Jump scare

Last updated
Basic principle of a jump-scare in its early form as a Jack-in-the-box. Illustration of the Harper's Weekly magazine from 1863 Jack-in-the-box 1863 Harpers.png
Basic principle of a jump-scare in its early form as a Jack-in-the-box. Illustration of the Harper's Weekly magazine from 1863

A jump scare (also written jump-scare and jumpscare) is a scaring technique used in media, particularly in films such as horror films and video games such as horror games, intended to scare the viewer by surprising them with an abrupt change in image or event, usually co-occurring with a loud, jarring sound. [1] [2] The jump scare has been described as "one of the most basic building blocks of horror movies". [2] Jump scares can startle the viewer by appearing at a point in the film where the soundtrack is quiet and the viewer is not expecting anything alarming to happen, [3] or can be the sudden payoff to a long period of suspense. [4]

Contents

Some critics have described jump scares as a lazy way to frighten viewers, [5] and believe that the horror genre has undergone a decline in recent years following an over-reliance on the trope, establishing it as a cliché of modern horror films. [6]

In film

The poster for Cat People (1942), which featured the Lewton Bus technique, considered the first jump scare Cat People (1942 poster).jpg
The poster for Cat People (1942), which featured the Lewton Bus technique, considered the first jump scare

Though not intended as a scare, the film Citizen Kane (1941) included an abrupt scene transition of a shrieking cockatoo. According to Orson Welles, this was intended to startle audience members who might have been beginning to doze off towards the end of the film. [7]

While editing Cat People (1942), Mark Robson created the jump scare, in which quiet tension builds and is suddenly and unexpectedly interrupted by a loud noise, cut, or fast movement, startling the viewer. In the film, Alice is walking home along a deserted street late at night, and realizes Irena is following her. Alice begins to panic, running, and the silence of the night, the contrast between light and deep shadow, shots of the fearful Alice, and the intermittent clacking of high heels set up suspense: abruptly, a bus enters the frame with a loud unpleasant noise, scaring the viewer. The jump scare device is sometimes called the Lewton Bus after producer Val Lewton, who used it in subsequent films. [8] [9] Prior to the 1980s, jump scares were a relatively rare occurrence in horror movies; however, they (in particular the Lewton Bus) became increasingly common in the early 1980s as the slasher subgenre increased in popularity. [10]

Carrie , released in 1976, has one of the first modern jump scares. [11] The scene in which Carrie's bloodied arm abruptly emerges from the soil at the end of the film, is credited as the inspiration for the use of a final jump scare in the 1980 film Friday the 13th , to show that an apparently dead villain had survived. [12]

The 1979 film When a Stranger Calls uses a form of jump scare to suddenly reveal the location of the antagonist to both the protagonist and the audience. Film writer William Cheng describes this as causing a "sudden vanishing of the protective walls surrounding the film's protagonist", in turn giving the viewer at home a sense that the intruder is also somehow closer to them. [13]

The 1980 film The Shining is known for its "misplaced" jump scares, whereby director, Stanley Kubrick appears to subvert horror conventions with seemingly banal occurrences which coincide with a dramatic cymbal crash preceded by a tense orchestral build up. Such instances include the appearance of a title card announcing "Tuesday" or when Jack Torrance, the film's main antagonist removes a sheet of paper from a typewriter. [14]

The 2009 film Drag Me to Hell contains jump scares throughout, [4] with director Sam Raimi saying he wanted to create a horror film with "big shocks that'll hopefully make audiences jump." [15]

In video games

Resident Evil is often cited as an early video game to use jump scares. The player, during the course of the game, walks through a hallway where the music begins to lower. About halfway through the hall, zombie dogs will suddenly leap through the windows and the music will peak in volume and intensity.[ citation needed ]. However the earliest known instance of a jump scare is the 1985 Lucasfilm game Rescue on Fractalus! . Wherein while saving stranded humans on a hostile world, sometimes the supposed evacuee approaching your ship turns out to be a hostile alien who jumps on your ship's windscreen. [16]

The video game Daylight was described as being a "vehicle for jump scares", and though reviewers praised its successful use of jump scares, they commented that as the game wore on jump scares alone were not a sufficient tool for scaring players. [17] [18]

The 2014 video game franchise Five Nights at Freddy's was described as "perfect for live streaming" in part due to its use of jump scares. [19]

