This week: Observe Alfred Hitchcock Movies Edited by: Lornda More Newsletters By This Editor
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Quotes from Alfred Hitchcock:
"There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it."
"A glimpse into the world proves that horror is nothing other than reality."
"Give them pleasure. The same pleasure they have when they wake up from a nightmare."
Watch Alfred Hitchcock movies to improve your horror/scary writing.
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“Always make the audience suffer as much as possible.”
Alfred Hitchcock was the one responsible for the opening quote. If you’ve ever seen his movies, the quote makes a lot of sense. His career lasted for sixty years, and even though he was a filmmaker and an expert at scaring people, he was no Stephen King when it came to writing. Hitchcock did supervise and guide the writers through the draft process. He insisted they include every attention to detail especially for the visual aspect of the movie.
Even though his movies were released in the dark ages , by watching and observing the scenes it can help with your own writing. As an example, the movie Psycho has a famous shower scene. Hitchcock made it so scary that the actress, Janet Leigh, never wanted to shower again. If you think about that scene, it now plants in the heads of everyone how vulnerable they are in a shower. How can you use this type of frightening scene in your writing? Here are a few tips to consider by examining what Alfred Hitchcock accomplished in his movies.
Take chances. He knew exactly how to remove people from their comfort zones. There was no room for boredom. So what does this mean for you as a writer? Avoid pages of backstory and endless descriptions. People want to be entertained.
Create empathetic characters. While readers want a happy ending, make sure the characters earn them. They have to go through a horrific situation so the readers feel a strong emotional attachment. For example, back to the shower scene in Psycho, we learn the main character is on the run from the police because she robbed a bank. We didn’t expect her to meet a horrible death at the Bates Motel.
Become an observer of the human condition. Everyone has a dark side so never take anything at face value. Be suspicious of possessions, settings, body language, and speech patterns.
Visualize the scene. Think of each scene like a picture and not a book. The setting is important and it can add suspense and layers to the mood of the character. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. Take a page from the Hitchcock movies when it came to the settings, most of the time, they were shot in one room, like the movie the Rope and Rear Window.
The next time you need to search for inspiration to write horror, try going back to the dark ages and watch a Hitchcock movie or two. Observe how the scary scene builds and before you know it, you’ll be making the readers suffer as much as possible!
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