Lecture Notes on the Evolution of Jump Scares in Cinema

Introduction

• Cat People (1942): Considered the first modern jump scare film.
  • Established key criteria for jump scares:
    1. Build tension
    2. Use an audio cue
    3. Play on audience expectations
    4. Director's intent to scare

Early Examples and Evolution

• Pre-Cat People Examples:

  • The Phantom of the Opera (1925): Face reveal.
  • Citizen Kane (1941): Screeching sound, not intended as a scare.

• 1940s-50s: Jump scares became common in horror films.

  • Innovations:
    • Hideous Sun Demon (1958): POV shot for immersive scare.
    • Psycho (1960): Iconic musical score linked to horror.

Evolution Through the Decades

1960s

• Repulsion (1965): Introduced mirror reveal technique.
• Wait Until Dark (1967): Dramatic irony used with a blind protagonist.

1970s

• Jaws (1975): Played with expectations by withholding the monster.
• Carrie (1976): Final moments jump scare.
• Halloween (1978): Fake-out jump scare.

1980s

• Alien (1979): Tension built without typical cues.
• American Werewolf in London (1981): Nightmare within a nightmare.
• The Thing (1982): Body doing the unexpected.
• The Exorcist 3 (1990): Long static shot lulling audience into surprise.

Advancements and Subversions

1990s

• Candyman (1992): Scare coming through the mirror.
• Jurassic Park (1993): Use of triumph followed by a scare.
• Se7en (1995): Building terror from the realization.
• Scream (1996): Meta commentary using jump scares.

2000s

• The Fellowship of the Ring (2001): Use of CGI in jump scares.
• Signs (2002): Viewer anticipation with protagonist.
• The Grudge (2004): Safest places turned into scare zones.
• The Descent (2005): Found footage style jump scares.

2010s

• Paranormal Activity 2 (2010): Security camera realism.
• Insidious (2010): Conversation scene interrupted by a scare.
• The Conjuring (2013): Jump scare from unexpected sources.
• It Follows (2014): Delaying gratification for bigger payoff.

2020s

• The Invisible Man (2020): Using invisibility for surprise.
• Smile (2022): Broad daylight scare with physics-defying surprise.

Conclusion

• Jump scares have evolved to become a staple in horror and even non-horror films.
• They continue to surprise audiences by innovating techniques and utilizing new technologies.
• Future of jump scares is unpredictable, a testament to their continued relevance and power in cinema.