In advertising

In 2004, K-fee (Kaffee), a German caffeinated energy drink company, released nine television advertisements that feature peaceful footage, such as a car driving through a green valley, or two people at a beach. A zombie or gargoyle then pops up on the screen, along with a loud, high-pitched scream, potentially scaring the viewer. At the end of each advertisement, the slogan, "So wach warst du noch nie", which translates into English as, "You've never been so awake", appears on the screen, simulating the effect the energy drink will have on its consumers. Four radio ads were also released such as a Christmas story and a meditation audio, both in German and English, with the last intended to expand the brand to the United Kingdom. [20] Three "less caffeine" commercials were released, featuring a man in a monster suit or a man dressed as a teddy bear, minus the screams. These commercials received many complaints from German viewers, resulting in their ultimately being pulled from television. English commentator Rhys Production 11 interviewed two of the actors who starred in the commercials, Brad Johnson and his brother Adam Johnson, [21] who revealed that the company originally used puppets "to create scary objects". After this plan did not work, the brothers themselves starred in the commercials. [22]

YouTube prohibits jump scares in video advertising. In August 2018, a video marketing The Nun depicts the iOS device volume icon muting before the titular character appears with an incredibly loud scream. The ad was removed shortly afterward for violating the site's "shocking content policy". [23]

Internet screamers

An Internet screamer or simply screamer [24] is an image, video or application on the Internet that has a sudden change designed to startle the user. [25] They often include a scary face with a loud scream.

The opening screen of The Scary Maze Game Scary Maze Game.png
The opening screen of The Scary Maze Game

An early example of an Internet screamer is The Maze (often called Scary Maze Game) by Jeremy Winterrowd in 2003. [25] Disguised as a computer game, the player is supposed to use their mouse to move a blue square along a given path without touching the walls. As the player progresses, the walls get smaller, making it more difficult for the player to avoid touching the walls, and forces the player to bring their faces closer to the screen. At first, if the player accidentally touches the wall, it will lead back to the start menu and the player has to start all over again. However, once the player reaches level 3, the walls get so thin that it becomes very difficult to avoid touching the wall, which is done on purpose to get the player more focused on the game and possibly to move closer to the screen. When the player reaches a certain point, whether they touch a wall or not, an image of the possessed Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) from the film The Exorcist suddenly appears on the screen along with an edited sound effect of her screaming playing twice. [26]

Reaction videos

After the rise of YouTube, Internet screamers gradually transitioned from chain emails to reaction videos where people filmed as they pranked others to click on an Internet screamer and recorded their reactions or using a character's screaming moments edited with jumpscare as it appears as though the character is reacting to a jumpscare. A prominent early screamer reaction video (a sketch by Saturday Night Live) was uploaded on YouTube in May 2006 by user "Can't We All Just Get Along?". [27] [ dead link ] The video features a boy sitting at a desk while playing The Maze. In the video, he asks, "Why can't I touch this?" and shortly after, an image of what seems to be a demonic monster pops up with a piercing scream (though it is not the Regan MacNeil one). The boy screams, hits the computer screen repeatedly and breaks the monitor, urinates in his pants, runs to the person filming him and starts crying. Since the upload, the video has been viewed over 25 million times. [28] Maze reaction videos were featured twice on America's Funniest Home Videos . [28]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. L. Stine</span> American writer and producer (born 1943)

Robert Lawrence Stine, sometimes known as Jovial Bob Stine and Eric Affabee, is an American novelist, short story writer, television producer, screenwriter, and executive editor.

<i>Scare Tactics</i> American TV series or program

Scare Tactics is an American comedy horror hidden camera television show, produced by Scott Hallock and Kevin Healey. Its first two seasons aired from April 2003 to December 2004. After a hiatus, the show returned for a third season, beginning July 9, 2008. The first season of the show was hosted by Shannen Doherty. Stephen Baldwin took her place in the middle of the second season. At the beginning of the third season, the show was hosted by Tracy Morgan. The fourth season began on October 6, 2009. On July 17, 2017, it was announced that Blumhouse Television was going to produce a new season of the show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese horror</span> Horror fiction with Japanese themes

Japanese horror is horror fiction derived from popular culture in Japan, generally noted for its unique thematic and conventional treatment of the horror genre differing from the traditional Western representation of horror. Japanese horror tends to focus on psychological horror, tension building (suspense), and the supernatural, particularly involving ghosts (yūrei) and poltergeists. Other Japanese horror fiction contains themes of folk religion such as possession, exorcism, shamanism, precognition, and yōkai. Media in which the genre of Japanese horror fiction can be found include artwork, theater, literature, film, anime and video games.

<i>Nightmares</i> (1983 film) 1983 film directed by Joseph Sargent

Nightmares is a 1983 American horror anthology film directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Emilio Estevez, Lance Henriksen, Cristina Raines, Veronica Cartwright, and Richard Masur. The film is made up of four short films based on urban legends; the first concerns a woman who encounters a killer in the backseat of her car; the second concerns a video game-addicted teenager who is consumed by his game; the third focuses on a fallen priest who is stalked by a pickup truck from hell; and the last follows a suburban family battling a giant rat in their home.

