The Elements of Suspense

All Stories Contain Certain Elements Plot Character Setting Dialogue Narrative

Suspense Anxiety or apprehension resulting from an uncertain, undecided, or mysterious situation Dictionary.com

In suspense there must be an unknown; a suspicion, a mystery, a danger we expect

Suspense (mystery, intrigue, tension) is built with: Facts Innuendo Atmosphere Action

Ways to deepen suspense… Dreams foreshadowing what may happen showing the character’s deepest fears, his haunting past

Ways to deepen suspense… Clues journals / diaries / letters / notes / pictures, etc. physical evidence that can be used to determine time of death, how, and where

Ways to deepen suspense… The Weather the season can match or contrast the characters’ emotional state

Ways to deepen suspense… The Senses the smell of blood, the stench of an alley the taste of fear reaction to finding a dead body the feel of blood-soaked clothing

Ways to deepen suspense… The Villain his/her motivations or intentions simple greed, jealousy, money the complicated serial killer mind

Ways to deepen suspense… Other characters plant red herrings shift suspicion onto them

There are two writer / directors who are considered masters of suspense… Stephen King & Alfred Hitchcock

Stephen King Bestselling author of horror short stories and novels. Successful screenplay writer. Master of suspense stories.

Influences as a Writer Comic books Horror movies Science fiction Classic writers: Edgar Allen Poe, Thomas Hardy, Shirley Jackson, Agatha Christie, JRR Tolkien

Reasons to study Stephen King He is a good storyteller. He uses terror, horror, and “gross” techniques to captivate his readers. He cleverly creates the unexpected. He provides insights into the dark side of humanity. He writes about “taboo subjects”: death, destruction, and the unknown. His characters often harbor evil and/or vengeful feelings that compel their actions.

King’s views on Horror & Evil “Horror fiction was conservative and that was its appeal to teenagers – the two things go together because teenagers are the most conservative people in American society. You know, small children take it as a matter of course that things will change every day and grown-ups understand that things change sooner or later…it is only kids in high school who are convinced they’re never going to change.”

King’s views on Horror & Evil con’t “The horror genre exists on three basic levels, separate but independent, and each one is a little bit cruder than the one before. There’s terror on top, the finest emotion any writer can induce; then horror; and on the very lowest of all, the gag instinct of revulsion. Naturally, I’ll try to terrify you first, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll try to horrify you and if I can’t make it there, I’ll try to gross you out.”

Other Quotes by King “Horror is one of the ways we walk our imagination. It’s a way to relieve bad feelings rather than something that causes them.” “People ask me what scares me. Everything scares me. Bugs are bad…airplanes…the dark…elevators…Friday the 13th…bad luck in general…”

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock August 13, 1899-April 29, 1980 Son of greengrocers William and Emma Devout Catholic Educated at Jesuit’s St. Ignatius College Left school at 16 to study engineering and navigation at University of London

A foot in the door… Took at job as title designer for silent films at Paramount Pictures in London Quickly moved up to assistant director Began work on first film, “No. 13”, at age 22 (1922)

Then comes marriage… Met and married Alma Reville in December 1926 Alma was an assistant director and screenwriter who worked on many of Hitchcock’s films Had one daughter, Patricia

Coming to America… After the onset of WWII, Hitchcock emigrated to America Became a U.S. citizen in 1955 Quickly launched the television show “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” upon his arrival

Themes Concerning People Terror inflicted upon the often unknowing and innocent victim Innocent people caught up in events they cannot control Transference of guilt: innocent character’s failings are transferred to another character and magnified Explored the compatibility of men and women (especially a mother figure) The wrong man

Themes Concerning the Mind Guilt (real or the appearance of it) Redemption Early films reflected the political climate of Europe during the war Preferred to use suspense rather than surprise

Sound Manipulated sound effects (ie. beeping of car horns = busy urban street) Music was used to psychologically enhance the audience’s experience Hitchcock often made cameo appearances in the films carrying a musical instrument

Camera Angles Never shot from an angle that was physically impossible from human perspective “Hitchcock zoom” (ie. “Vertigo”) Used techniques to make audience believe films were shot in a single take

And the award goes to… Film “Rebecca” (1940) won Oscar for Best Picture while four others were nominated Hitchcock never won an Oscar for Best Director Did receive the Irving Thalberg Memorial Award at 1967 Oscars Awarded the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award (1979) Named a Knight Commander of the British Empire (1980)

A Decade To Remember 1950-1960 “Rear Window” “Vertigo” “North by Northwest” “Psycho”

“Rear Window” Grace Kelly as Lisa Fremont Thelma Ritter as Stella Dick Simmons James Stewart as Jeff (L.B. Jeffries) Raymond Burr as Lars Thorwald

Trivia At age 5, Hitchcock’s father had him taken to the local jail after Hitchcock was caught in some mischief-making He never sat with the audience as they viewed a film He used the number 13 throughout his films in some form