Camera/Filming Styles?

I am a sucker for a good plot in a found footage film, and I recently rented the Chernobyl Diaries. That movie began in a POV found footage style made on the character's camcorder documenting their vacation. But the style shifts quickly to what seems to be cinematic, with standard camera cuts, and the "Invisible" cameraman; But the special part here is the WAY they shot the clips themselves. They are all done as if it was a bunch of compiled handheld footage.


Now this of course isn't used TOO often as far as I can tell. What are your preferences for film styles in horror?

Here's my take on horror nowadays:

...it's almost non-existent. Truly. I mean, think about this.

You've heard of all these slasher films (Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Halloween being the big ones) and people rave about them. However, they are not horror. Horror, in its purest form, is supposed to make you afraid, to make you feel fear. Slasher films do nothing to accomplish that. You simply root for the killer or for your favorite victim. You don't feel scared or afraid for them.

However, movies like The Blair Witch Project (Yes, it's my favorite horror movie, SUE ME!), Paranormal Activity (Haven't seen the second one, but the others aren't bad), REC (either version, doesn't matter), and The Last Exorcism, those make you fearful. The scares are legitimate, not simply jump scares with a masked killer shoving a knife in your face. They make you fear the entity or evil being. You truly do not want the victims to die and when they do, you are both horrified and saddened by the loss. The most you get in terms of character development in a slasher film is a pointless boob shot or sex scene.


I could go on and on, but the point is there:

Slasher films are trash in my personal opinion and do nothing in terms of scares and entertainment. Found footage, on the other hand, is a growing art in horror and it is glorious.


Whew! That was more of a rant and ramble than I intended, but there it is!

I have to disagree with you on slasher films. if it has a good concept it can still scare you, like elm street, yea it had some comedy elements, but the concept of someone who infiltrates your dreams to kill you is frightening, to me at least.

I'm only really scared by gore, weirdly. Horror films and videos have no effect on me, with the exception of things featuring creepy little girls. Apart from The Exorcist, the most famously terrifying film of all time. I'm fine with that, but would I watch SAW? Oh god no.

Gore doesn't scare me, tbh. It just grosses me out.

Yeah gore doesn't really scare me either. Only extremely discomfort me at times:
https://youtu.be/icR8Vly5-B0?t=1m15s

But back on topic, I meant for this to be about filming styles, not what scares you.