How do I make a horror film?

[EBHughsThe1st]

I'm a sort of filmaker who likes making movies and my next project is a horror film. Not a slasher film, but a sort of kind of psychological horror film. It involves an unseen force, cults, and a dark town cut off from the world.

What can I do to make it scary if I watched it in the dark alone?

I have:
A nice camera.
Tripod.
Means of transport for short distances.
Guns.
Fireworks.
A lake.

Limitations:
I'm 14, as are my actors.
No budget.
One night to film, but I usually can do a film in and hour, minus the editing.
Only one camera.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

How do I make a lot of money in a little time legally?

So, you want something psychological... Try something Blair Witch Project-esque, have people being taken out one by one.

 

[imnot]

sound's intresting, my advice is, uh well i have none , i wish you good luck though.
if i do think of something i'll post.

 

[Necator15]

I would recommend doing a lot of shooting on the lake. Make whatever you have attacking the humans be relatively unknown. Maybe try to find an island on said lake, and have a girl (Because it will always be a girl who says this) say something along the lines of "Shit, I'm scared lets go back" and on the way back have shit grab them out of the raft/boat and pull them under. Have a gun on the boat and have them try to shoot at the evil. Failing of course. Then have only one person make it to the shore, have the bodies of his friends wash up on said shore, and have him grab a knife and dive in. Cut to a bit later with him washing up on shore.

You could probably do something like that in one night with your limitations.

 

[Jark212]

Watch Marble Hornets on youtube, take notes...

 

[Mangopieland]

I would suggest scripting it out first, roughly at least. Avoid cliches at all costs.

One of the ways Hitchcock creates suspense is by dragging out scenes for as long as possible where you know something bad is going to happen, and when it does it's sudden (Psycho, for instance).

High-angle shots make characters seem weaker. Low-angle make them seem more powerful.

Use light and darkness to create an interesting effect. People usually associate dark with scaryness, but maybe if they're being chased by cultists then the darkness is their only ally? I d'know, just throwing ideas out.

Oh and make everyday objects seem scarier. Hitchcock's "The Birds" envisions a world in which something innocuous, eg birds, savagely attack people. Freaks you out 'coz it's closer to home.

Hope this was of some use! I could go on but then I'd risk sounding even more of a know it all...

 

[cornmancer]

Psychological horror is easy, just turn off the lights and trap the main character with something that hates them and wants them to die. Obviously there's many nuances and stuff, but I don't feel like going into it to much right now.

 

[rescuer86]

Just remember that less is more in horror films. And people want to be scared by something that could actually happen. Speak to the general public's deepest fears. Local urban legends work great. Check out Marble Hornets on youtube for a decent example of how some simple camera work and very few actors can make an effective horror film out of an urban legend and primal fears. And remember: It does not have to be dark to be scary. Look for the scene where they are talking in the car in broad daylight and the thing stalking them is in the background. Touch the subconscious, and you will freak people out. Have the object of horror in the background, have it flash across camera during the day when your audience won't be expecting it. And for heaven sake, stay away from cliches. Don't pull an M. Night Shyamalan "What a twist!" moment and claim there were "clues" all along. Your audience is not looking for clues. Read some Denis Lehane to learn how to artfully throw your audience off course. His work may be a bit blue collar, but that is probably who your audience will consist of anyway. Watch Shutter Island. Even though the "twist" is a bit predictable, okay, a lot predictable, the very final scene with that "A-ha!" moment is perfect.

Read up on psychology as well. If you want to make a movie with a human antagonist, learn what motivates your villain, and why. Learn what clues your villain would leave behind based on what type of person he is. Read "Red Dragon" by Thomas Harris for a great example of how a killer would actually behave. DON'T watch the movie. That's cheating, and not as accurate. Also, read anything by John Douglas, especially "The Anatomy of Motive." Douglas is one of the founding members of the F.B.I. Behavioral Sciences Unit.

I used to act in amateur films in high school for some film school friends of mine, and they did one really great short film about a killer. You never actually see her until the final scene, but I remember that everyone was on edge when we did the final scene where the heroine was being chased through the woods at night. We were on edge because we had scared ourselves. We tapped into our own darkest fears and used them to make a great film. It still freaks me out to watch it, because the protagonist was actually scared during the filming, so when she screams during the reveal, it is a real scream. I'm not saying scar your actors psychologically, but if you, the director, are a bit spooked out, as are your players, your audience will be on the edge of their seats.

