Spooky Sounds: History of the Jump Scare

Nowadays, people often complain about modern horror movies. Directors seem to only want to make you jump out of your seat (among other effects), and forget the main thing - telling a story. Such criticism is understandable as every day the basic principle of the horror genre seems to be forgotten: the real fear should be present in people’s minds, in the thoughts that chase you to your bed and keep you awake at night. When we think of great horror movies, we think of terrifying stories, not loud noises or sudden flashes to give you a kick of adrenaline, which eventually becomes somewhat superficial.

However, the horror genre needs a certain sound ambiance. Horror movies cannot be watched on mute: the magic is completely lost. Therefore, it is important to understand this principle: horror should not be based on effects, even though it needs them. When the so-called jump scare is done well, the viewer can feel particularly disturbed. A good jump scare is a warning that the film is not a safe place whatsoever. It is not a nice experience. There are even bad movies that know how to include such moments masterfully, and this rescues them a bit from utter mediocrity; while, of course, the best examples of the genre know how to deploy these instants at just the right moments for maximum effectiveness.

What is Jump Scare? It’s a cinematic device, often used in horror movies and horror video games with the intention of scaring the viewer by means of a sudden visual change in the current scene, usually accompanied by a creepy noise. This sound effect is deeply related to fear itself, because, as Alfred Hitchcock pointed out, what scares us is the anticipation of the bullet, not the bang. As an emotion, fear occurs in the midst of an expectation about the worst-case scenario, which we pray is not a real possibility, and which we don't know whether it will happen or not. A good Jump Scare is the end of that waiting: it is the evidence that the worst nightmare has actually arrived.

The first known Jump Scare was used in the Cat People (1942,) in which a bus suddenly appears to slow down after the MC suspects she is being followed. During the 1970s, sudden scares were a relatively rare phenomenon in horror films, yet they became increasingly common in the 1980s as the slasher subgenre gained popularity. 1976's Carrie has one of the first modern Sudden Scares in the film's final scene, which is considered to be a source of inspiration. On Friday the 13th, a sudden scare was used to suggest that Jason Voorhees was not really dead.

The sudden scare from The Exorcist III is considered by horror fans to be the most famous and frightening scare in the history of cinema. In the scene, a nurse enters a hospital room. After almost three minutes, as soon as she leaves the place, the camera zooms in quickly, and a figure dressed in white with large scissors suddenly emerges about to chop her head along with loud terrifying music.

This effect is not unique to movies. Resident Evil is cited as the first modern video game to use sudden scares. The player walks down a hallway with windows and zombie dogs suddenly jump through them. At that point, the music reaches a higher volume and intensity. A similar event occurs if the player tries to leave the mansion - in the form of a video scene.

In 2004, the German caffeinated energy drink company K-Fee aired advertisements showing peaceful environments, such as a car crossing the road or two lovers running together on the beach:

(We hope you didn’t die of a heart attack, by the way.)

At the end of the advertisement, the slogan So wach warst du noch nie, (you've never been so awake) closes the idea about the effect that the energy drink can have on its consumers.

K-fee also launched four radio commercials with pleasant audio, such as a relaxation program and a Christmas story, also interrupted by the same sound of the TV spots. To expand its market to the UK, both the TV and radio commercials were translated into English, and together with their German versions, became the most terrifying commercials in history. These commercials received so many complaints from German viewers that they eventually had to be pulled from television!

So, if you are a screenwriter, director, mixer, editor, or, in general, work in the audiovisual industry, it is important that you know this sound effect and learn how to use it well. If you need professional advice and you are on your way to producing your masterpiece, don't hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to help you.

*The images used on this post are taken from Pexels.com