more horror research
Research of horror
The best of horror through the decades/the mention of music and instruments:
The best of horror through the decades according to these website .
1920s Nosferatu (1922) this is a silent German film and is fictional character that is a vampire that preys on the wife of an estate agent and brings plague to their town. the person on this website says its terrifying and hasn’t an ounce of horror. I would have to see it to say whether if I do think its terrifying enough or not.
This is a list that I found online when I research horror films but I didn’t end up using any of them because I didn’t like the sound of them by the names I should of listened to them properly but I didn’t and none of them I seemed to know or heard of really.
So I didn’t think they would be known or not by the audience and we had some songs in mind that we wanted to do at college as well any way so these was just a list I could of gone to if needed . We don’t want the songs all to be from horror films which I think apart from pet semertary . The rest of the songs we are playing are not in any horror movies as I aware of, but I don’t know for sure.
Do people like horror and why?
Yes, people like horror they like horror movies because they are suspenseful and unpredictable and are also like because it has a collective of society’s fears people preferences are different when it comes to horror films some people like the really gory and ‘over the top horror’ some people don’t.
Some people like horror because they grew up watching certain horror with their families or friends they could go back and watches and has memories of childhood of when watching it. It’s that nostalgic feeling some people like but that’s not just with horror that could be with a type of series or film they watch when growing up.
People can turn to these films for a distraction or escape. Some people like horror because they can see their self in the characters as the characters are fighting for their lives and going through hell. Horror for some people it can help them with their darker sides of themselves by that when horror films have the story that follows serial killers and dark families or demons etc it explores into psychology of the darker nature like when you are feeling scared that helps to feel through the anxieties and fears.
Horror also makes us wonder and be the mystery behind it and what, why and how could people do these kinds of things to people. such as how could someone kill their entire family and why what was the reason for ? Did they have a motive for that ? Was their reason good enough for what they did ? If they ever a good enough reason for doing such things like that ?Why would someone give their self-up to their darker side ? What makes that inner dark side out ? Where do these feelings and thoughts come from and why can they be explained ? Even when we don’t understand these things the natural mystery behind it pulls us in .
People like to watch horror for the adrenaline horror is the genre to be scared people enjoy the feeling people. Some people with anxiety apparently can find horror relaxing.
Many horror films explore social issues they explore topics like racism or fascism or what happens with toxic family breakdown. the genre helps us took at these topics and get better understanding with it too.
Why is music important in horror?
We have it in films for atmosphere is there to set the pace of the movie and how the create the atmosphere by using music is using sound effects when things are happening they use it to create a scary atmosphere for the audience watching. The film maker can use the sound effects to mimic heartbeats or bangs or laughing sounds like a child laughing which people find creepy and increases the level of scariness.
Instruments are used in music and used in a way to make sounds that sound horror like the violins descending down the notes and unusual instruments that you wouldn’t hear in let's say the more contemporary type of music. Instruments such as a waterphone which is in harmonic acoustic percussion instrument. The waterphone creates a mysterious sound by using it. it leads the listeners /audience into a nervous and shaky mood, and it was invented by the end of the 60s the person who made it was American Richard waters.
Another one is blaster beam which is a string electric instrument which is made up of around 24 piano strings and moveable pickups it is used to create the dark and sinister sound. the theremin instrument which is an electronic musical instrument which is controlled without physical contact by the performer it is used to create an eerie and unsettling atmosphere. The violin is used by stabbing which is staccato strings that create a horrible dissonant sound and its uncomfortable to listen to.
By using sound effects its important they are high quality like if you are using them for a bang or a person screams or a creaky door etc they need to sound realistic if they are not realistic it's hard to create that tension that you want and some films you want to make the audience jump by using music and sound effects that’s what makes horror films so scary .
So, type of notes and scales do we use?
Well we used minor and tritones minor has that sad sound to it and it has the difference of the 3rd being flat the major sound is classed as happy sounding use different keys that change the mood emotions if you use major it will create the sense of positivity and happy because of that reason the composer use minor keys for horror movies as the minor keys tend to make us feel sad or concerned to some people it may come off as off key which can give the sense that something is about to happen in the film .
For an example Halloween theme song in that is written in f# minor which creates an eerie and spooky atmosphere and is used when he is around the victim and about to kill someone .Also what is used is a tritone which is two notes that are three tones apart and is known as the ‘devil in music’ by using this it creates the effect of dissonance it makes the music sound unstable and unfinished and this creates the feeling of being on edge and unsure of what’s going to happen and is exactly what the composer wants us to think and feel and that’s why the use it.
Another thing to consider is dynamics and silence by adding dynamics it builds suspense and makes things feel more intense which makes you get on the edge of your seat .When there is a scene and something is going to happen the music is lowered and then all of a sudden there’s loud music or a loud effect that makes get up or jump. But even though music is a part of horror and creates all these different things it also just as important to have moments of silence by having silence it leaves wondering what’s going to happen? Where has the characters gone when this happens it draws the audience in.
Music is used in moment to highlight certain moments in horror films such as finally getting away from the killer and surviving it when something good happens maybe when you get help. Music is used for emotions the writer and director want to get to your emotions they want to feel what the characters are feeling they need to feel something the fear that you or the characters fears might have if you didn’t feel like this then it wouldn’t be classed as a horror then would it?
Lastly music is used to highlight certain parts and section of the movie each soundtrack being used at specific time of the film gives the film a different feel in each scene /part this why you might forget some parts of the film, but other parts stay stuck in your mind. They are more memorable and something about that scene that stick in your mind maybe because of what happened? or how it made you felt at that time? Etc.
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