Anatomy of a Classic Halloween Horror Film

By Shrey Sankalp

We are four months away from Halloween, and yet, Horror films are inundating my social media feeds as if it were here.  As I woke up this morning and checked my Facebook, my News Feed was bombarded by one news and one news only – The Conjuring 2 had successfully managed to secure a spinoff for its demonic nun titled, well, The Nun.

This news simultaneously made me rejoice, roll my eyes, and then fall into a deep pit of dread – I know, that’s a lot of emotion.

Even though I was mostly satisfied by The Conjuring 2 (despite its rather long lapses into costume-driven Halloween bonanza territory), I lamented its lack of innovation (I won’t elaborate on it further, my review of The Conjuring 2 covered that appropriately) and reliance on jump scares to be terrifying and when you couple that with how disappointing and not-very-scary the first spinoff, Annabelle, was (but those dolls sure were a hit on Halloween), I can’t help but dread at what’s going to come next while rolling my eyes at how another potential Halloween costume showreel has been greenlit. 

Of course, it’s entirely possible these are my own personal thoughts, but a bottom line is evident here – audiences love these largely identical films, be they good or be they bad, whether it’s for an impulsive matinee, or to test their resilience to scares, or maybe just so they have an idea of what to base their Halloween costumes on this year.

But here’s the kicker – as identical as horror movies tend to be, why is it that some are more revered than the others?

There have to be certain factors that differentiate these films from one another in terms of quality, surely?

Yes, there are, and being the nice guy I am, I have narrowed them down to 3 broad points for you that make up the anatomy of a classic Halloween Horror film.

A. The Atmospherics

Image Source: Pinterest

James Wan is the master of scene setting.

Any horror viewer will tell you that a horror film lives or dies by its atmospherics.  As much as we lampoon how ghosts tend to haunt labyrinthine mansions with their long hallways, we grudgingly admit they make a far better haunt than a clown party where everyone’s dressed up in their bright and shiny costumes—unless it’s a Halloween party and the theme is the 1990 classic, It (based on Stephen King’s novel).  But as important as the location might be, it can be rendered completely useless if not shot and scored properly.  Every successful Halloween thriller executes this perfectly. 

A grim color palette complemented by a complete lack of lighting sets the mood, and long camera pans and smooth tracking shots establish the haunting atmosphere – this is something James Wan knows all too well, and has demonstrated rather well in his horror movies.

Even films like The Omen and The Exorcist (two Halloween classics), whose visuals have aged terribly, maintain the same sense of eeriness today as they did decades ago.  As I mentioned before, a haunting score really benefits too, because when used liberally at the right moments, your tension reaches a crescendo and as the volume suddenly drops, your brain registers what’s going to happen and when it does, accompanied by a thunderous score, you’re shaking.  A perfect example of what happens when the right atmospherics are not adopted is the TV series Supernatural. I won’t comment on its quality, but it eschews the mood setting and soundtrack choices which makes it more of an action driven item, just as the change in atmospherics makes Ghostbusters a comedy.

B. The Characters

Image Source: thewrap.com

The Warrens are such likable people, no thanks to the fine actors playing them.

As important as atmospherics are, we’re still viewing the events unfolding onscreen through someone else’s eyes, and we’re only as afraid as they are.

This necessitates that the characters in a Halloween horror film be fully fleshed out, because if the characters are paper thin, they won’t pull you into the story, and missing out on that kind of relatability is never beneficial.James Wan’s movies tend to be strong in the character department, and he really benefits from them as it opens up previously unthought-of possibilities.

Even films like Goodnight Mommy, Orphan the upcoming Lights Out (which has been getting fantastic reviews) or Sinister which are more thriller than horror, despite being a part of the genre, are elevated to the status they are because of their tremendous character work.  This particularly benefits horror films like The Babadook and It Follows, which tend to go easy on the gore and jump scares and focus on the slow build.

And whether you bring in high calibre actors like James Wan or settle for relatively unknowns, your actors’ performance is seriously augmented by good character work.

C. Costumes: Wardrobe and Make-Up Department

?Image Source: Youtube

Expect a lot of kids running around in their demonic nun costumes this Halloween.

This might seem like a very obvious point, but this is also the point most horror films get wrong.

Jump scares are easy, you could accompany the sudden appearance of a puppy with quick editing and a loud score and your audience will be startled, but it won’t stay with them.

To ensure you create a lasting haunting imagery, you need a wardrobe and make-up department that brings their A game when it comes to costuming.  Aside from that, the film makers really need to consider that a great costume on screen can immortalize the film as a classic—and they will forever get free promotion every time somebody wears a Halloween costume based on the movie, as a bonus. 

The reason James Wan’s films have such memorable demons, be it Nun Marilyn Manson, Bathsheba or The Bride in Black, is the effort put into their costumes and make-up to ensure it’s haunting, yet easily replicable, should you decide to dress up like that on Halloween.

And dress up like that you will.

Everyone keeps talking about how scary the nun from The Conjuring 2 looked and how actively everyone will be seeking out that Halloween costume to scare their friends, and why shouldn’t they?

James Wan and team put hard work into determining an outfit and perfecting it, it’s only right they be rewarded with an army of kids in Demon Nun costumes running around on Halloween (but hopefully not in church).  A lot of studios tend to skimp on this, and as a result they end up with an over the top gore-fest that looks laughable and fake, and that ultimately detracts from the experience.  It’s a thin line between Dawn of the Dead and Shaun of the Dead, and as long as you break it willingly, it’s all good, but you don’t want that breaking because you skimped on costumes and props.

From my observation as a keen cinephile, these seem the most apparent reasons as to why some films attain horror hall of fame status while others never really make it beyond the Halloween showreel stage.

Of course, I may be over thinking or we might disagree on certain points, but hey, in that case you’re always welcome to pick up the scariest costume you can find and give me a scare I’ll remember on Halloween.  And of course, if you are getting one anyway, check out some from out Halloween costume collection.