 

[ooknabah]

Agreement here on writing the whole thing out: Planning will make the actually shooting go way smoother. With no budget, you need to stick to the basics: Namely, find an idea that you think is very scary that doesn't have to be seen a lot if at all. Blair Witch was a good example of this, but try not to rip it off.

It's also important to give us a reason to care about your characters. Why do we, the viewers, want them to be safe?

 

[rescuer86]

I would suggest scripting it out first, roughly at least. Avoid cliches at all costs.

One of the ways Hitchcock creates suspense is by dragging out scenes for as long as possible where you know something bad is going to happen, and when it does it's sudden (Psycho, for instance).

High-angle shots make characters seem weaker. Low-angle make them seem more powerful.

Use light and darkness to create an interesting effect. People usually associate dark with scaryness, but maybe if they're being chased by cultists then the darkness is their only ally? I d'know, just throwing ideas out.

Oh and make everyday objects seem scarier. Hitchcock's "The Birds" envisions a world in which something innocuous, eg birds, savagely attack people. Freaks you out 'coz it's closer to home.

Hope this was of some use! I could go on but then I'd risk sounding even more of a know it all...

Plus, all this is great directorial advice. I would just like to add that you need to create "sight lines" in your scenes. Use lines and angles to draw the audiences eyes to the left, then flash the antagonist on the right side of the screen. Right angles attract the human eye. And two parallel lines heading off into the distance will force people to look for something on the horizon. If you have the motivation and the drive, you will do great.

 

[JWRosser]

Atmospheric music
I vote make is psychological, so your audience come out after mind fucked, as oppose to scared of anything that moves. Make them think.
Also, make sure it isn't predictable. Too man horror films are so predictable it's ridiculous.
I think as well, depending on your story and motives, you should take what I like to call the Red Dead approach to death - as in, death isn't THAT big a deal and just happens. Maybe.

 

[Mr.Mattress]

Yeah, try a Blair Witch Project or Marble Hornet's Esque movie, but be careful that it doesn't turn into a Paranormal Activity. Though the budget you say you have (None) makes me think you could pull it off.

 

[ZaxqZombie]

have a main charecter(s) with a deep seated psychological trauma and make it come to life through the horrors they face.

 

[Tharwen]

Don't reveal too much about your antagonist. Alien, for example, showed only parts of the alien in question and because of that the audience couldn't know all of its capabilities. That makes it far more scary. Another example: for me, Paranormal Activity lost its credibility when they showed the demon as having spiky, three-toed feet. It bound it to a recognisable form and that limited what the audience could imagine it doing.

Also, having something jump out at the screen isn't scary; it's startling. Don't just fall back on that when you run out of ideas, since it's the single biggest horror movie cliché.

 

[Mangopieland]

Just had an additional thought: make your main characters likeable and easy to relate to. This will build up an audience connection with them to that they actually care what happens to them

 

[emeraldrafael]

Definately go with something terror, not horror. Mess with the mind, cuase i dont think you have the budget for blood and guts. unless you live in a country that lets you kill people on screen and the people willing to do so.

 

[FinalDream]

Do your research on psychological horror, understand its elements, then write a script. Re-write the script several times (don't just go with the first draft!). In the script include the different types of shots you are looking for e.g. close up, panoramic etc. Plan your shoot, try to allocate timescales for re-shoots and outtakes. Then do some thorough editing, experiment with different ideas, the editing is the key to making scenes fast paced or slow burning.

Also don't be afraid to ask for help! Don't immediately dismiss bad feedback either and work with other peoples ideas to make your short film even better. The more effort you put in the more you will get out of it.

Have you ever written a script before?

 

[Grimcicle]

How do I make a horror film?

If you have to ask that question of others, you probably shouldn't bother.

 

[Blemontea]

I would suggest makeing a world or character that scares the main character but only he could see it, but eventually comes into his world, he eventually has to overcome it becoming friends with it and letting it kill him, after it does he wakes up the next day and see that his friends are waking to, asking "what the hell just happened" he replies "im not sure" and they walk back home, later that day the group is walking together and (if you decided to do the person only he could see story) the final shot is the main character walking by the antagonist.