Low key lighting is commonly used in horror films to add mystery and increase fear by playing on the dark and unknown. Shadows are also used to hint at approaching danger without revealing it. Silhouettes can distort figures to make them appear evil or threatening. Underexposure keeps dark areas indistinct and hides details that could resolve tension. Harsh lighting is used to emphasize danger and deepen the dark mood of a scene.

1. Lighting Research
The horror genre

2. Low key lighting
• This is one of the most obvious techniques used within horror films, I had
to mention it!
• Low-key lighting is an essential key within horror films because it adds a
sense of mystery and is a very easy way to increase the fear factor
quickly! This is because the darkness (and the colour black) has
connotations and is associated with evil. This also linking to the ‘fear of
the unknown’, because we are in the dark we are unaware of our
surrounding, thus, making us vulnerable and overall easier to scare! A
good example of the use of low-key lighting features in almost every
horror film, but specifically the film ‘Lights Out’ which is based on the
whole theme of ‘fear of the unknown’ and the darkness!

3. Prominent and projected shadows
• Now shadows are used a lot in horror films to give off the sense/vibe
that the antagonist is near/about to attack! Shadows would tend to be
used in a scene where the is a corridor which is the only source of
light and then you see a shadow walk past in a creepy manner! When
shadows are used the protagonist in the scene tends to be unaware of
this, this not only being a form of dramatic irony but a good way to
increase fear factor!

4. Silhouette
• A silhouette (although similar to a shadow) is a cast or
show (someone or something) as a dark shape and outline
against a brighter background.
• Silhouettes are used to depict an evil entity or most likely
the antagonist. A silhouette can be used to portray a
person in a way which makes them appear distorted, like
for example, a tree in outside a window ‘turning into’ a
witch's hand or become a representation of one. It is also
often used as a red herring or warning of upcoming
danger.

5. Underexposure/low level lighting
• Underexposure is when in the lighting it has a “loss of shadow detail, that is,
when important dark areas are "muddy" or indistinguishable from black, known as
"blocked-up shadows" (or sometimes "crushed shadows", "crushed blacks", or
"clipped blacks", especially in video)”.
Harsh light (hard light, chiaroscuro)
• Although a very minor technique, harsh light and lighting with increased contrast is used
mainly to emphasis the danger that comes alongside with the antagonist and make
them appear more fearful. It also tends to deepen the scene, making it appear more
dark, this being effective cause the audience can see what is visually there, but cannot
see everything, increasing the fear factor as things are hidden from them – fear of the
unknown.

6. Shooting through objects (internal frames)
• Not only are you showing the isolation of the character, but you’re also creating
a voyeuristic and unsettling feeling by shooting through objects, as the audience
cannot see the full frame of the scene and can basically can only see ‘snippets’.
Lighting from below (in a low angle shot)
• Tends to be used when portraying an antagonist or a threat, the light reflecting
their face creates a distorted representation of the face. It also tends to create
shadows around the eyes, further on creating a very sinister representation of a
character. (For example when your telling horror stories you would put the torch
on your face)

7. Spotlighting
• The definition of the spotlighting technique is all in the name, it is when the light
is directly focussed on one thing and nothing else, in other words – the spotlight
is all on them!
• This is an effective technique in horror when you want to reveal the antagonist
or have a specific dramatic moment, as it diverts the audience attention to the
one main object in the scene! It also tends to be used a lot in jump
scares/scenes, the spotlighting lasting only a couple of seconds.