What are common techniques in a horror film?

 What is the best way to scare our audience?

Horror films use different techniques to scare their audiences or create suspense in the plot.  Horror film cinematic techniques can range from visual effects to sound effects.  

Visual effects add more detail to the story.  They create imagery that enhances the suspense element in the movie for the audience to keep them engaged.  Low key lighting and shadow play create suspense by allowing the director to use a contrast between light and dark that allows for shadows to be highlighted in the frame.  This shadowing gives an uneasy feeling for the audience by building tension in the scene and giving sense of danger in the darkness.  Sudden changes in brightness make the audience question what will happen next.  Dutch angles and distorted lenses are used in horror films to show disorientation and a sense of character imbalance.  Red herrings lead the audience to believe something will happen but in actuality something else happens.  They build suspense and surprise aspects for the audience.

I am only going to write a little about sound effects since I have already made a separate blog about sounds. Horror films use several types of eerie music and loud sounds.  These sounds build suspense and create intense emotions.  Low frequency sounds, such as a tuba or thunder, can be used in a horror film to increase an audience's heart rate which makes it easier to scare them.  Diegetic sounds create a sense of realism and the audience can feel involved.  Non-diegetic sounds establish mood and atmosphere in a scene.  Horror films will also use silence to produce isolation in the scene and with the audience as the character is left with their own thoughts.

As far as visual effects, we are not sure what will be used in our horror film.  We will need to see how things develop while we produce our film.  Sound effects are in a similar situation. We have a general idea of what sounds we want to use but do not have a complete idea about the sounds we are using. There may be some loud sounds, diegetic sounds, and non-diegetic sounds.  I feel like silence will add to the suspense of our storyline. We will see what we can use to scare everyone watching the film!