...that makes you hate/loathe jump scares so much?
This movie has more than it's fair share of jump scares - giving a nice tingling feeling when you watch it all alone in the dark ;)
But I find many do not like jump scares being used in a horror film. I wanna know why?
So what's your reason for taking jump scares out of a horror movie - care to explain
Like anything else in film, these things are subjective, but here's my reasoning.
A single startle is a nice break of tension (Carrie's mother's hand breaking through the soil/the severed head floating through the water in Jaws) but an overuse of them becomes predictable for me, and The Woman in Black became less about enjoying the movie and more about predicting when the next jump scare would come, therefore diluting their effect.
So that's my first problem with them, my second problem is the execution. Some of the jump scares were mildly effective, but for every well executed scare, there was a loud violin jolt accompanied by a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Ahhhhh! A hand! On... *gulp* a shoulder." Or it was the faucet clanking, or, worst of all, the woman in black staring at the audience and screaming. If they're going to be that lazy they may as well have paid the cinema staff to run up beside you and shout "BOO!"
Which brings me to my last problem with jolt scares. Being startled and being scared may be similar, but I don't consider them the same, just as I don't consider a smile to be the same as a laugh. Sure, smiling is related to laughing, but they're not the same. So instead of being scared, I feel like the attempt is to startle, which, frankly, makes me think less of horror and more of a fairground spookride.
I have a lot of goodwill towards the movie, since they're trying to bring back old school "spooky house and period setting," but that's all window dressing for what the film comes across as to me, "Paranormal Activity: The Georgian Years."
I like your post, it was sensible and thought out and not bashing of anything. I enjoy jump scares as well, as long as they aren't overdone.
The only thing I'm wondering is where did you see all these jump scares in PA? That movie was pure atmosphere, along with the second one. Starting from the third on, they starts to add a bit more "excitement" though.
"The Martian Manhunter is the heart of the Justice League." - The Flash (Barry Allen)
There's a difference between being scared & being startled. The jump scares startled you, especially at first, but weren't scary.
The antique toys, however, were creepy & therefore scary.
The Woman in Black breaking the fourth wall at the end was silly & unintentionally funny.
Jump scares are used far to often these days, instead of good story telling and suspense.
I know the original TV film is incredibly dated by todays standards, but it had no jump scares, per se', it was atmosphere, suspense and build up.
This version had some of that, but kinda ruined it with the jump scare stuff.
Jump scares are used far to often these days, instead of good story telling and suspense.
I know the original TV film is incredibly dated by todays standards, but it had no jump scares, per se', it was atmosphere, suspense and build up.
This version had some of that, but kinda ruined it with the jump scare stuff.
Yea the "bed scene" I guess qualifies as a jump scare.
But you kinda knew it was coming, you hear a childs giggle, you see a shadow start coming over the bed, you see him look up, then the face appears.
In this new one there were a few jump scares.
Kitchen tap springs to life, spitting out mud/gunk (loudly)
Bird flies out of the chimney/fire
Screaming woman in the window/reflection
Screaming boy when he lights the match
Screaming woman when she gets rejected by her dead boy
Probably more, but I can't remember lol
Screaming woman in the window/reflection
Screaming boy when he lights the match
It's the part after she gets rejected, when he's sitting on the floor
You see her face come at him out of the dark when she screams
I think it qualifies, might have to watch that scene again
"There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it." ~ Alfred Hitchcock
Look it this way. Imagine you're sitting around a campfire, listening to a ghost story. If the storyteller knows what they're doing, they'll be using imagery and atmosphere to build tension and suspense and a lingering sense of dread in your mind. That takes skill. A good storyteller will have you on the edge of your seat (or log, or whatever).
Now imagine that at a crucial part of the story, the kid next to you creeps around behind you, grabs you by the shoulders and yells "Blaaaaarrrggghhh!!!" It's a cheap scare which takes no skill at all, but it makes you jump and everyone laughs and it releases the tension. There's nothing wrong with it as long as it's used correctly, and it doesn't ruin the story.
But now imagine that the little twerp keeps doing the same thing every few minutes.
See the problem?