“Meanwhile, back at the ranch” is a cornerstone of cinema. I think cliffhangers can be done well, but when they are they generally don’t draw attention to themselves as such. In horror movies in particular, cutting just before action and leaving the end of an interaction up to the imagination of the viewer can be very powerful. But yeah it’s frustrating when done badly.
Yeah horror movies that show as little as possible can be some of the scariest. Alien is a great example. I haven't watched it in a probably 8 years but I don't think we actually see the full Alien until it emerges in the escape craft. I think you get a sense of how tall it is when it shows up to own Veronica Cartwright and Yaphet Kotto but I don't think you get a full shot of it.
As the old saying goes, fear of the unknown is the greatest and most primeval of fears.
Counterpoint: The Thing is a great horror movie and it goes to great pains to show you The Thing doing all kinds of weird shit. However, because of The Thing's ability to disguise itself, it still plays into the "unknown" fear aspect while showing you the body horrorshow in detail. God damn do I love the prosthetics/props/practical effects in The Thing. As yet unsurpassed. Brilliant movie.
“Meanwhile, back at the ranch” is a cornerstone of cinema. I think cliffhangers can be done well, but when they are they generally don’t draw attention to themselves as such. In horror movies in particular, cutting just before action and leaving the end of an interaction up to the imagination of the viewer can be very powerful. But yeah it’s frustrating when done badly.
Yeah horror movies that show as little as possible can be some of the scariest. Alien is a great example. I haven't watched it in a probably 8 years but I don't think we actually see the full Alien until it emerges in the escape craft. I think you get a sense of how tall it is when it shows up to own Veronica Cartwright and Yaphet Kotto but I don't think you get a full shot of it.
As the old saying goes, fear of the unknown is the greatest and most primeval of fears.
Counterpoint: The Thing is a great horror movie and it goes to great pains to show you The Thing doing all kinds of weird shit. However, because of The Thing's ability to disguise itself, it still plays into the "unknown" fear aspect while showing you the body horrorshow in detail. God damn do I love the prosthetics/props/practical effects in The Thing. As yet unsurpassed. Brilliant movie.