BLOG QUESTION ADV: SPIELBERG ON HORROR

How does Spielberg craft such effective horror scenes in his blockbuster films? What are three techniques that you've learned in this unit that Spielberg uses? How does he use them?

Spielberg crafts effective horror scenes by allowing suspense to build up, resulting in a larger payoff and greater scare when the horror is revealed. Three techniques that I learned from Spielberg include: subjective shooting (focus on the characters emotions/reactions), how to use the environment to establish power dynamics and introduce higher stakes (e.g. water rippling to establish the size of the monster), and his use of jump scares. Having a jump scare alone isn't as effective as it can be when paired with the previous two elements, which add much more emotional stakes.