Camera angles used in horror movies

This is an extreme version of the close up shot, generally magnifying beyond the human eye. This type of shot would be good in a horror movie to capture specific facial expressions when something is about to happen or has happened that might scare or frighten the character. This extreme close up is a good effect on the audience because it makes them see how the character is reacting or feeling to a situation and it is a good shot to see the eyes moving in certain directions, e.g. if the character has seen or can see someone in the a quiet place their eyes will detect where they can hear them coming from.This shot would be used for a dramatic effect, it shows up things that maybe the camera would only see.

This is a close up shot.
This shows very little background to concentrate on either the face or the detail of mise-en-scene. This shot is good to see the whole of the face as it shows very little background. This shot magnifies the importance of the face and everything from the mouth to the hair and how it is placed. It makes the audience feel close to the character and highlights the important bits. In a horror movie it can be used to get in to the characters mind set.


This is a mid shot.
This shot would be from the knees/waist up. This type of shot in a horror movie would be used in a dialogue shot or to show some action. The background for a mid shot is usual put to the minimum because the audience would know by now where they are and it would focus more on what they are actually saying. This type of shot would be used to give an effect of slight tension as you wouldn't know what was happening past that cut of their body.

This is a long shot.
This type of shot shows the full length of the body in approximately 'life' size, with the exact distance between the audience and the screen. It should show the top of the head to the bottom of the toes. This is a good shot for a horror movie because you can see the background which gives good scenery to identify the setting and it is also good if there is going to be action between other characters. This is also a good shot because it is clear what is happening all around so it is useful when lots of things are going on near them.

This shot type is called point of view, it is what the character may be seeing through their own eyes, which makes the audience feel as though they are that character in the movie. It is a great shot in a horror movie if something is about to jump out and we are seeing it through the characters eyes, it gives more tension and creates more of an atmosphere for them. Here we have shown feet walking as if we are the character, it gives more of a personal feel as if the audience are actually looking down at their feet.


This is an over the shoulder shot. It is literally a shot that looks over someones shot either to show two people having a conversation to get the other persons face while the conversation is happening which is useful as it helps the audience to focus on just one character talking rather than them both, or in a horror movie where the character could turn around and look possessed. It could also show someone following the person using this angle as if they are behind them. This gives a good effect in a horror movie as it builds tension and makes the audience feel as though they are close enough to jump.

This is called an establishing shot.
This is a shot that shows a setting/scenery. It is like a wide shot but without people/characters in the shot.
This type of shot it usually taken at a far distance so that you see a lot in it and to show where action is about to take place. An example of this would be an establishing shot of central park which would tell the audience that the film is going to take place in New York.

This is a wide shot, it is similar to an establishing shot but this type of shot has people in it. As you can see the shot looks wide. This type is significant as it can have lots of people standing together and it still looks effective and like a normal camera shot, it can also include more objects. A wide angle shot exaggerates the distance or something or surroundings. This type of shot keeps all objects in focus and in perspective.

This is a high angle shot as it does what is says.
This shot isn't as extreme as a bird's eye view.The camera is elevated above to the action to give a general overview on whats happening in the shot. It makes the object/character seem smaller than they actually are, this makes it less tense and makes the object/character has less significance. This would be effective for a horror movie as it could look like the setting around them is swallowing them up if they are in a vulnerable situation and are trying to rush out of a area.

This is a low angle shot.
These types of shots are sometimes used on actors that are short as it gives them height. Low angles are seen as the person having low authority and powerlessness. When this type of angle is used, the background will usually just be sky to confuse the viewer and cause disorientation. This angle may make the view feels powerless towards the character on screen and it will tend to be a strong character that will appear with this angle on them. This type of angle would be good in a horror movie when that type of character is being played.

This type of shot is called canted angle.
The photo is tilted and not horizontal like normal.
This is to show imbalance and instability, this angle is very popular in horror movies when using a POV shot as if you are seeing through the characters eyes. It gives a good effect in horror movies as it makes the audience feel like something strange is going to happen, possibly when they have been effected by some thing and then go to fall to the ground.

This is a birds eye view.
These types of shots are from a high angle looking straight down at usually a setting/place, it tends to make the object looks short and squashed.
This is usually done it films using a helicopter or a crane. Using a helicopter is useful as it is flexible and can move quickly over areas. The only bad point about this is that you cannot have dialogue in this shot. This shot can be used also to give an overall establishing shot. This type of shot would be effective in a horror movie if they are tracking someones movement.

This angle is called worms eye.
This is because the angle is so low that it could be a worm's vision on things. This is an angle to make things look tall and mighty. It could be used in a horror movie if someone is slowly walking around a house but they do not want to show who the character is yet, so they could show the feet walking around slowly to cause tension by panning the camera, this would give a good effect and make the audience feel wary about who is in the house.