I get it. They want the audience to feel the same fear the character is feeling in the moment. But to me, a jump scare is pretty much the laziest way to do that. And for people like me with already existing anxiety issues, it makes the rest of the movie an unpleasant experience. Instead of engaging with the story, I’m just trying to protect myself against the next time this mystery movie, or whatever, wants to scare the shit out of me. I’ve been an avid movie goer for years, but the problem has me thinking I might start watching most movies at home now where I can control the volume.
I’m sick of jump scares in any movie. They are a lazy technique.
I tend to agree. But at least its expected in a horror movie. You go knowing what you’re getting yourself into. It’s the lack of expectation that makes it even worse in non-horror movies.
Any movie! A jump scare in a horror movie is super boring it is not horror it is not clever or ever used well. It is just boring!
I have always admired John Carpenter for working in the opposite direction. He likes to show you a scene where you gradually realize that something is wrong. When you do, you get the same adrenaline jolt as from a jump scare. Or he will show you something terrifying that is going to happen, then make you wait while watching it arrive.
I haven’t watched much of John Carpenter’s work, so I can’t comment on this sentiment particularly, but I have always liked a psychological trick Terry Pratchett used to describe the machinations of Granny Weatherwax and her approach to stealth. (Yeesh, I need to read those books again, it’s been years.)
I can’t remember the exact quote and won’t do it justice, but the message is something like “over time you noticed a familiar shape in the darkness, something like a coat, then you noticed what might have been a boot, then suddenly you realized she has always been there.”
Sir Pterry doesn’t use it in the context of horror, at least not for the reader, but I feel like it would fit that well.
Amazing quote but real quick if you haven’t seen Carpenter’s The Thing go do so immediately. Best horror movie in my book and wish daily I could watch it for the first time again.
Oh, I have. Good movie. Still not sure who’s the Thing at the end.
Even in scary movies,
spoiler
I was really enjoying Send Help but then they threw in this stupid jump scare I can’t even remember and the rest of the movie kinda sucked, luckily it was near the end.
Ugh.
Thanks for the warning.
Ope :( Fixed it.
Was this prompted by
Tap for spoiler
Project Hail Mary by chance? If so, i thought that scene was particularly bad because it was totally out of character for Rocky in the rest of the film. Two highly intelligent individuals from species trying to make first contact and one of them decides to slam itself into the barrier before announcing its presence in a non threatening way.
overall i loved the movie but that was one thing that should have been done better, or not at all.
One hundred percent spot on.
I don’t like jump scares, even in horror movies. I feel like they use jump scares and excessive gore as cheat codes when they can’t write a decent plot.
Edit: Not that excessive gore bothers me, and it can be cool at times, but it needs to be backed up by a decent story or its pointless to me.
They should just include jump scares in the movie rating so people who don’t like them can avoid them. It’s like listing main ingredients in menu food descriptions. I don’t like mushrooms, but I can understand that others might like them included. Just let me know what dishes they’re in.
I can’t say I agree or even recognise this as a problem with films themselves, but I’m very sympathetic as I know someone who also avoids many films because of their panic disorder. They also mostly watch at home now, unless it’s something very light with minimal shocks.
Extend this to Horror movies.
Jump scares really are a fucking cop out and just tell me that the writers aren’t very creative
Amazingly though, jump scare pranks are quite popular in the low effort short videos communities.
