Genre, Part 1:
Suspense and Horror
CTVR 40 - MODULE 9
1. WHAT IS GENRE?
I have complicated feelings about “genre”. So complicated, I put
the word in quotes, apparently.
Genre is not inherently a bad thing. In short, it’s an easy way
to categorize storytelling. John Wick is an action movie. A
Quiet Place is a horror movie. Girls Trip is a comedy. See?
Easy. And if you want to get more specific, you can start
getting into subgenres. Booksmart is a teen buddy comedy. Get
Out and Us are social horror films. Captain America: Winter
Soldier is a comic book spy thriller. When someone asks you
“what kind of movie” a certain movie is, you’re going to respond
with genre. And that is, in a way, informative. When we describe
a movie with a genre, that means it fits certain tropes of that
genre. A comedy is going to make you laugh. A horror film is
going to have scares. A Pixar movie will make you weep
uncontrollably. It’s a useful shorthand when describing movies
to other people.
However, when we’re writing movies, I think it’s easy to get
lost in the tropes of a certain genre we’re writing towards,
whatever it may be, and, in doing so, lose sight of the
fundamentals of good storytelling. So, here is something worth
keeping in mind as you write: Every narrative movie is a drama.
A drama is a story in which realistic characters are in conflict
with themselves, other characters, or something larger, like
nature or society. That describes just about every story you
could write. Dumb and Dumber is a drama about two best friends
who have that relationship tested when they try to return a
briefcase to its rightful owner. It just happens to be really
funny. Midsommar is a drama about the strain tragedy puts on an
already toxic relationship. It just also happens to be
unsettling and creepy.
So where does genre fit into this, then? Well, the “tropes” of
each genre are powerful storytelling tools that transcend the
genres they’re frequently associated with. So we’ll spend the
next two chapters discussing these tools and how to apply them
to any story you may write.
2. SUSPENSE
Suspense as a storytelling device is a powerful tool at the
heart of the action, thriller, and horror genres, but it’s
presence can be found across all genres of dramatic narrative
storytelling. So what is it?
Alfred Hitchcock often defined suspense in comparison to
something he saw as related, but in some ways opposite:
surprise. He would describe the scene of two men sitting down at
a cafe table. They have some drinks and talk about tennis. Six
minutes later, out of nowhere, there is a massive explosion and
both men are killed. That’s “surprise”. As an audience, we don’t
know the explosion is coming. We’re watching what we think is a
boring scene of two men talking about tennis, and then there is
an explosion which startles us. Now compare that to the same
scene, but before that scene happens, we get another scene in
which we see a man pack a time bomb into a suitcase. We see him
walk that suitcase down from his hotel room and across the
street to the cafe. We see him slide the bomb under one of the
cafe tables. Then we see the two men come and sit down at that
very table. They have drinks. They talk about tennis. All the
while, they don’t notice the suitcase with the bomb under the
table. It’s different, right? Even though these two men are
still engaged in the same boring conversation about tennis, we
care now. We’re engaged. We’re waiting to see what happens next.
That is “suspense.”
Suspense is the device that makes the audience want to know
what’s going to happen. It’s a sense of anxiety or doubt or fear
for the characters that the story has instilled that makes an
audience care about what happens to them. It’s a build and
release of tension, as we see the characters hurtling towards an
outcome and hope that they can escape it in time.
There are several different ways you can instill this feeling in
an audience. Let’s discuss some of them, shall we?
3. THE TOOLS OF SUSPENSE
1. Dramatic Irony - Dramatic irony is when the audience knows
something that the characters do
not. Think back to Hitchcock’s bomb-in-the-suitcase example. We
know there is a bomb under that table, but the characters don’t.
And so we lean forward, wondering if they’re going to get away
in time or find the bomb and defuse it. Because we know in a way
what’s coming, we can then start to wonder how the characters
will deal with that event when it finally comes. 2. Subjective
Point-of-View - This is almost the opposite of dramatic irony,
because in a
subjective point-of-view, we only get the information that the
characters get. We see what they see. We hear what they hear. We
know what they know. But if we’re already aware that there’s
something to worry about or be afraid of, we can then put
ourselves in their shoes and then engage with how the character
is facing this unknown or looming threat. 3. External Pressure There’s a version of this known as the “ticking clock”, which
holds that
if you put a time limit on a character’s goals, an audience will
be much more engaged with finding out whether or not they
achieve it. Going back to the bomb under the table, the time
bomb is a literal ticking clock. In this case, time is an
external pressure forcing the characters toward an outcome. But
it doesn’t just have to be time. In The Shining, a blizzard
keeps the Torrance family locked in the Overlook Hotel as Jack
spirals deeper into madness. Anything that pushes the characters
closer and closer to an outcome can fit in this category. 4.
Doubt - This is what keeps a suspenseful scene interesting. It
should never be completely certain what is going to happen in a
scene. Will the two men get away before the bomb explodes? If we
already know everything that’s going to happen, we won’t feel
the need to watch the scene. 5. Surprise - Without surprise, the
constant building of suspense and release of tension can
start to feel monotonous. A surprise jolt or jump scare can help
give a sense of unpredictability, or doubt that can keep an
audience wondering what’s coming next.
4. HORROR
Before we dig into some examples of how suspense can be used in
narrative storytelling, it’s worth exploring a genre that takes
this particular tool to the extreme: horror. As a genre, horror
is all about pushing and transforming suspense into dread. We
don’t just worry about the characters; we’re afraid for them.
Horror has consistently been a popular genre of cinematic
storytelling since the medium’s invention. So what makes it so
enduring?
Horror storytelling thrives on exploiting common human fears.
