The Art Of Jump Scares

It’s spooky season which means the perfect time to celebrate all things horror. One of the most effective yet maligned aspects of many a horror movie is the Jump Scare, the sudden appearance of something often accompanied by a musical sting to truly startle audiences. In the wrong hands, they are cheap and obvious; but good filmmakers know how to weaponize them for maximum fright. This video from IGN’s Cinefix explores the ingredients to a good Jump Scare by reviewing some of the best ones in film.

To date, and probably forever, jump scares remain one of the most vehemently scrutinized genre tropes. And why not? Jump scares are as crucial a stitch in the fabric of horror films as slashers and ridiculous sequels. But the discourse around the jump scare can get a little ugly, from critics citing an over-reliance on them as a negative review point, to audiences rolling their eyes at a silly trope. So it’s only fair that we spend some time looking at what makes the good jump scares great.

To do so, we have to say there are spoilers ahead, so here’s your spoiler alert. We’ll be breaking down the incredible found footage zombie movie [REC], jump scare master Wes Craven and the opening sequence from SCREAM and everything else from classics like CARRIE from Stephen King to THE CONJURING to PARANORMAL ACTIVITY to scary as hell international cinema fare from Argentina. The point is, Ghostface is just one in a long line of jump scaring horror icons.

As noted, the visual essay does spoil some great scary moments and endings of excellent horror movies, so be aware of that (though almost all of the movies discussed are at least five years old). The video was written by Matt Donato and edited by Casey Redmon. You can subscribe to Cinefix’s YouTube Channel here.