Halloween is an American slasher media franchise that consists of thirteen films, as well as novels, comic books, a video game and other merchandise. The films primarily focus on Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his sister, Judith Myers. Fifteen years later, he escapes to stalk and kill the people of the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Michael's killings occur on the holiday of Halloween, on which all of the films primarily take place. Throughout the series various protagonists try to stop Myers including, most notably, babysitter Laurie Strode and psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis. The original Halloween, released in 1978, was written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill—the film's director and producer respectively. The film, itself inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Bob Clark's Black Christmas, is known to have inspired a long line of slasher films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haunted attraction (simulated)</span> Horror-themed recreational venue

A haunted attraction is a form of live entertainment that simulates visiting haunted locations or experiencing horror scenarios. They usually feature fearsome sets and characters, especially demons, ghosts, skeletons, zombies, monsters, possessed people, witches, serial killers, and slashers. Humorous characters may also be included.

<i>The Strangers</i> (2008 film) 2008 film by Bryan Bertino

The Strangers is a 2008 American psychological horror film written and directed by Bryan Bertino. The film follows a couple whose stay at a vacation home is disrupted by three masked intruders who infiltrate the home one night. It is the first installment in The Strangers film series. The screenplay was inspired by two real-life events: the multiple-homicide Manson family Tate murders and a series of break-ins that occurred in Bertino's neighborhood as a child. Some journalists noted similarities between the film and the Keddie cabin murders that occurred in Keddie, California, in 1981, though Bertino did not cite this as a reference.

<i>The Blair Witch Project</i> 1999 horror film by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez

The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American supernatural horror film written, directed and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. It is a fictional story of three student filmmakers—Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard—who hike into the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland, in 1994 to film a documentary about a local myth known as the Blair Witch. The three disappear, but their equipment and footage are discovered a year later. The purportedly "found footage" is the movie the viewer sees.

Goosebumps video games are a series of action-adventure games based on Goosebumps book series.

Radio Silence Productions is an American film and television production company, founded in 2011 by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, Justin Martinez and Chad Villella. The group is known for the horror films Ready or Not, Scream and Scream VI, as well as their previous work together as Chad, Matt & Rob.

<i>Five Nights at Freddys</i> (video game) 2014 video game

Five Nights at Freddy's (FNaF) is a 2014 point-and-click survival horror game developed and published by Scott Cawthon. The player takes on the role of Mike Schmidt, a night security guard at a family pizzeria. Schmidt must complete his shifts without being confronted by the homicidal animatronic characters that wander the restaurant at night. The player has access to security cameras to monitor the animatronics throughout the shift, and a set of steel doors that can lock out the characters. Using the cameras and doors consumes the player's limited electricity, and draining all of the power causes these tools to become inoperable.

"Haunted House" is the fourth episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens. It was first aired on October 6, 2015, on Fox. The episode was directed by Bradley Buecker and was written by Brad Falchuk. In this episode, as Halloween approaches, Zayday makes a stunning announcement and in response, Chanel concocts a devious plan. Pete and Grace visit a mysterious woman connected to Kappa's past. And as Hester starts to grow closer to Chad, Dean Munsch struggles to keep Wallace University open after the whole murder spree by the Red Devil.

Kitty Horrorshow is the pseudonym of an independent video game developer. Releasing her games on the distribution platform itch.io, she specializes in the psychological horror genre, with her games focusing on surreal and atmospheric horror in the aesthetic style of early 3D videogames.

A horror game is a video game genre centered on horror fiction and typically designed to scare the player. The term may also be used to describe tabletop games with horror fiction elements.

Ocean House Hotel (<i>Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines</i>) Fictional location

The Ocean House Hotel is a location appearing in the 2004 video game Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines. It is a burnt-out hotel owned by a vampire and haunted by multiple spirits who the player interacts with at varying points, mainly in strange occurrences happening. Game designer Brian Mitsoda began work on the Ocean House Hotel area halfway through its creation, trying to identify what needed to be tweaked and what needed to be added. Because the level is linear, he approached it as if he was creating a theme park ride and researching professional haunted houses and ghost movies. Rather than jumpscares, Mitsoda aimed to instill a feeling of dread in players, citing Alien and Jaws as good examples of not showing the monsters too frequently.

<i>Host</i> (film) 2020 British horror film

Host is a 2020 British independent supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage and written by Savage, Gemma Hurley, and Jed Shepherd. A computer screen film that takes place entirely on a Zoom video call, it follows a group of friends who attempt to escape a demon they inadvertently summoned during an online séance.

