Let Out Your Inner Monster with These Tips
Aaliyah Ratliff
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Scare season is here and Halloween is right around the corner. It's prime time to get into the Halloween spirit and give your friends and family some spooktacular scares! Here are some tips and tricks from ValleyScare's very own monster chief, Sean Monaghan, on how to provide the perfect scare.
The Importance of Body Posture
The first step to scare acting is understanding the importance of body posture. Think about some of your favorite film monsters like Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, or Michael Meyers. All of them use key postures, stances, and levels that scare us in various ways.
Different body postures can convey emotions like fear, terror, or a false sense of security. Think about what emotion you want others to feel before you pounce for the scare.
Importance of Movement
The art of scaring is movement-based. Movement or the absence of movement also creates emotion in whoever you are aiming to scare. Movements can be large and noticeable or small and faint. Use the power of stillness to create anticipation, then use the power of movement to emphasize the feeling of terror.
Combining Body Posture and Movement
Combining body posture and movement creates the perfect scare. As you prepare your body posture and movement, look at your environment. Whether it's a pumpkin patch, a corn maze, or just the living room, different postures and movements may work better on your scream victims based on the space around you.
Adding the Final Touches
Finalize your perfect scare by paying attention to the details. Are you giving an unexpected jumpscare? Do you want to build a slow and eerie scare or something more silly and fun? What facial expression will you make? Will you scream, "AHH!" or hiss quietly? What noises can your body make--scratching or banging on a wall? Maybe shaking a tin can with beans to add a sound effect to your movement? Even holding and petting a doll can quickly turn a monster extra creepy. All these small details play a major role in what type of scare you are doing and how successful it will be.
When giving out the perfect scares, always remember the importance of body posture, the importance of movement, and the importance of combining both with details and nuance. See these scare tips used in action at ValleyScare!