TIPS TO AVOID STEREOTYPES IN HORROR MOVIE

I read from twitter that Adam Robitel was going to directing Insidious 4...well, he's one of my favorite Directors and I like his work since The Taking of Deborah Logan...good for you man, and I just can't wait to write it on my blog.


Here are some tips for...you know, making a good horror movie will be more difficult for the next decades. Common themes, thin plot twist, and spooky trick that should be made more creative because the level of audience horror is not the same as before.

You’re no longer able to scares people with just showing them awful creature or monster with sticking fangs whenever he want to suck your blood. Today, people made a lot of fun to horrible creature, just take a look what happened to Valak on Conjuring 2 that got tons of meme on the net. 

Therefore here are some tips for filmmakers or who want to start his career as a director of horror films to avoid being trapped by pathetic cliches or stories that easy to predict:

1. Bathroom Drama

Ghost appears in the toilet frequently, even Harry Potter brings up the ghost in toilet in character of Moaning Myrtle. The reason why ghost like the place it’s because they like damp and dark room, and toilets have those two, so don’t be surprised if there’s so many horror movies put the ghost appearance scene there. Moreover it was a good sale for a cheesy one.

I admit, the bathroom drama is the most frequent view that appeared in horror movie, just take a look at The Covenant, What Lies Beneath, Sorority Rows, Slither, Nightmare on Elmstreet, Bride of Chucky, Shivers, Jessabelle, Suster Keramas, Paku Kuntilanak,  Air Terjun Pengantin and many others that I don’t want to list here for I will wasting the blog space.

Okay, the bathroom did spooky, guys, but come on...could you find another room that’s no less scary in a house? I really appreciate what Conjuring and Poltergeist (2015) made with the wardrobe in our house, something that looks usual can be terrifying only by adding clapping hand or knocking back respond.

The Grudge 2 adds the creeps of wardrobe with the thought that a little boy might locked and died in that thing. For else, it surely spooky if you find your swimming pool split in two and thousands of skeletons scattered at the bottom just like we see in Spielberg version Poltergeist.

2. Ghost In A New House

There are many horror movie involving a haunted house, such as The Grudge, Amityville Horror, Conjuring, and Poltergeist, Potato House (Rumah Kentang), or House of Octopus (Rumah Gurita). The main cast seemed ‘they had to’ move to the house because it gave them cheap price, didn’t believe it had the angry spirit within at the beginning but felt late remorse and asked the property agent to give their money back.   

Horror always needs a haunted house because it was the easiest and realistic subject for us. I have an experienced myself, I lived in some haunted colonial house for about nine years, so it made me felt the atmosphere just in a click. The fact is you need to create the unusual story if you want to catch audience attention from so other haunted house movie.

Ouija is the perfect example, actually the film tells that the house occupied with ghost, but they just found out about it after playing the game and killed by the last owner who’s got murdered in the house. They could see the ghost and revealed the history only by putting the Ouija glasses in front of their eyes.

3. Unfinished revenge

Slain and curious spirits seek for revenge. It always had and it always will since Indonesia succeed in making horror movie that starring by Suzanna, titled Sundel Bolong in 1981. The film became major success and the cast always got the role in many horror movies since, and the fact is Hollywood done the same thing with I Know What You Did Last Summer or Ghost Story.

There’s nothing wrong actually with ghosts who avenge their spite, yet told it literally with a linear style was hip no more, especially the-perspective-of-the-ghost came scene. It might need the twist even more or circling around of flow just a little bit before it reached the destination.

Two films had done such a thing, Gothika and What Lies Beneath. Both had nearly similar theme about a wife who doesn’t know anything then haunted by the figure of a mysterious woman who turned out to be the ghost of her husband's mistress that murdered and want to take revenge to the husband.

Halle Berry and Michelle Pfeifer's did a brilliant role in each film. But I chose Halle Berry for her flawless acting, she's not afraid to look ugly as psychiatrist who are considered and treated as a lunatic in a mental hospital where she worked.

