How woods can create affect

As we have decided to do some of our filming in a wood scene I felt it would be appropriate to look at how woodland areas have been used in horror films to create the nail biting and heart racing atmospheres that a horror loving audience set out to experience, this I feel is what creates the USP of horror films. I have watched these following horror films where I have discovered each had a wood element to it and then discussed it below.

The Ring 2:



This end scene in the ring sets the tone for the following scene. The woods have been clearly distorted on set to give the white/grey smokey effect, that sets the tone of unease and an unreal sense if simulacra where the reality and dream are blurred. This creates the tense atmosphere where the scene can then play off of to then create a more tense atmosphere.


Shrooms:




Shrooms is a perfect example of a film that does not use to much special effects or CGI to create an effective and tense scene. The setting of dark woods, where everything is in the shadow opens the prospect for the imagination to run wild and interacts with audience and uses them to imagine the 'scaryness' of the situation. The woods play a pivotal role in how the events play out and the mood radiating to the audience. I think this is definitely one film that we should look at in more depth before we film our own wood scene.


The Strangers:



Probably one of the scariest films I have ever watched, The Strangers mangers to terrify their audience with the impeccable timing,eerie sounds and twisted characters. The Strangers is truly horrifying purely because it is so real, where there is no happy ending, supernatural element and when someone dies they stay dead. The woods isolate the victims, no where left to run flashes through the audiences head as they figure out this is where the events are set. The film is entirely shot through the night and so the darkness really give the ominous feel to the woods, making this the perfect place for the murderers to hide away.

In conclusion woods really do play a significant role in setting the mood for horror film and can help effect the audience's expectation and opinion of the film and effect the way they approach the film. I feel that this is something that we have to get right when filming our scenes in the woods for our trailer.