Psychological Affects of Sound in Horror Productions (12/8-12/12)

   Production companies and script writers tend to utilize psychology within horror films. Sounds tends to carry frightening affects when used properly, and directors who work in association with composers take advantage of this feature in order to scare audiences even more with auditory facets as well as visual. To achieve proper atmosphere and tone evocation, score composers and sound managers must consider how hearing a certain pitch will be received by the viewership. V Renee reflects upon the most terrifying sounds in horror film history: "...the cawing from The Birds...the screeching violins from Psycho..."
   So why do sounds make us scared? Stylistic affects such as repetition of background beat and sound motifs create ominous atmospheres as well as a signal for foreshadowing. The article states that "The 'It's Okay to Be Smart' episode explains that there are two ways that sounds can be scary: by being sudden, or by generating a "frightful" tone. And sound causes an interesting reaction in the brain in terms of fear that is quite different from the reaction the brain experiences from seeing something scary." From an evolutionary perspective, humans retain sound faster than the brain processes sight. So, in primitive situations sound acted as defense from predators and potential danger (this can be reflected in the behavior of animals today as most maintain acute auditory senses to keep aware of their surroundings.) Accordingly to psychological studies conducted by the APA (American Psychology Association), the "fight-or-flight" response is more highly triggered by sound.
   Horror films tend to use "nonlinear sounds" that include rapid frequencies, nonstandard harmonies, loud pitches, noise, and cacophony (with sound from dialogue). These types of sounds commonly utilized in films such as Paranormal Activity, Psycho, and Bates Motel, are made by the theremin and trautonium (early electronic musical instruments controlled without physical contact), which are better known as Shepard Tone, a sound consisting of a superposition of sine waves separated by octaves, which gives the illusion that the tone is getting increasingly lower or higher.

This YouTube link explains this in extensive detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5qf9O6c20o.

Sound psychology is such an important aspect of horror movies. I find it interesting how pivotal it is to create the perfectly suspenseful sound. As I've learned from personal experience, many viewers tend to cover their eyes in fear of what is to be visually displayed, so sound must be subsidiary sense to complement the other when it is missing. Researchers have also found that audiences are much less scared when watching horror films without sound since the brain is not producing the message that signals your cognitive processes to prepare for danger.

Renee, V. (2013, November 1). The Sound of Horror: Why Hearing Stuff is Scarier Than Actually Seeing

     Stuff. Retrieved December 11, 2014, from nofilmschool.com website: https://www.youtube.com/

     watch?v=w5qf9O6c20o

How the "Insidious" Series is Storming the Industry through Social Media (12/1-12/5)

   With the prevalent emergence of digital technology and connected communication being incorporated increasingly into general society, horror film companies and distributors have turned to social media as their outlet for marketing these movies. Grag explains that, "Hollywood or Bollywood, both the worlds are making an active presence on this medium and are trying to influence the users by swaying them with their fascinating campaigns." One recent production, Ouija (2014), utilized "Snapchat" ( a picture-messaging app) to post video clips and trailers featuring scenes from the movie in order to incite fans as well as connect to target audiences on easily accessible platforms. Widespread attention to elaborate campaigns and interactive, user-friendly sites creates intimacy with moviegoers, especially those anticipating the continuations of the Insidious series.
   Through Facebook, the Insidious fan-base expanded with the film's page reaching approximately 2.9 million likes. Status updates, replies to messages, and feedback to comments were used to obtain constant interaction on a global scale. Still-shots, cast interviews, and sneak-peek videos were posted to retain viewer attention as well as to continuously provide users with fresh content. One specialized strategy maintained in the beginning of the process was known as 'Casting Call', where submissions were accepted to potentially receive small roles in the movie. Users asked to share their knowledge and admiration for the series as well as offer trendy hash tags that increased the brand's recognition.

   Twitter was an immense aid in the film's promotion. It served as a manner for users and company media representatives to 'blog' alongside users. Tweets posted included video clips, soundtrack information, and dialogue snippets; the aim was to keep viewers wanting more until the movie's release. The account retained about 4100 followers in total. A goal of social campaigning was to incite "viral" awareness by "retweeting" trending hash tags, creating a worldwide following throughout the course of the film. Grag states," It is very common to use the trending feature of Twitter for these movies such that as and when people start talking about them, they become a globalised trend and the virality increases automatically." The series is set to have a new addition added in 2015, entitled Insidious: Chapter Three. 

   Social media is one of the most widely used forms of communication and interaction in the modern Digital Age of this emerging generation. The film industry is taking advantage of the opportunity to reach users daily and connect in ways that engage moviegoers, creating the sense that viewers are part of the experience. By constantly updating, I, as a potential viewer, will be more likely to have the desire to watch the film; therefore, making the social media outlet an effective strategy for marketing and brand recognition. Twitter and Facebook pages have also already been created for the upcoming chapter to the series being released in  2015 known as Insidious: Chapter 3.


