The Jambar
Whether it’s spiders appearing out of nowhere, clowns at the circus or a girlfriend saying, “I’m late,” almost every human has encountered scenarios that leave them frightened and unsettled.
In the modern age of music, film and television, many visionaries have dug deep into the human psyche to discover just what makes everyone’s hair stand on end.
Film, as visual media, offers directors the creative liberty to evoke feelings through clever camerawork and sound. A Rotten Tomatoes ranking listed 1973’s “The Exorcist” as the scariest movie of all time.
Following a girl possessed by an ancient demon, director William Friedkin’s elaborate and eerie flash sequences throughout the film have left viewers terrified for over 50 years.
In modern film, Ari Aster’s 2018 film titled “Hereditary” is often listed as one of the scariest films ever made. Following a grieving family plagued by a supernatural entity, “Hereditary” relies on dark and deep psychological trickery rather than more common, cheap jumpscares.
Television, like film, relies heavily on audio and visuals to conjure up fear in the viewer.
“The Twilight Zone,” “Twin Peaks” and “The X-Files” are some of the most influential American television series that explored the supernatural in a groundbreaking and unsettling manner.
“The X-Files,” in particular, released the controversial 1994 episode titled “Home.” The episode concerns the investigation of a deceased baby that leads back to an incestous and murderous clan residing in Home, Pennsylvania.
Due to the graphic and dark nature of the episode, it was subsequently banned from reruns and is considered by some to be the scariest television episode in history.
Focusing on audio, many composers and musical groups throughout history have channeled their inner darkness in a way that creates an ominous and foreboding vibe.
In classical music, composer Krzystof Penderecki’s works have been singled out for their foreboding tones. His works have been used in the horror films and television episodes of directors Wes Craven, Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch.
With the advent of electronic instrumentation in the 1930s, modern musicians have been able to manipulate sound in ways never before seen.
In the late 1970s, American punk band Suicide, English industrial band Throbbing Gristle and German experimental band Einsturzende Neubauten forayed into unconventional and unsettling sounds that have proven influential to popular and horror soundtrack composers alike.
Even certain books have been known to elicit terror from readers. Stephen King holds the top four spots in a Goodreads ranking with “The Shining,” “It,” “Pet Sematary” and “’Salem’s Lot.”
King’s ability to blend realism with horrific supernatural entities has established him as the horror king, and all four novels listed have been adapted into films on numerous occasions.
Whether it is ghosts, goblins, hobgoblins or ghouls, there is an endless list of things that truly put fear into the hearts of everyone. From those fears, there will always be an individual looking to capitalize in hopes of creating something truly terrifying.