Whether it’s sharks (Jaws), ghosts (The Conjuring), demons (The
Exorcist), or just some guy in a mask with a knife (Scream,
Halloween, the entire slasher genre), successful horror taps
into a primal human terror and effectively translates it to the
screen.
In this way, horror is a very adaptable genre, as common
societal fears tend to change to adapt to major events or
innovations. In fact, you can chart a fairly accurate history of
a society by examining the progression of its horror films over
time. Look at American horror. In the 1930s, we had the
Universal Monster movies like Dracula, Frankenstein, and The
Wolfman. All monsters coming from central Europe, where World
War I had just taken place and where World War II was beginning
to brew. In the 1950s, you had science-based horrors of the
nuclear age such as The Creature from the Black Lagoon and The
Thing from Another World. The 1960s horror tapped into a fear of
the next generation, losing themselves to the hippie movement
and free love. That’s what gave us movies about possessed and
dangerous children like Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, and The
Omen. And so on.
Let’s take a look at three examples, horror and otherwise, that
put suspense to use.
5. EXAMPLE #1: LIGHTS OUT
First, watch the film. In the dark if you really want to set the
mood.
Now, what are some of the tools of suspense at work here?
● Subjective Point-of-View: We experience the story through the
eyes and ears of the protagonist. We first see the creature when
she does. We only hear it when she’s hiding in her room and
under the covers. This builds mystery and tension as we don’t
know what’s going on.
● External Pressure: The creature only comes out when it’s dark.
So when the light starts flickering, that forces her to act to
keep the light on.
● Doubt - We’re not sure if she can escape or defeat this
creature, so watching her try to work within the creature’s
rules and save herself builds tension. She could possibly beat
this thing. But will she?
● Surprise - The movie builds a pattern with the light switching
on and off, revealing the creature, and then breaks it when it
moves. Then the reveal and the end adds one last surprise to
catch us off guard.
Alright, let’s see how these tools can apply outside of a horror
or thriller film.
6. EXAMPLE #2: CAROLINE
This film puts to use all of the
tools of suspense in the service of
a very simple drama about a mother
leaving her three kids in the car on
a hot day. As a result, a simple
scenario becomes incredibly
stressful and harrowing.
Let’s break down what it’s doing to
build this tension.
● Dramatic Irony - Because we’re
experiencing this story through
Caroline’s perspective, we know more
than the mother knows about what’s
going on inside the car. We know
that the air conditioning isn’t on.
We know there’s a stranger coming
into the scene. And that makes us
worry about what will happen to
these kids.
● Subjective Point-of-View - We
experience the story through
Caroline’s point-of-view. We feel
the building heat with her. When the
woman comes to help her and her
siblings, we don’t know her and we
feel that sense of “stranger
danger.”
7. EXAMPLE #3: NIGHT OF THE SLASHER
● External Pressure - Caroline and
her siblings are stuck in the car
for as long as their mother has her
job interview and the building heat
is forcing someone to take action,
be it Caroline or the woman that
comes to help them.
● Doubt - If no one comes to help the
kids, they could die. Also it’s very
easy to doubt the motivations of the
stranger that’s coming to help them.
● Surprise - The dog jumping at
Caroline on the other side of the
window in the opening scene
immediately establishes a sense of
unpredictability and danger.
Let’s watch one more. Something a
little more fun.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH “CAROLINE”
Here we see all the tools of suspense we’ve been discussing put in the service
of a film that makes fun of all of the tropes of 1980s slasher films and
effectively straddles the line between horror and comedy.
● Dramatic Irony - The movie has several “look out behind you” moments where we
see the Slasher rise up behind Jenelle, the protagonist, before she sees him.
We also know before the Bait, aka the older-looking classmate that comes by,
that something is off and Jenelle isn’t being completely forthcoming with him.
● Subjective Point-of-View - Save for the “look behind you” moments mentioned
above, we are generally limited to Jenelle’s experience of the story.
● External Pressure - The list! Jenelle has a list of slasher movie “sins” that
she’s working through to summon the Slasher for her revenge. We don’t know
exactly what she’s doing or why she’s doing it, but we do know that she’s
trying to do something and that list is the thing that’s pushing her forward in
the narrative.
● Doubt - The scenario raises several dramatic questions. Will she finally get
her revenge on the Slasher? Will the Slasher stay dead? Or will the Slasher
finish the job he started the last time they met?
● Surprise - The moment when the Slasher is first introduced and the moment when
he disappears and reappears magically right in front of her. These moments are
more played for laughs than scares, but it still gives that sense of
unpredictability.
Now, to wrap up...
8. CONCLUSION
Hopefully those three shorts demonstrated not only the power,
but the versatility of suspense in narrative storytelling. It’s
not just for thrillers and horror films. Comedies thrive on
suspense as do small, character-driven dramas. It allows your
audience to emotionally invest and engage with the struggles of
your characters. It makes them want to know what’s going to
happen next. Try and find ways to use these tools to build
tension in your own stories.
To conclude, I think it would be worthwhile to watch an
interview with a filmmaker who found great success in writing
both suspense and comedy (the subject of our next class). Jordan
Peele is the writer and director of Get Out and Us, as well as a
successful sketch-comedian, as evidenced by Key and Peele. In
this interview, he discusses writing specifically for audience
reaction, and how knowing how to manipulate an audience leads to
powerful genre filmmaking.
WATCH THE JORDAN PEELE - SCRIPT TO SCREEN HERE
EXERCISE 9 - In the discussion board, write a one-page outline
or treatment for a scene or sequence that builds suspense in
some way. Think about how you can use the five tools of
suspenseful storytelling to build tension in your scene and get
the audience more invested in the outcome.
For your discussion board responses, comment on someone else’s
scene and see if you can identify any of the tools of suspense
in their scene and describe how they’re being used. Are they
being used effectively? If not, how could their use be improved?