I’m ashamed to admit that I have talked shit on jumpscares even though I never really had a problem with them.. In fact, I think they are a great part of horror and anyone that thinks horror would be better off without them, I only have one thing to say… and that thing (jumpscare)… lol… c’mon, you knew I was going to do that… don’t act like you didn’t see that coming.. But for real though.. It’s become pretty envogue to hate on jump scares.. They’re considered cheap tricks done only when you can’t scare the audience with tension and atmosphere… I call bullshit… It’s kinda bullshit… Of course creating tension and atmosphere is important.. It pulls the viewer into the movie and onto the edge of their seat.. Then guess what a fun thing is to do once you know a viewer is inching closer to the movie screen.. You throw a damn black cat at them to scare them back into their seat… is it cheap… maybe?… does it work on the majority of viewers… ya… I bet it does… So, why do jumpscares get all the hate?… Here’s what I think the problem is… a lot of people watch movie reviews on youtube and most people that do the reviews (like me) are a bit pretentious and we like to discuss horror movies on a “deeper” level.. We probably aren’t affected quite as much as an avid viewer and we like to think we’re somehow better than the average viewer for that… We like to make fun of movies for using cliche tricks to make the audience jump and since they don’t make us horror fans jump, then they must be dumb and unwelcome in our horror movies right?… I think that’s a bit unfair… I think most viewers would be bored to death by a long atmospheric movie and actually enjoy the cheap jump scares. For most viewers, It’s like riding a roller coaster… it’s quick little shots of adrenaline after a long build up… It’s anticipation and release… and it’s just one of the tools that not only IS used a lot but SHOULD be used in a lot of horror movies.
Jumpscares are just one of the many tools in a filmmaker’s arsenal and like any tool it can be used inappropriately… but… just because you’ve seen someone trying to hammer a nail into something with the backside of a screwdriver, doesn’t mean that carpenters should stop using screwdrivers. If you see a filmmaker using one of the tools unsuccessfully, that doesn’t mean the tool doesn’t have value or shouldn’t be used anymore. Jumpscares are a great tool to keep the viewer from getting too comfortable while watching a movie.. They know that at any minute, something could startle them so they better stay alert. That feeling adds to the enjoyment for a lot of people and trust me, I’ve asked like 5 or 6 people in preparation for this video so it’s undisputable. It’s a fact.
You want to know my honest thoughts on this… I think in many cases… that when someone likes a movie, or when it’s considered by most to be a good movie, then any jumpscares are seen as OK or even “earned” and if you don’t like the movie or its considered to be a bad movie, the jumpscares are made fun of and are seen as cheap. I also think that some of the hate may have come from the overuse of the same exact setup for the jumpscare… for example.. The mirror gag… how many movies use the mirror reveal for a jumpscare… again I did research for this video and the number is one billion… one billion movies use this gag.. It’s a fact. Maybe people have the right to complain about the same things being used over and over again.. I can kinda get that but I still think it does exactly what it’s intended to do… You could argue that it’s overused but still even after the billionth time seeing this gag… my friends and family (not me cause i’m badass) but my friends and family start pulling the covers up to their eyes and bracing for a scare when anyone in a horror movie starts brushing their teeth or staring into a mirror. Cliche but effective for most viewers…. Filmmaking is hard and most movies that I watch are instantly forgettable… I think that anything (even a cliche overused device) , anything that keeps the viewer from getting comfortable and anything that keeps the movie exciting and entertaining and not boring and forgettable is a great thing… Maybe I’m way off on this, I just think it’s more of a meme to hate on jumpscares and it’s not really deserved… Now I was also going to show examples of my favorite jumpscares in movies and actually show the scenes in this video but I think that would take way too long and fill the video with too much copyrighted material, so you will unfortunately have to go check them out yourself but I’ll give you a few examples of good ones to look for… And we will also actually look at one of these jumpscare scenes and analyze it a bit and discuss why it works so well but first… here are 10 really good examples to google if you want to see some of my favorites in no particular order…
