Filmmakers employ a variety of tactics to frighten audiences. The jump scare is the most obvious, thanks to its jarring abruptness and accompanying loud music sting. Its complete opposite is the understated, subtle background scare. This type of scare can easily go unnoticed, making it even more potent for those who spot it.
The background scare features imagery, usually a figure, lurking in the background without any telltale music cues or camerawork to announce their presence. Often the camera pans wide, scans the scene, or focuses on a character at the forefront to further blend the imagery into the background. It’s a delicate type of misdirection that sends a deeply unsettling chill down your spine when you realize it’s there, then prompts you to ask yourself how long it’s been there. It’s a trick of the eye visual that leaves you questioning what you saw, further immersing you in terror.
Annie hides in the corner in ‘Hereditary’
Ari Aster made frequent use of the background scare in Hereditary. The most obvious use of this scare tactic came in the third act, in which Peter (Alex Wolff) wakes in bed and ventures out into the house, unaware his possessed mom, Annie (Toni Collette), hovers above him on the ceiling. Seeing this in theaters demonstrated the scare’s effectiveness. The staggered gasps from the audience as some viewers spotted Annie before others, and some not at all, created a communal feeling of unease. Eventually, the camera made Annie’s presence more noticeable and pulled her from the background for the final confrontation, the scare over.
Aster packed Hereditary full of subtle visual clues and scary moments. Silhouettes of cult followers lurked outside the home as day turned to night, a quick blink and you’ll miss it type of jolt. Images of the dead clung to the shadowed walls of the Graham home. All of which made Aster’s debut so chilling; the background scares were so constant that they gave the haunting a foreboding and unpredictable feel. The Grahams were constantly under surveillance by a sinister presence, but they remained blissfully unaware. And so, too, is the audience if they’re not scanning the background.
Ghostly hands under the piano in “The Haunting of Hill House”
Mike Flanagan took the concept and ran with it in The Haunting of Hill House, making a game for eagle-eyed viewers to spot the hidden ghosts within every episode. The hidden ghosts carried over into The Haunting of Bly Manor as well, blending the restless spirits in the backgrounds of their respective spaces both day and night. Again, the characters are never aware that they inhabit the same room as the watchful dead.
That’s the recurring thread connecting background scares and how they’re employed. They signal a voyeuristic quality for the inhuman antagonist; they’re watching the onscreen characters, lying in wait. That they’re relegated to the background lends an almost fourth wall breaking quality, as if they want us to be aware that they’re there without alerting their prey.
Renai walks by ghost boy in Insidious
In Insidious, moments before a playful ghost startles Renai (Rose Byrne) while she’s alone during the day, you can glimpse it facing a wall as the camera scans the room. It’s a fleeting image, a child appearing to play hide and seek with an unwitting opponent. It cues the audience to prepare for a scare, heightening the tension as the viewer realizes Renai could potentially be in danger. But if you miss spotting the ghost, director James Wan chases it with a more overt scare that can’t be overlooked.
The first spotting of a Crawler in The Descent happens much earlier than you think if you happen to be paying attention. For this one, director Neil Marshall breaks the rules by guiding your eyes to the vanishing peek at the creature as Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) scans the cave with her flashlight. A skittering sound causes her to pan back with the light; only nothing is there. This moment happens long before the excursion goes awry, and survival becomes daunting. It indicates that the creatures were aware of their intruders straightaway, long before their first confrontation.
The Descent Crawler peeks out
Similarly, The Strangers saw its masked villains stalking James (Scott Speedman) and Kristen (Liv Tyler) in their house long before the bloodletting began. While most of their appearances are far more prominent, the effect is the same. The killers’ proximity to their prey, silently watching their every move, heightens the suspense dramatically.
Shudder’s The Medium uses a subtle scare to mark a pivotal turning point in the narrative. Mink (Narilya Gulmongkolpech) rests her head against a vehicle window, and the camera fixates on her sullen face. It’s a quiet, reflective moment following a wave of bizarre paranormal events, the keyword being reflective. Mink’s reflection slowly grins at her, an ominous sign that she’s losing herself to the entity assuming control of her body. It’s a chilling sight if you happen to notice it.
Background scares are effective because they bide their time, quietly daring the viewer to notice them and grapple with the implications. A ghost, demon, or masked murderer lurking in the background, patiently waiting for their moment to strike is inherently unsettling, and the sudden realization that they’re there sticks with you long after the moment passes. It’s that prickly feeling of being observed confirmed in a startling, visual manner. Characters pass through scenes unaware that they’re being watched, and the observant monsters that are lurking in the dark might be watching us, too.