Horror films take our deepest fears - those ideas and thoughts that are just so scary that we can't contemplate them becoming real - and ask the question "What if?" The fear of the unknown has to be the strongest human emotion and a good horror film can make us feel like we are experiencing our worst nightmare.
In my opinion, the human imagination will always be able to outdo any special effects and it is the suggestion of something terrifying that really scares. Seeing the monster in a film actually makes it a whole lot less scary that a shadow moving across that little gap beneath the door or a creak on the stairs. Deep down, we all know that monsters don't really exist – it takes a big suspension of belief to really feel scared by a horror film. When the film makers attempt to create something truly terrifying, they often get it a bit wrong – too unbelievable and the spell is broken.
A film that can unsettle us, which can invoke our deepest fears and revulsions, without relying on blood and gore tends to be far scarier than watching twelve disembowellings and a few decapitations. The lack of realism in such a film can also be a problem. When the monster gets blown up by a nuclear weapon and still doesn’t die? Yeah, by that point I am rolling my eyes and waiting for the credits. The fear of something terrifying happening to normal people in a normal setting is far scarier than something that attempts to shock the audience with litres of blood and guts.
But, in the end, like lots of things, what makes a good film
is different for every person. Unfortunately, there isn't a single
formula for coming up with the perfect horror.