4. Diverging or apart from the crowd

In united we stand, divided we fall. The motto not only for the nation concern but attached to a horror movie as well, no wonder because ghosts or monsters often attacked people who deliberately left the group or separated by accidentally. The fact is the scare’s moment established when the cast was attacked while being alone.

The magic words when the team dealt with unknown situation or unknown fork was like this, "We better split up to found where this road ends, after that we contact each others,” but this decision bring the death even faster, for it was the right time when the ghosts got a chance to attack. That moment goes on Jangan Dengerin Sendirian, Cabin In The Woods, Ghost Town, or As Above So Below.

The filmmakers seem to realize the stance this classic up in Dark Skies character utter dialogue that they must remain together and protect each other in second floor bedroom so aliens would not take them apart, as well as in Oculus, The Woman In Black 2, or Conjuring. So, better find creative ways to separate the teams in your movie, one of the most effective ways is to force majeure that occurs suddenly as The Descent.

5. The cast death that easy to predict

Determining or guessing which character is going to die first in horror movies was challenging no more, here’s the list of typical characters that are usually killed by the author or screenplay:

a.       High complain person

This kinda people should be shunned by the main character completely. They usually chatter like these, "Oh, I think it’s been too long...where the hell is he?", "Haven’t I told you not to take this path? Just see what we are now…it’s because you don’t listen to me…”, “Don’t left me here, will ya…don’t you see I’m scared?”, “See now? That won’t happen if you hear me at first place…”, “Oh, my God…I can’t stand the leak…we should find a place to pee…”, which typically invite ghosts, monsters, or killers to come. After that his life will disappear easily, much easier than he should calm his fully complaint mouth.

b.      A severe noisy person

Scream a bit or cry a little bit. Just because there’s a poke in the dark didn’t mean ghost or a monster responsible for it, it could be just a rat or cat's passing suddenly, and her scream made everyone in the room caught their eyes on her. Usually people who make such noise attract ghosts and monsters to disrupt then finally killed them at the end. This kinda person was like a lighthouse, they will be accessible easily in the dark.

c.       Mr/Mrs. Know-it-all and hard to be told person

Have you hear dialogue like this? "There’s no such thing as ghosts here, believe me, I know it for sure...", "Don’t believe such thing, in digital era like now it’s shame if people still believe in superstitions ...", "I have stay here for a long time and there’s nothing weird happened..." These characters usually have better experience or think they’re smarter than the main character so they underestimate everything so they couldn’t see something wrong until it happened.

d.      Tough talk and the death challenge people

"It has to be me because I’m faster and stronger than any of you, guys. I can’t let the ghost catch us before we walk the planned..." no main character survived after uttered such challenged, if there is one then it means the story was mainstream or surprise plot already prepared in the end of section. Snob person always make antagonist get furious than any other characters and they will make their death more tragic. No matter how strong the main character was, they better stay away from this kind of character

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e.      A teasing person

Some horror movie that lacks of plot used eroticism as a key to attract audience inserting romantic scene, adult contain sometimes, and start with seduction by one cast to the opposite. They often making out in unreasonable or unsafe places yet there ghost or monster is awaited or perhaps a main character that’s being wandering for clues. In the midst of that moment the bloody activity starts.

f.        People who disobey the rules

Having a pleasant vacation in the place that had nice view, cool air, and neat villa was what we need on vacation, but when the caretaker of the house warned about the attic or room that forbid to enter just obey them, instead you will found a camera contains of film that will kill you in the next six day. You’ve been warned and still do that, it means nothing else than dead eventually.

   

g.       The most reliable person who make the main character felt safe

    Among characters this kind of person that makes us sad and feel sorry when he died. This type became a solver in every situation at the movie, either it’s because he’s familiar with the killer, able to translate the ghost message, or the most prudent among the corpse candidates. Thanks for him because the protagonist finally win the games but his dead was necessary because it complete the drama.