A mathematical formula for what makes a movie scary
Ah, academics with time on their hands! This article comes by way of GITS reader Jeff W who emailed me:
Saw this article about how math equations can solve certain life problems… I don’t totally understand the equation, but I found the elements you need for writing a horror movie or scary scene interesting…
Oh, surely none of us would find this formula confusing:
I mean anybody can make sense of that, right?
The secret of making a scary movie has been calculated by university experts.
Scientists have worked out an equation to prove why thrillers like Psycho and the Blair Witch Project are so successful at terrifying audiences.
The formula combines elements of suspense, realism and gore, plus shock value, to measure how scary a film is.
Researchers spent two weeks watching horror films like The Exorcist, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Silence of the Lambs in pursuit of the formula.
The model focuses on three major areas: suspense, realism and gore.
From the article, the keys to the formula:
es is escalating music;
u is the unknown;
cs is chase scenes;
t is the sense of being trapped;
a is the character being alone;
dr is how dark the film is;
fs is the film setting;
tl stands for true life;
f stands for fantasy;
n is for number of people;
sin is blood and guts and
s is shock.
And what is the perfect scary movie per this formula? It’s The Shining:
The Shining’s isolated setting, with the family living in a huge hotel closed down for the winter, and the shower scene in Psycho, were perfect examples of the winning formula, experts said.
The formula also looks at the levels of gore and offset this against the number of stereotypes present in the film.
Jaws was the perfect example of appropriate levels of gore in a film, researchers found.
“Steven Spielberg reached the optimum level perfectly allowing the viewer to see just enough blood to be scared of the Great White Shark, but not so much that it repulsed us,” experts agreed.