It\u2019s time to bust out the Ouija boards and ghoul costumes, because we\u2019re officially in spooky season! Since this is the month we like to binge all of our favorite horror movies, you might be inspired to create one yourself. Here, we\u2019ve assembled a list of advice from acclaimed horror filmmakers on how you can effectively scare audiences in your next project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince I decided to dedicate myself to the cinema, I was committed to making films that had social impact and significance. Talking about the recent history of my country and the wounds left by the war, which is unknown to almost everyone, was necessary. I was aware that Guatemalans do not want to address the issue of genocide, because it is a painful topic and because they want to deny the suffering of the native populace. Putting those two subjects together, it seemed to me that \u2018La Llorona\u2019 could be the perfect metaphor to talk about my country and to touch on a subject that everyone avoids.\u201d \u2014<\/strong>Jayro Bustamante<\/mark><\/strong><\/a> (director of \u201cLa Llorona\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe thing that I am very humbled to have happen when I make something\u2014which is something that was previously invisible or an experience that people have had that felt personal and unexplainable\u2014[is when it] becomes something that there is now common language to discuss.\u201d \u2014<\/strong>Jane Schoenbrun<\/mark><\/strong><\/a> (director of \u201cI Saw the TV Glow\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wanted to make a scary movie that was relatable and set in the real world. For me, there\u2019s nothing scarier than someone watching something and thinking, That could actually happen to me.\u201d \u2014<\/strong>Dave Franco<\/mark><\/strong><\/a> (director of \u201cThe Rental\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s what the best art does, it starts the conversation. What you may see in a scene or a line isn\u2019t what I might see, but that conversation we have, that\u2019s how we move forward. I don\u2019t want to say you should censor yourselves, but the storyteller should be able to defend why a narrative needed to shift that way or should only be told this way. A lot of people have never had to defend [their choices] and it\u2019s evident in which stories have gotten told.\u201d \u2014<\/strong>Misha Green<\/mark><\/strong><\/a> (showrunner and director of \u201cLovecraft Country\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think that as much as you have to always be open to the dialogue with your crew and with the people collaborating with you, you still have to never make any compromises as far as your vision is concerned.\u201d \u2014<\/strong>Julia Ducournau<\/mark><\/strong><\/a> (director of \u201cTitane\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cConfidence is everything. It\u2019s the confidence to keep going and make choices and dedicate yourself to why you really love what you do. Taking a chance is what it\u2019s all about. It\u2019s really a scary thing.\u201d \u2014<\/strong>John Krasinski<\/mark><\/strong><\/a> (director and writer of \u201cA Quiet Place\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was anxious and nervous of this moment, because there was more falling onto me and I had more creative control. But I was ready for it; I wanted it. I was like, I\u2019m gonna take every swing I can and push it as far as I can and see what I can get away with. And I\u2019m laughing, because sometimes I\u2019m like, I can\u2019t believe I got away with all that.\u201d \u2014<\/strong>Justin Tipping<\/mark><\/strong><\/a> (director of \u201cHim\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s about creating an atmosphere on set from day one so that when you do put the camera right up someone\u2019s nostrils to get a particular angle, they feel that you\u2019re doing it for a reason and that your creative intent is truthful and for the benefit of the movie. So they can relax knowing that we\u2019re not trying to steal something from them or be untruthful about what\u2019s going on. We want to have a real friendly relationship that\u2019s based on trust. We\u2019re working together.\u201d \u2014<\/strong>Toby Oliver<\/mark><\/strong><\/a> (DP of \u201cGet Out\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI work with actors in terms of helping them know where the best light is, and sometimes they can do me a favor and move a certain way that\u2019s better for the camera. There is very much a collaborative sense of working together in order to make them look better. That\u2019s how I think of our relationship: sharing my plan with them so they know, \u2018This is what you\u2019re going to do, so I will stand right there.\u2019 \u201d \u2014<\/strong>Pawel Pogorzelski<\/mark><\/strong><\/a> (DP of \u201cMidsommar\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou want to make things dark all the time to set the tone and the mood, but the producers want to see the actor\u2019s faces and I think the audiences want to see them just enough so that they can convey these nuances and subtleties of their character and of their current emotion in the scene. But at the same time, we don\u2019t want to take people out of the setting of the moodiness, for lack of a better word. So for me, it\u2019s really important to see them on set early on and how they react in different lighting scenarios so that we can push it a little bit. I kind of always err on the side of making people look good, so when they\u2019re not supposed to look good, I really have to force myself to do that lighting. Each person reacts differently in different light, so it\u2019s important for me to understand that early on and try to set it up for each actor where they come across in a good light, no pun intended. But it also fits the tone of the story. And I sometimes get nervous about asking them to move or look a certain way, but I try to encourage them to understand that it\u2019s in their best interest. And usually, they\u2019re really receptive because I try to build that relationship early on.\u201d \u2014<\/strong>James Kniest<\/mark><\/strong><\/a> (DP of \u201cThe Haunting of Bly Manor\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith the way [cinematographer Jarin Blaschke] and I work, the actors have to fold into the rhythm of the camera, which is kind of backward. But when we\u2019re designing shots, the idea is to tell the story and to support the emotion of the character.\u201d \u2014<\/strong>Robert Eggers<\/mark><\/strong><\/a> (director of \u201cNosferatu\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nBe secure in your vision.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
For cinematographers, collaborating with the actors helps the scares feel more natural.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Take it one step at a time.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n