louder and more tense. This is effective as the audience know that something is going to happen, but they don’t know what. Also, another way to create suspense would be to use other sounds, for example in The Grudge, the noise that the grudge makes builds up suspense as the audience don’t know what is making the noise. In the clip below, when the girl is in the phone box, the grudge is making the noise, and there is loud music playing as well to make the audience anxious. There are also a lot of close ups to show emotion which is effective as it shows the audience the characters feelings.



An example of a film where suspense is created is Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. The famous shower scene builds up suspense and keeps the audience on edge throughout. The music at the beginning of the scene creates tension as it starts of with a fast pace. Then the camera pans to the girl getting into the shower and the music stops, leaving the sound of the shower. The camera keeps switching from the girl to the showerhead. The suspense is created when there is a long shot of the victim having a shower and the audience can see the shadow of the killer behind the shower curtain. This is effective as the audience can see the killer coming; however the victim does not know what is happening. Then the shower curtain is pulled back, revealing the killer and the camera switches at a fast pace from the knife to close ups of the victims face to show fear. The music is fast and we can hear the girl screaming. There are close ups of blood running down the bath which emphasise what is happening. At the end of this scene, the music starts to slow down and there is a close up of the victims face once she has been killed.