LogFAQs > #946397186

25. Jump scares (horror trope) (21 points)
Nominated by: Wallmasterz (3/5 remaining)
Compilation of Important, Personal Favorites, and Bad Jumpscares: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-zBIN_6XhWn37ikwBW8omacC3u5nbkI6

Importance: 10
Fear: 6
Snake: 5

Jump scares: there as inseparable from horror as vampires, serial killers, and bad movies filmed in your local woods are. Love 'em or hate 'em, there's a reason they're used so often: because they work. You can see a jump coming from a mile away and there's a possibility it will still get you. Us humans are predisposed to be jumpy and on edge; loud noises mixed with the something unexpected will 100% of the time at least us make flinch a little. I think what's interesting about the jump scare and its evolution is that it's a purely visual & audio trick, something unique to the progression of film you can't really pull off in a book the same way. Jump scares can be fantastic tools in building suspense or emphasizing the dangers of your main antagonist by showcasing their quick movement, stealth capabilities, or intimidating stature. The worst kind of jump scares are when you have someone, maybe alone in their house or wherever, going through their daily routine, and then BAM! oh it's just her best friend Rob from next door, then he'll say some goofy crap like "What, thought I was the Woodslash Killer, did ya?" while chugging down a cold brewski. These are the kinds of jump scares people really tend to hate and associate with mainstream theatrical horror, jump scares that telegraph themselves so painfully well that they lose any sense of horror and sort of just become a carnival ride where spooky things happen every so often. I'm not saying that's totally wrong or that you can't or shouldn't enjoy that type of thing, but you have to at least admit it's not something that sticks with you for very long like a great horror film should.

There are exceptions, of course. The most important and influential jump scare in film history, Lewton's bus scene in Cat People, exemplifies this perfectly. Notice the subtle touches of detective noir influence, elongated silence broken only by diegetic sound, Jane Randolph's properly paranoid acting with quickened paces and constantly shifting glances. When the bus finally pulls in (sounding appropriately like a hissing cat), you've feel like you've been on the street for an agonizingly long time with Alice, and though the bus feels safe, sounds and tension still linger on as the scene ends. It may have been a flashy technique found in the editing process, but it's one that obviously proved popular with audiences, and it's use is purposeful and unexpected while still leaving some looming thoughts to gnaw on as it transitions on to the next part.

From here on, jump scares were used sporadically, in notably cerebral ways in films like Psycho and Repulsion. I actually talked about Repulsion when I did mirror scares, a sub-genre of the jump scare, and how it uses the mirror and the jump to signal Carol's ever weakening mental decline throughout the film. I think the jump really exploded in the 80s, coinciding with slashers; having your awesome slasher villain crash himself or victims through a window served as excellent short-hand for "oh shit, things are about to be scary now." These are mostly lame if you ask me, it's where a lot of modern horror movies get their jump influence from, but I do enjoy some of them, like "where's the corkscrew" in Friday the 13th The Final Chapter or the incredibly cruel Nightmare on Elm Street twist ending. I highlight American Werewolf in London and Exorcist III's hospital scene as two of the best of the era and of all time however.

The next big evolution in jump scares exceeding this was in video games. Resident Evil's dog window was the launching platform for a whole new generation of scared little horror fans, as suddenly being startled like this also meant having to scramble for your own survival instead of merely watching it play-out on screen. No horror game was too good to use this: Silent Hill 2, every Resident Evil ever made, Clock Tower, Rule of Rose, the list goes on, and you know, these are some of the best examples of jump scares ever, just due to the fact that they're interactive experiences. Hell, I don't even mind the jump scare fest of Five Nights at Freddy's, which turns the jump scare into a punishment for poor play, giving you an incentive to practice and learn the game better. Games that rely on jump scares like Outlast or Amnesia are some of my favorite games of all time, because they combine the jump scare with compelling atmospheric gameplay like the best of its film counterparts. I will make a quick shout-out here to my favorite jump scare of all time, from the Puppet Combo game Night Shift. If you don't know it and you probably don't, either play it or watch it for yourself, it's legitimately the closest I've come to pissing my pants playing a video game.

So, we reach the modern age. The Conjuring universe films and various Blumhouse productions dole out jump scares like candy on Halloween night. Some are great, like Insidious' red devil or the Nun painting, but some of the worst can be found in films like Sinister 2 or the Paranormal Activities which are like the epitome of boring dead silence followed by a loud noise I've ever come across. I see the place these films have but man I just can't help but feel how separated mainstream and "art" horror have become over the past decade. Well, there's no use complaining, jump scares will always be here to stay, and I'm fine with it overall. They're usually over quick anyway, and maybe you'll become so numb to it that the one truly well-built up, didn't-see-coming jump scare will be the one that jolts your senses back like a bolt of lightning!

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Bare feet on the tile with my head up in the clouds
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