Horroris arguably the most versatile genre of movies. A good horror movie does what it can to elicit feelings of fear, shock or disgust from its audience. Whether it’s copious amounts of gore, jump scares, or establishing a general aura of dread, there are countless methods by which horror movies can frighten their viewers.Effective horror movies attack the senses and play tricks on the mind.
Editing is one of the fundamental pillars of filmmaking. Pertaining to editing, the flow of a movie, or lack thereof, can greatly impact the film’s overall quality and the viewer’s ability to engage with it.Great editing work is often seamless, allowing for a consistent pace and flow in the sequencing of a movie’s events;this is an essential element of horror movies that rely on sustained tension and scares. This is a selection of 10 horror movies with scary-good editing.
10’The Descent’ (2005)
Directed by Neil Marshall
A year after a tragedy that destroyed her family, Sarah (Shauna MacDonald) joins her friends on their annual caving expedition in remote North Carolina.Claustrophobia turns to terror when the girls realize that they are not alone in the caves. Hopelessly lost miles below ground and hunted by ravenous monsters, Sarah must pull the group together and lead them to the surface.
The Descentis a horror classicthat preys upon primal fears more effectively than most other genre efforts,making for a visceral and almost unbearably intense experience. The editing ofThe Descentplays a large part in the movie’s effectiveness;trimmed down to a brisk 100 minutes,The Descentdoesn’t overstay its welcome andoffers near-constant thrills and chills. Horror movies rarely come as skillfully engineered and white-knuckle asThe Descent.
The Descent
A caving expedition goes horribly wrong, as the explorers become trapped and ultimately pursued by a strange breed of predators.
9’Paranormal Activity' (2007)
Directed by Oren Peli
Young couple Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) are excited to be moving into their new suburban home. When Katie expresses to Micah that she believes a supernatural force has been following her from a young age,Micah opts to install security cameras around the house to catch any peculiar activity. What they capture on video will haunt their reality.
Found-footage horror moviesareone of modern horror cinema’s most compelling developments. When done properly, all the technical elements come together to create a uniquely horrifying and distinctly unsettling movie, andParanormal Activityis just that. Everything from the movie’s pacing to the rhythm of the cuts makesParanormal Activitya genre work that’s as inventive as it is scary. Its domestic believability complements the rather minimal editing style in compelling, goosebump-inducing ways.
Paranormal Activity
8’Jaws' (1975)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
The beginning of summer at scenic Amity Island is ravaged by the death of a young boy. The culprit? A monstrous great white shark. Looking to avoid a large-scale disaster as the town sees an influx of beach-going tourists, Sheriff Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) enlists the assistance of marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and experienced fisherman Sam Quint (Robert Shaw). The three embark on a mission to kill the beast and end its reign of terror.
As timeless of a classic as they come,Jawsiscredited with being the first blockbusterand, even today, remains one of the finest monster horror movies ever made. On a technical level,Jawsis virtually flawless.The editing sustains a tension and suspense that doesn’t let up until the credits roll. There’s a rhythm toJawsthat keeps the movie compelling even when the razor-toothed beast is off the screen, making fora horror movie that excites just as often as it impresses with its technical efficiency.
7’Get Out' (2017)
Directed by Jordan Peele
Aspiring photographer Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) goes along with his girlfriend Rosie (Allison Williams) to visit her parents' retreat upstate. Despite assurances that her family would be accepting of her dating a black man, Chris is still anxious to put himself in such a situation. Some slightly awkward encounters aside, everything goes smoothly until the servants of the house begin acting strangely, andthe activities of the family grow all the more unsettling.
The directorial debut of comedian-turned-directorJordan Peele,Get Outisone of the freshest and most imaginative horror movies of modern times. Darkly funny, impeccably acted and confidently directed, every aspect ofGet Outis sturdy, not to mention the editing. The variation in the movie’s visual flow is thematically fitting,adding to the tension and increasing the sense of paranoia within the narrative.Get Outis anything but your run-of-the-mill horror movie; this is a creative achievementthat will stand the test of time.
6’Psycho' (1960)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Phoenix-native office worker Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) runs away to California after embezzling a large sum of cash from her employer. Navigating the backroads as a means of eluding the authorities, Crane opts to spend the night at the secluded Bates Motel. There, she meets the motel’s proprietor, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), a well-mannered yet cryptic young man who shares a complex relationship with his mother.
Legendary directorAlfred Hitchcock’s masterpiecePsychois regarded as one of the greatest and culturally significant movies ever made. This is a movie that transcends genre andchanged how films themselves would be made. Frequent Hitchcock collaboratorGeorge Tomasinihelmed the edit in a fashionthat beautifully complements Hitchcock’s distinct style and creative sensibilities. Few horror movies in history are as tightly wound and engaging asPsycho—this is exemplary editing that stands as a benchmark effort in the craft.
