Screenwriting : Jump Scares in the "Insidious" Movies by Maurice Vaughan

Hi Maurice, those Insidious movies are not bad

So interesting!

The "Insidious" movies are some of the best Horror movies I've seen lately, Billy Kwack. I haven't seen the newest one yet though.

Hi Maurice, I think I seen one last year. The Grudge was very scary years ago

That scene with the lipstick demon always get me, great pick Maurice.

So true Maurice! I know all the methods and I still get caught at every jump scare.

Jump scares are like pizza: they can be really cheap or well-crafted but both can be good depending on what you're in the mood for.

Great share, Maurice Vaughan!

I haven't seen "The Grudge" in a while, Billy Kwack, but I think it had some great jump scares.

Yeah, it got me too, Drew Hodson. Haha One thing the "Insidious" movies do that separate them from other haunting movies is, they show the other side of the haunting by taking the audience into the Dark.

I also think jump scares are about suspense, Niki H (knowing a jump scare is coming but not knowing how it's gonna play out), which ties into the "stare at something too long” technique.

That's a great way to put it, David Abrookin. And jump scares should definitely not be the main scares in a script. I think the main scares should be the situations the characters are in and the villain.

Thanks, Emily J.

Hi Maurice, the Grudge, too many jump scares

Great post, Maurice Vaughan. Did you see the most recent Insidious?

Thanks, Nick Waters. I haven't seen the recent "Insidious." It's $19.99 on streaming right now. I'm waiting for the price to drop. I watched "Barbarian" the other day, and it uses the same jump scare techniques as the "Insidious" movies.

It might be interesting to see how some of your favorite jump scares are written on the page. Ultimately they work because of the staging, framing, editing, and music. I've seen some independent films with jump scares that didn't work because the timing was off. est thing to do in that case is literally copy the rhythm of a scene that DOES work and replace the shots with your own footage and music.

That's a great point, Mike Boas. Writers don't have staging, framing, editing, and music, but we can write out the jump scares (ex: "She kneels and slowly looks under the bed... A hand grabs her.") and let the director, actors, and crew bring them to life. I like your idea too (literally copy the rhythm of a scene that DOES work and replace the shots with your own footage and music).

it's that rhythm that can be hard to get if you haven't edited a lot. there's no shame in using another sequence as a template.

You're right, and you're right, Mike Boas. "there's no shame in using another sequence as a template." When I start a Horror script, I look for scripts in the same genre. I think I'll start doing the same thing for jump scares. Thanks.

I write a lot of "and then-- ...." . Using words like suddenly or her back was turned would also indicate it's a jump scare, although in a spec script, I think it's limited since you can't really indicate cinematography. Here are a couple excerpts from Psycho.

THE SHOWER SCENE

Now we see the bathroom door being pushed slowly open.

The noise of the shower drowns out any sound. The door

is then slowly and carefully closed. And we see the

shadow of a woman fall across the shower curtain..

Mary' s back is turned to the curtain. The white brightness of

the bathroom i.s almost blinding. Suddenly we see the

hand reach up, grasp the shower curtain, rip it aside.

CUT TO:

MARY - ECU

As she turns in response to the feel and SOUND of the shower curtain boing tom aside . A look of pure horror erupts in her i'ace. A low terrible groan begins to rise

up out of her throat. A hand comes into the shot. The

hand holds an enormous bread knife. The glint of' the

blade shatters the screen to an almost total, silver

blankness.

NORMAN ATTACKING ARBOGAST SCENE

We see Arbogast coming up the stairs.

And now we see,. too, the door of the moth.er·' s room.,

opening, carefully and slowly.

As Arbogast reaches the landing, the door opens and

the mother- steps out, her hand raised high, the blade

of an enormous knife flashing. ·

I use "--" for jump scares, Lynda Mason. I don't use "suddenly," but I can see it working for jump scares in spec scripts. Capitalizing noises and objects during the jump scares might work too. Thanks for sharing the excerpts.

That screenplay is text-heavy, but well written, and it's 138 pages. It's one of the best ever made IMO.

I haven't read the "Psycho" script, Lynda Mason, but I'm sure it's great for studying the Horror, Thriller, and Mystery genres. I need to find the script.

Found it, Lynda Mason! https://archive.org/details/psycho-1960-11.10.1959/mode/2up

YES! Thank you for highlighting this wonderful franchise. They are exceptional scripts

You're welcome, @Nikolas John. I haven't read the scripts, but I need to get my hands on them.

Maurice Vaughan Look at 54-59, no dialogue. I remember in the film, it was like five minutes of Norman cleaning up the shower scene and disposing the car in the swamp. Such a great movie!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et9m9GwLp7g

I have to watch this one Maurice Vaughan and add this to my tool box for my horror/thriller flicks.