Zombies in <i>Resident Evil</i> Video game antagonists

Zombies are recurring antagonists within the fictional universe of Japanese video game company Capcom's multimedia franchise Resident Evil, known in Japan as Biohazard. First appearing in the 1996 video game Resident Evil, they are mutated creatures with cannibalistic urges and severe epidermal necrosis, and their origins are explained from a scientific perspective. In contrast to zombies in other horror and fantasy genre works where they are traditionally presented as corporeal revenants with mythological and supernatural origins, zombies in the Resident Evil series are usually created through the use of biological weaponry, genetic manipulation and/or parasitic symbiosis. Subsequent sequels have featured other types of zombies as well as related creatures which are presented as more agile, vicious, and intelligent opponents.

<i>Gemini Home Entertainment</i> YouTube horror web series

Gemini Home Entertainment is a horror anthology web series created by Remy Abode and periodically released on a YouTube channel of the same name. It is regarded as a foundational analog horror series. The main series, also known as the Full Boxset, is ongoing. Further videos have also been released since as part of the spin-off series Library.

References

  1. ↑ John Muir (2013). Horror Films FAQ. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN   978-1480366817 . Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 Bryan Bishop (October 31, 2012). "'Why won't you die?!' The art of the jump scare". The Verge. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  3. ↑ Danny Draven (2013). Genre Filmmaking: A Visual Guide to Shots and Style for Genre Films. Taylor & Francis. p. 52. ISBN   978-1136070785.
  4. 1 2 John Rosenberg (2013). The Healthy Edit: Creative Techniques for Perfecting Your Movie. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   978-1136040733 . Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  5. ↑ Lucas Sullivan. "10 horror games that don't rely on jump scares". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 21 April 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  6. ↑ Diaz, Pedro (February 8, 2015). "Why Modern Horror Movies Don't Get it Right More Often". Movie Pilot. Archived from the original on February 24, 2015. Retrieved February 24, 2015.
  7. ↑ Naremore, James (22 July 2004). Orson Welles's Citizen Kane: A Casebook. Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780195158915.
  8. ↑ "How An Iconic Scene In 'Cat People' Created The Cinematic Jump Scare As We Know It Today". 18 November 2020.
  9. ↑ "Catching The Lewton Bus". 15 October 2013.
  10. ↑ "Do Modern Horror Movies Contain More Jump Scares Than Older Movies? - Where's The Jump?".
  11. ↑ "10 Great Jump Scares in Horror!". 18 October 2012.
  12. ↑ David Konow (2012). Reel Terror: The Scary, Bloody, Gory, Hundred-Year History of Classic Horror. Macmillan. p. 354. ISBN   978-1250013590 . Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  13. ↑ William Cheng (2014). Sound Play: Video Games and the Musical Imagination. Oxford University Press. p. 100. ISBN   978-0199969975 . Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  14. ↑ "Feeling on Edge: Kubrick's The Shining Between Horror and Comedy".
  15. ↑ Blair, Iain (July 1, 2009). "Director's Chair: Sam Raimi Drag me to Hell". Post Magazine. Archived from the original on August 2, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  16. ↑ https://www.slashfilm.com/550105/video-game-jump-scare-george-lucas/
  17. ↑ McElroy, Griffin (April 29, 2014). "Daylight review: jump scare tactics". Polygon . Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  18. ↑ "Daylight review". EDGE. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  19. ↑ Riendeau, Danielle (13 November 2014). "Why Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is a viral success". Polygon. Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  20. ↑ Louis, Rosie (17 April 2014). "10 Of The Creepiest Commercials to Every Hit the Small Screen". Listverse. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  21. ↑ "Zombie from Terrifying 2000s Advert Has Been Tracked Down".
  22. ↑ "Want to Know the Real Face of Viral 2000s K-Fee Commercial's Zombie?". 11 March 2021.
  23. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 14, 2018). "The Latest Ad For 'The Nun' Is So Scary, YouTube Removed It". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
  24. ↑ Osborne, Doug (17 November 2010). "What you don't want to happen when you computer prank someone". geek.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  25. 1 2 Menning, Chris (13 October 2010). "Screamers - The History of the Scary Maze Prank and its Cousins". urlesque.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  26. ↑ Bojalad, Alec (October 20, 2021). "The Forgotten Era of Internet Jump Scares". Den of Geek . Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  27. ↑ Scary Maze prank - The Original. 20 May 2006 – via YouTube.
  28. 1 2 Middleton, Jason. Documentary’s Awkward Turn: Cringe Comedy and Media Spectatorship. Routledge, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.