Thoughts on Jump Scares in Films

[edztan15]

What are your thoughts on jump scares in films? It can be an effective element in movies when done correctly but unfortunately, most film makers today use it as a crutch to make their films scary. I find it cheap and lazy. It's like watching a comedy movie while someone is tickling you.

Do you know any good horror films that has no or minimal jump scares? The below movies come to mind.

Hereditary
Midsommar
Rosemary's Baby

[Lady-of-Literature]

I'm not against jump scares, I think they have found their place and their uses, but like most tropes in film and literature they are over used. So much so that they are funny.

[Vumana16]

I like jump scares when they're used by a movie that is scary in other ways too. The only example in think of right now is It. The movie did use jump scares but the idea of a murdering clown was scary on its own.

[htxrose20]

I think jump scares in movies scare me but at the same time it helps me understand the movie better and I just think it is fun being scared in a movie.

[Bumbly_Sunshine]

Jump scares personally still get me every time because they're a sudden movement with a surge of loud and stunning sound (usually a pause of music beforehand as I'm sure we're all aware)!
I find it interesting though that jump scares didn't really become popular until the early 80s. They only became known because of slasher movies like the Halloween movie franchise, which didn't really become popular until its second movie in 1980 from what I'm aware of. I think that's weird though because a lot of jump scares came from very popular movies that came out of the late 70s as well. It really does depend on the movie and how the director creates the film.

As mentioned in the first post of this forum, Rosemary's Baby was an extremely intense film! If you haven't seen it, I suggest you guys go watch it! The placement of jump scares, although deemed cheesy by today's standards, was thought out in such a way that they came off as NOT being used as a crutch. Because the story was something to be of worthy history in its making.
Really feel like I rambled, but more or less I agree that jump scares are overused, overrated and should be done away with only for the fact that directors, screenwriters, and other such people should focus more on making the story REALLY good first and then only adding in a jump scare if it's needed to drive home the point of the good story.

[rik17]

Jump scares are quite attractive for me as long as they contribute to moving the story forward, otherwise, they are just decorative and shallow.

[Vumana16]

Jump scares personally still get me every time because they're a sudden movement with a surge of loud and stunning sound (usually a pause of music beforehand as I'm sure we're all aware)!
I find it interesting though that jump scares didn't really become popular until the early 80s. They only became known because of slasher movies like the Halloween movie franchise, which didn't really become popular until its second movie in 1980 from what I'm aware of. I think that's weird though because a lot of jump scares came from very popular movies that came out of the late 70s as well. It really does depend on the movie and how the director creates the film.

As mentioned in the first post of this forum, Rosemary's Baby was an extremely intense film! If you haven't seen it, I suggest you guys go watch it! The placement of jump scares, although deemed cheesy by today's standards, was thought out in such a way that they came off as NOT being used as a crutch. Because the story was something to be of worthy history in its making.
Really feel like I rambled, but more or less I agree that jump scares are overused, overrated and should be done away with only for the fact that directors, screenwriters, and other such people should focus more on making the story REALLY good first and then only adding in a jump scare if it's needed to drive home the point of the good story.

That's really interesting, for some reason I always thought that jumpscares were always popular haha. I haven;t watched Rosemary's Baby yet but I've always wanted to, so I guess this is a great reason to do so.

I agree with what you said about the movie needing a good story before even thinking about adding jumpscares.I love scary movies but is hard to find ones that have actually scary stories and not just a bunch of jumpscares.