A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer’s client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.
5’Hereditary' (2018)
Directed by Ari Aster
A family in mourning falls victim to a series of increasingly devastating tragedies.A supernatural curse that can be traced back generationsunravels and tears the family apart at the seams despite the mother’s (Toni Collette) best efforts to protect an already fragile bond.
DirectorAri Aster’s debut feature-length project,Hereditary, is recognized by many as one of thebest horror movies of the 2010s.Terrifying, deeply unsettling, thought-provoking, and even strangely funny at times,Hereditaryis a film born from complete creative freedom and unbridled expression with some of the most striking imagery and sequences in modern horror. The final edit is immaculate—suitably uncanny, at times disorientating and always distinctive. There’s really no other horror movie in history that looks, sounds or moves quite likeHereditary.
Hereditary
When her mentally ill mother passes away, Annie, her husband, son, and daughter all mourn her loss. The family turn to different means to handle their grief, including Annie and her daughter both flirting with the supernatural. They each begin to have disturbing, otherworldly experiences linked to the sinister secrets and emotional trauma that have been passed through the generations of their family.
4’Halloween' (1978)
Directed by John Carpenter
Eight-year-old Michael Myers murders his teenage sister with a kitchen knife. Fifteen years later,Myers escapes from a mental institution and begins a murderous rampagethat will turn the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, on its head. Babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) finds herself directly in the path of the merciless killer.
No one would dare argue withHalloween’s standing as alandmark and hugely influential work of horror—those who try would be ignorant of the genre’s history.Halloweenis a horror movie that displays true craftsmanship, from the score to the visuals and the final edit. Long, unbroken takes give way to sharp cuts when the kills kick off;the unpredictability of it all makes this a movie that feels alive and dangerous. There’s a plethora of reasons thatHalloweenis still held in high regard today, andthe elegance of the film’s editing is certainly one of them.
Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
3’Alien' (1979)
Directed by Ridley Scott
The crew of the space freighter Nostromo is on their long voyage back home to Earth when they receive a distress signal from a distant moon. Obligated to investigate, the crew soon find themselves at the mercy of a stowaway aboard their ship,an incredibly hostile and virtually unkillable alien creature that stalks the endless dark corridors of the ship.
In 1979,English film director Ridley Scottexploded onto the scene with his sci-fi horror masterpiece,Alien. Over 40 years later,the movie has maintained its status as a defining work of horror.Alienis a movie without a wasted minute;the pace is deliberate, generating a viscous level of suspense that eventually escalates into sheer terror. This escalation of stakes and emotion isreflected through editing that understands the “show, don’t tell” nature of Scott’s vision. The end result is a movie that remains just as effective and harrowing today.
2’The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' (1974)
Directed by Tobe Hooper
Five friends navigate the backroads of rural Texas on their journey to visit a gravesite. After running out of gas,the group stumbles upon a dilapidated house that a family of cannibals calls home. One of the family members, known as Leatherface, dons a mask made of human skin and has an affinity for chainsaws.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacreisan unwieldy beast of a movie; it uses just about every trick in the horror book to get under the skin of its viewers, and in that regard, it succeeds with an uncommon degree of effectiveness. InThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the natural and the unnatural come together to create a uniquely disturbing horror movie that sears itself into the memory. Clocking in just barely over feature-length,every frame is calculated, adding to an oppressive and grotesque atmosphere and tone—like a cut of meat bearing absolutely no fat.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
A group of friends traveling through rural Texas encounter a family of deranged cannibals, including the terrifying Leatherface. As they explore an old homestead, they are systematically hunted down in gruesome ways. The film culminates in a harrowing chase and a desperate escape attempt by the last survivor, Sally, who narrowly evades the murderous Leatherface.
1’The Shining' (1980)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
The Torrence family heads to the secluded Overlook Hotel. Located in the picturesque mountains of Colorado,the family takes the opportunity to live at and maintain the lodge during its off-season. It isn’t long before the isolation and crippling writer’s block begins to drive Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson) towards insanity.
Visionary directorStanley Kubrickwas something of a mad scientist when it came to making movies. Concerning his works, there were no tools of trickery or manipulation that couldn’t be used to enhance his art. That, of course, extends to howThe Shiningis edited.Every editing decision is deliberately made, even on the subconscious level. There’s a frightening attention to detail paid to implementing subliminal imagery and offbeat pacing—The Shiningisone of the most technically monumental moviesever made.
The Shining
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
NEXT:10 Horror Movies That Will Entertain You From Start to Finish
