The 5 Best Films to Watch to Learn Horror Filmmaking (Part 6)

There are many great horror films to watch out there and I don't think I'm anywhere near done sharing these posts with you. This is Part six so, if you haven't read the other five parts, I suggest you do so. I suggest you do so especially if you're working on a horror project. I hope you gain ideas into themes, storyline and characters (including everything in between). So, let's carry on...

One of the world's creepiest horror films, The Silence of the Lambs is an absolute classic of terror. The themes of madness and death are so strong in this film that you can really get into the existentialism of the atmosphere. The scene entitled "Screaming Lambs" is a beautiful portrayal of sad and lonely death in which there is absolutely no stopping it. You may want to explore the inevitable in the film and make sure you pay good attention to this scene.

One of the most insane films ever made, The Blair Witch Project started off the found-footage sub-genre of horror. Most likely, you will see what you came to see at the end of the film. But, without watching the rest of the film, the ending (entitled "The House") won't make any sense whatsoever. And, with the context of the rest of the film, the end scene will seem like a bout of insanity and a tale of how three people went absolutely crazy.

The 1993 film may not seem like your average horror film, but the concept is absolutely terrifying. Take a look at the scene entitled "I Think I Gotta Kill You"—it's a scene in which there's themes of trust and ambiguity. These good people have no idea whether the people they've picked up are going to murder them or not, and as the film progresses, the events get more and more violent until everything goes horribly wrong. It's a brilliant film and is very underrated, so make sure you give it a watch.

Sleepy Hollow is a great film to watch along with Perfume because it teaches you about the little known sub-genre of Historical Horror. It uses atmosphere and character to create these grand designs on which things take place; but without the scene the event would look seriously underwhelming. In fact, in Historical Horror, the scenery does most of the work for you. Just look at the scene entitled "The Horseman Returns"—it creates such great atmosphere.

Horror can also be achieved by concept, as we've seen with previous sections. The movie The Skin I Live In was a revolutionary film that looked at the difference between right and wrong in quite possibly the most horrific way possible. The sheer body horror of this movie is complete with fast paced scenes and is honestly so good, I couldn't choose a single scene to show you. But if you want pace and confusion, you want to watch the "Dress Ripping" scene in which the woman rips material by biting it like an animal.

Conclusion

There will be a Part 7 and seriously, horror film can't ever end. You can always learn something from a good horror film and that doesn't mean using all-gore techniques or being dark all the time. I hope these posts show you that there are other ways of scaring people.

Good luck with your next project.