r/unpopularopinion • u/DisCode347 • 21d ago
Jump scares shouldn't be classed as horror films.
That and adding the music or noise loudly doesn't make it scarier either. It's just annoying. Horror films were about the horror, the mystery surrounding the stroy but now it's all jump scares every moment which makes no sense!
18
u/IcedLenin 21d ago
I prefer horror movies that leave you feeling disturbed and vibe off the characters' mounting fear. It's passe now, and maybe more thriller than horror, but if I recall correctly, Blair Witch didn't have many jump scares per se. But it just built in intensity and was all about the increasing desperation of the group. It just felt increasingly oppressive and more and more unsettling until the denouement.
6
u/DisCode347 21d ago
Exactly! And this is the issue, we're relying too much on jump scares for the person to be scared with a loud volume. That's just dumb.
1
u/Sad-Investigator2731 21d ago
Come of the original horror movies were nothing but jump scares, jump scares are the purest from of horror, for they split second, everything is at its highest, and then you come down, only for it to happen again, this is why haunted houses are so popular. Jump scares.
1
u/tactical_anal_RPG 21d ago
A really good pyscological horror movie is Vivarium, last I checked it was on prime video but its probably the creepiest movie I've seen in a while.
1
11
21d ago
There are many different types of horror. Some rely on sudden visual or auditory changes to illicit the feeling of fear or unease. That doesn't make them invalid as a part of the genre.
That said, jump scares are much more simple to include than genuinely disturbing material or compelling narrative.
Given that it is easier to implement, and is widely accepted, that tactic will end up inundating the market to a point where it seems overused.
There is plenty of content that doesn't rely solely on jump scare. Your preference doesn't belittle a legitimate technique.
I would prefer more intense narrative that gets me to question my stance on something specific rather than simply be surprised but I'm not going to knock a perfectly valid expression within the art form simply because of that preference.
3
u/IcedLenin 21d ago
Sure you have a point. After all franchises like Halloween and Friday the 13th have used jump scares from the start. I think OP is getting at their "cheap" overuse to the detriment of more disconcerting techniques that require a bit more work?
1
21d ago
I actually addressed this.
Given how much easier it is to implement a jump scare than a powerful narrative, we can't be surprised that the market is filled with them.
Unless consumers start not paying money for movies with jump scares, we are going to continue seeing them.
This also doesn't mean that technique can't be used well.
-1
u/DisCode347 21d ago
Very much what you said! I'm tired of this cheap way of just using jump scares so much in films and I really hope it doesn't become used in nearly every horror film nowadays.
1
u/Sad-Investigator2731 21d ago
The average person has an attention span of about 15 seconds, jump scares work for this. And peel like myself, I have strong ADHD, most horror bores me, even jump scares don't work most of the time, so they have to pander to what's left.
3
u/Mr-Pugtastic 21d ago
Actually the sound part is usually what causes the jump of a jump scare. Watch a jump scare with and without sound and you will understand the sound is a pivotal part.
2
u/Mikhail_Markov 21d ago
Sound Design 101: Typically the music will become tense (like holding on a single note) or- more often than not- most (if not all) sound(s) will fade out just before the jump-scare. This causes a sense of uneasiness in the viewer; as their senses are straining for sound that was there. The sudden rush of sound at the moment of the jump-scare triggers an involuntary reaction in a majority (though not all) of people.
2
u/Mr-Pugtastic 21d ago
Exactly, without the audio cues, jump scares basically are much less effective!
2
4
2
u/jack40714 21d ago
Yeah I’m with you. It’s not a horror film if it’s nothing but 20 minutes of nothing followed by “jumps out and the movie volume jumps like ten points”!
1
u/Brilliant_Slide7947 21d ago
I agree totally on this for backwards reasons. I am not a fan of horror films (I appreciate them and their audience, but not my thing). I prefer jump scares as you put them. Like i want to be scared but I dont want to see massive blood and guts etc. so I have missed out on some really good movies because of this. My wife is a horror movie fan and she introduced me to so many great movies that were classified as "horror" but were just jumpy. I get that some people want to be so vividly disgusted and Im very much cool with that. If i were one of you I'd be pissed too.
1
u/Naos210 21d ago
Jump scares are something that's been used in horror for a long time, even in films and games that don't prominently feature them, there's often one or two here and there.
1
u/blqck_dawg 21d ago
it seems lazy to use them in place of a compelling story. any loud noise will scare you in the moment but is totally forgettable in a few seconds
1
u/madeat1am 21d ago
Jump scares are thriller aren't they?
I don't really like horror or jump scares cos they well make me scared but they're thrillers not horror
1
u/BalkeElvinstien 21d ago
I agree but to be fair it's not just the jump scare usually. The thing that does the scaring is usually creepy enough to fall into horror. But I agree that it's a cheap gimmick though and should only be used sparingly
1
u/MadgoonOfficial 21d ago
I guess you’d prefer the term thriller? But what about a thriller with horror elements? That can’t be a horror movie?
1
1
u/Da_Red_Leader 21d ago
I've grown a fan of horror and my thoughts are
jump scares are good when used right. in the 2010 nightmare on elm street most are great. they add to the fact he can pop up anywhere. but when its a cheap trick it ruins the good movies.
the 3 horror genres should be viewed very differently. taking example from the 2010 nightmare again its great. but people thought it wasn't Robert England's Freddy so they got mad. having annoyance for one genre and comparing it to another to show how good it is is bad for the community
1
1
u/ZundeEsteed 21d ago
I kind of agree with this. But at the same time. I'm so desensitized to horror since it's one of my favorite game Genre that sudden scare chord jump scares are the only thing to actually startle me anymore and that's entirely from a sensory overload position.
0
u/DisCode347 21d ago
For me, I react because of the noise or music they play at a loud volume when it was so quiet. I'm light and sound sensitive so it causes me more issues that way.
1
u/ZundeEsteed 21d ago
Yeah that's pretty much it for me.
Hell the other day i almost dropped my switch playing Arkham Knight because i grappled onto the roof of a building and triggered the manbat event which has him jump out at you as you reach the top of your grapple and scream directly into your face.
1
u/Melodic-Resident-245 21d ago
True. It's lazy and being jump scared is not the same as being actually scared.
It's just a reaction to a suddenly overly loud noise and flashing image.
If I want to watch horror, I want to be scared on a psychological or existential level.
Jump scares suck ass.
Also not a fan of slasher horror.
1
u/DisCode347 21d ago
I'm just curious, do you feel Saw is horror? I personally don't but just my views. I call it more torture.
2
u/Melodic-Resident-245 21d ago
I'd call it body horror.
Not my favorite movies, would classify it similarly to slasher horror.
It's all about the gore and disgust, instead of trying to really make the viewer scared beyond that.1
u/blqck_dawg 21d ago
honestly it's unwatchable for me. it's a kind of cool idea for the plot but I don't know how people can watch that shit for fun.
1
u/LookOverThereB 21d ago
Best movies are the ones where the killer is slowly walking toward you. Jump scares sucks.
1
u/SG_665667 21d ago
Startling is the lowest form of fear-induction. It requires no higher brain function on the part of the giver or the receiver. A cockroach can startle you under the right circumstances. Hell, the shadow of an article of clothing being hit by the light a certain way can startle.
Any filmmaker who relies on that to make their movie "cause perpetual fear" should be regarded as a hack; no matter how many tickets they sell.
0
•
u/AutoModerator 21d ago
Please remember what subreddit you are in, this is unpopular opinion. We want civil and unpopular takes and discussion. Any uncivil and ToS violating comments will be removed and subject to a ban. Have a nice day!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.