Garg, R. (2014, September 19). Insidious- Chapter 2, social media it is [blog]. Retrieved December
4, 2014, from SocialAppsHQ website: http://www.socialappshq.com/blog/2013/09/19/
insidious-chapter-2-social-media-it-is/

Blumhouse Productions (11/24-11/28)

   Founded by Jason Blum (who worked as an independent producer for Warner Brothers and production director of multiple theater companies), Blumhouse Productions has become one of the most lucrative studio-film making companies that produces high grossing movies on extremely low budgets. The company created the popular Paranormal Activity series (which the first addition was $15,000 and utilized non-reputable actors that, some, made their breakthrough with the movie ) that collectively grossed $200 million worldwide, making it the most profitable in Hollywood industry history. Blumhouse Productions is also notorious for well-known horror films such as the Purge series, Ouija, and Insidious that have adapted into real-life attractions at theme parks like Universal Studios that hosts "Halloween Horror Nights" (contains exhibits and haunted house reenactments of the films).
   Blumhouse Productions has taken part in media convergence through the development of it's own publishing house (known as Blumhouse Books where short story and fiction writers can contribute their work in hopes of being recognized) and scripted television shows on channels such as HBO and SyFy. In addition, they have introduced live events in Los Angeles, California where visitors will experience an interactive haunted house. Recently, James Blum's company signed a potential crossover deal with Lionsgate to produce a television- contracted series.
   Blumhouse Productions has created some of the most highly acclaimed horror movies and their low-budget design schemes have allowed for extremely profitable films. Their convergence in media has allowed them to successfully crossover in the industry such as television and in turn, has provided of Jason Blum's Emmy nomination.

Paranormal Activity: One of the highest grossing films in history with one of the lowest budgets ever recorded.

About Blumhouse. (2012). Retrieved November 28, 2014, from blumhouse.com website: 

     http://blumhouse.com/about.php 

How Low Budget Horror Movies are Dominating the Industry (11/24-11/28)

     Why is it that, as an audience, we (without fail) shell out our money for cheap scary films even when we are disappointed by every cliche pop-up scene or the most complacent story lines? Horror movies have the insatiable ability to attract audiences with their low quality productions. Screenwriter John Sullivan ( who specializes in small scale horror) states how moviegoers are increasingly aware of the fact that these films are cheesy and receive sub-par ratings from critics, but what draws them is the adrenaline rush one experiences when vicariously living through the plot lines: viewers can imagine themselves investigating creaking stairs or over-analyzing the one time they could have sworn the kitchen drawer was just closed.  Many low-budget films such as the Paranormal Activity Series utilize obscure actors, simple, realistic set design, and "hand-held camera" type shots that reflect the premise of individual character recollection. The emergence of Netflix and YouTube being major distributors of these low budget horror films have contributed to the creation of two sets of audiences: 1) characterized by older generations who do recognize infamous stars and do not recognize the movie's inadequacies and 2) horror fans who will pay money to see anything related to the genre.
     Many low-budget horror films use locations that limit screenwriters.  John Sullivan states that "It does limit me a bit. I have to pull my punches on action sequences. I have to be frugal..." (time to shoot must be taken into account), and considers that production companies often take advantage of settings such as Canada, Romania, and Michigan that provide tax breaks. He argues that horror films shouldn't be costly in nature because fear is born from what cannot be seen.
    An important feature to consider with horror films is that many viewers go simply to laugh at cheesy dialogue, overused character archetypes, and atrocious acting. The scripts are often written quite expediently and producers do not rely on development (adaptations or direct-to-DVD) or revision to finish the story. Sullivan explains: "There's not a lot for rewriting or finessing. It's very run n' gun. At the end of the day, the production company wants a rad title and a cool poster."
    Horror films tend to allow new screenwriters opportunities to break into the industry and experiment on how audiences will react to formalist or realist story lines. Low-budget horror films have been dominating the box-office in recent years and although consumers are aware of these cheesy movies that usually follow the same format (time and time again), moviegoers will continue to want to either scare or laugh themselves to death.
    What seems to be an important (and apparent) appeal of horror films is that there seems to be a lack of disappointment accompanied with them. Audiences expect these productions to be either actually frightening or a comedic night out, and regardless: it's pure entertainment. Horror movies, such as Insidious and the Paranormal Series (one of the highest grossing films of 2009) rely on continuations of plot lines into sequels that continue to attract the same young-adult and older-aged audiences whom enjoy the scare simply because it's something different to watch. I also believe that it is a genius tactic that many of these low budget films are released simultaneously as other poorly-grossing movies come out; nevertheless, moviegoers have a choice of choosing a little thrill (as cheesy as it can potentially get) rather than sleeping through another drama or romance movie. In conclusion, low budget horror films aren't just stupid for the fun of it; they're stupid with a purpose.

Frappier, R. (2011). Confessions of a Low-Budget Horror Writer: Why We Love Campy Horror Movies. 

     Retrieved November 27, 2014, from http://screenrant.com/ 

     horror-movies-johnny-sullivan-interview-robf-137176/ 

"Screenrant" is an independent film and tv news website that interviews screenwriters, actors, producers, etc. They go behind the scenes on distribution, production, and marketing mechanisms.