What makes good horror?

[randomuser]

Horror is difficult to write because it involves subtlety, which is too often missing from a lot of fiction in general.

1. Build suspense. Whatever is going on has to be revealed bit by bit as opposed to all at once.
2. Create tension. Strange sounds that turn out to be nothing or something, some clue.
3. Offer the occasional “surprise” moment, which can range from finding “it” to getting a good glimpse of it. By accident. Its appearance is unexpected.
4. If “it” is intelligent, it is usually evil and offers interesting dialogue on how it views the world and why it does what it does, or if not so smart, it behaves more like an animal and seems to rely on instinct. It may or may not even speak.
5. “It” frightens people, it is harmful or deadly and seems to get away at the last moment, in the beginning.
6. By the middle of the story, we find out what "It’ wants and/or who it may target next: to injure or threaten to kill. It either wants someone/something or just does evil things because that’s just part of its nature or mental instability or even a power of some kind.
7. Toward the end, a decision is made to confront, drive away or kill it. It doesn’t go well for the good guys who manage to survive by some clever on-the-spot plan. Be inventive.
8. The final confrontation. It has caused anger, grief, fear and may have killed one or more people. Perhaps it lives in the house somewhere or an abandoned building or other lair.

Usually, someone or some thing appears to attack regular people who usually have no idea what’s happening at first. It usually toys with them and does other bad things. These average folks have to come to grips with their loss(es) and learn about it. Then take it out or force it out by other means. Misdirection is common. An average person is expecting someone to visit, hears a sound, goes downstairs and instead of their friend - there’s It, who chases him. And who runs to get away and hopefully finds something to defend himself with or keep it away or make it leave by injuring it (with a gun?). But it comes back or targets someone else.

Ed

Point for point, this describes why I loved "It Follows, one of my favorite movies from 2015, and probably one of the best ‘horror’ movies I have ever seen. It really is that suspenseful.

It also describes why I really, really want to see “The Witch”, which is ostensibly this year’s “It Follows.” Reportedly in the tradition of Bergman (keep in mind that Wes Craven’s “Last House on The Left” was a remake of Bergman’s ‘Virgin Spring’) and with no profanity…it also meets the above criteria.

Needless to say, both “It Follows” - and from what I am hearing about “The Witch” - are getting trashed by horror fans who apparently don’t want to have to THINK about what they’re watching. I dunno… any time there’s a quality horror movie in theaters, it tanks… maybe they needed to add a Deadpool cameo?