Special Effects in Horror Cinema Many horror films use special effects to create horror. To create horror, the amount of special effects depends on the plot's focus on the monster itself or the effects the monster creates. Therefore, more special effects are needed if the film deals with the real creature, while fewer special effects are needed when the film focuses on the ramifications of its presence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayWhen the plot of a film centers on the visible presence of the monster, special effects are needed to create horror. In the 1933 film King Kong, by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, King Kong is a monstrous creature created using stop-motion animation. King Kong is physically displayed on screen through the use of special effects. The special effects before Kong's introduction, such as the boat on the water, do not create horror. Horror is created through special effects when King Kong appears because Kong is a scary and frightening creature. The film would have no horror without the physical presence of King Kong. Once King Kong is captured, he is taken to New York to be put on display. Before the initial debut, Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) is simply talking to John Driscoll (Bruce Cabot) about her concerns about seeing the monster again. No special effects are used during this scene and there is also no feeling of impending horror or imminent danger. King Kong is not present in the scene; therefore no special effects are used. When King Kong debuts and appears on stage, the audience feels a sense of danger and horror, which comes from the presence of the monster. Although the special effects used in this film are primitive, they are still effective in creating horror when Kong is present. Since the monster is created solely by special effects, it is the special effects that make King Kong such a terrifying figure. Advanced special effects are important to create horror when the film's plot centers on the monster itself and its destruction. James Cameron's film Aliens (1986) uses model special effects to create the aliens. At the beginning of the film, when Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is rescued, there are no scary or horror-inducing scenes. At this point in the film no intense special effects are used as the alien creatures have not yet been introduced, so no feeling of horror is created. Once Ripley and some military members travel to the colony to investigate the cause of the loss of communication, special effects are used to depict a destroyed colony, alien eggs, and the aliens themselves. It is when these special effects are used that horror arises. Without the use of special effects, there would be no representation of alien eggs, or aliens, and therefore no creation of horror. Aliens are the source of horror and when alien creations are removed there is an absence of horror. Although Aliens uses complex special effects for the majority of the film, a film does not need to use special effects at the same level of complexity if the monster is not shown constantly. No elaborate special effects are needed to induce horror in a film if the monster in the film is not fully visualized. Steven Spielberg's film Jaws (1975) uses special effects to create the gigantic, oversized shark that is the monster. For most of the film, the shark attacks don't fully show the shark. The only thing visualized is the victim and the ocean he becomes.