Color from darkness
Impressions in a horror movie depends on tone, texture and mood. Good horror always rely on color as the main engine of the mood of the picture, unlike other genres that rely on other elements (dialogue, story metamorphose, etc.). However, this does not mean at all horror films do not need in good dialogues and a screenplay- they fade into the background, giving way to the atmosphere and mood.
We do not even realize exactly how horror films excite our imagination work literally on a subconscious level. A huge, if not a key role in this process is played by the color: the general tone of the frame, the coloring of clothes, objects, and so on.
Monster in the shadow
Horror chooses black and white. If white color point to a conditionally safe zone, where nothing happens with the main characters (we hope so), then black is the opposite — it creates a heavy, oppressive atmosphere. Basically, horror stories happens at the night time, even if the action takes place at day time — then such place is very lightless and ominous. A human is afraid of what he cannot see — he is afraid of the dark. Filmmakers try to awake this natural human fear with the help of color. Black color is always hides something in itself, attracts to itself and at the same time makes you scared (fear of the unknown). A striking example of the successful use of black — “Alien” by Ridley Scott (1979). Completely all actions with the monster take place in the gloomy, cramped corridors of the spacecraft where the monster (also black) is almost impossible to see.
Red filters
Red color filters in horror movies can be very effective, because the red color makes the viewer nervous on a subconscious level. Operators often use red filters on luminaires that are responsible for drawing light.
As an example, consider the movie “Suspiriya” in 1977. The color here plays almost the main role. Red here is an indicator of evil, so all the scenes in the ballet school, where terrible murders and ominous events take place, are colored in red or pink.
In addition, red color is a hint that in this film will be a lot of blood. For example, many killer characters are specifically highlighted in red.
Contrast
The contrast of the two color palettes is a classic technique which is used in a cinema to separate two different states of a hero or the worlds in which they are located. It is the basis of the visual narration of the movie. This is especially noticeable in silent films, where the maximum attention is paid to the visual component. The tense scenes in the movie “The Witches” of 1922 were made in red, while calmer — in blue.
Association and alteration
In horror films, color has only two types of use: association and alteration. In the case of association, color is used to display any ideas. For example, we associate the clown Penny from the movie “It” with red, and if in one of the frames we see red, then we understand that there is a connection with the character.
. If the colors in the film are stable, then a sharp change of tone is already a transition. Alterations can be simple — like changing locations, or complex, like changing the character's mindset.
