Cinematography, Sound and Editing in psychological horror

Cinematography, Sound and Editing in psychological horror 

Cinematography 

Cinematography is a key component in creating tension and atmosphere in psychological horror and different shots are used to convey different things. One popular shot is hand held as it creates the sense of disorientation and chaos but also makes the scenes feel extremely realistic for the viewer so heightens the fear of the scene. Another shot primarily used in psychological horror are close ups which help the audience see the facial expressions of the characters but may also be used for close up of objects which may foreshadow or give hints into what is about to happen. Lastly another key shot used are long shots which convey the surrounding location that the character are in and help to establish the setting for the viewer. Whip pans may also be used to create a fast paced or disoriented feel and can be used for jump scares.

Sound/music

Sound and music is another key factor in creating tension in physiological horror. Non-diegetic sounds are sound or music that the character cannot hear but the audience can so incidental music may be used in a scene where the antagonist spears which only the audience can hear and helps to create heightened tension for the viewer . Diegetic sound is sound that the character can hear, which is things such as footsteps or talking from a character and this is the most used type of sound. Music used in this genre is traditionally nursery rhymes so gives off a creepy effect as children are normally represented with innocence or classical/ instrumental as it builds up to create atmosphere for a scene.

Editing

Lastly editing is also used in psychological horror. This is the most important feature for a this genre because different techniques can be used to convey different emotions and feelings. Jump cuts can be used to show a characters psychological turmoil and convey there madness within. Both fast and slow paces are used in physiological horror as fast paced editing can be used to show chaos and disorientation and slow paced editing for moments such as talking and help to build tension between the film and the audience as a slower pace signifies that nothing scary is about to happen so can be used to trick the audience into thinking that.