If you’re the kind of person who watches horror movies in the dark, crouched forward to catch every small hint, then you know there’s so much more to the genre than jump scares and fake blood sprays. The great horror movies are based on craft, suspense, and subtle little details—things that make your skin prickle and details that pay off for the most observant viewers. Here’s a countdown of 10 of the most clever tricks and best-kept secrets that make horror unforgettable.
10. The Fear Factor of Darkness
There’s something primal about fearing the dark, and horror filmmakers are well aware of how to exploit it. The dim figure in Hereditary, the darkened hallways of Alien, and the stylized lighting of Nosferatu all employ darkness not merely to conceal the terror, but to allow your imagination to invent something worse. What you can’t see is often more terrifying than what you can.
9. The Monster You Don’t See
At other times, the most frightening creature is the one not seen on-screen. Due to either budget restraints or sheer narrative ability, not showing the monster makes you feel threatened by whatever can be imagined. Cat People revealed more than it depicted, Jaws never revealed its shark until the time was right, and The Blair Witch Project did not reveal its witch at all—leaving terror to the imagination.
8. Sound—and the Power of Silence
Sound, too, can be every bit as disturbing as anything you see. The theme of Jaws gets your heart racing before anything even shows up. A Quiet Place and Don’t Breathe make quiet a weapon, and Psycho and The Sixth Sense rely on jarring, abrupt music moments to make you jump out of your seat. Other times, what you hear, or more accurately, what you don’t hear, is the worst.
7. Long, Unbroken Shots
Nothing ratchets up the suspense quite so much as a scene that won’t cut. A prolonged shot makes you scour the entire frame, anticipating something to occur. Consider The Shining’s unsettling tracking shots, Get Out’s creepy opening, or Michael Myers’ deliberate stroll in Halloween. The longer it continues, the tighter your chest becomes.
6. Foreshadowing You Might Miss
The most intelligent horror movies seed hints at what’s to come well before the payoff. Final Destination almost challenges you to find its death clues—a billboard advertisement there, a shadow in the distance here—that you only notice upon repeat view.
5. Secret Easter Eggs for Extreme Fans
Most horror directors can’t help but drop a wink for the faithful. In 2018’s Halloween, you can catch a glimpse of Halloween III masks. The Conjuring 2 conceals the name of the demon, “Valak,” in broad daylight. Even Candyman (2021) manages a nod to its book origins by having a Clive Barker novel appear. These touchstones make it a treat to pay attention.
4. Props and Costumes with a Story
Every mask, outfit, or object can carry meaning. Chucky’s doll face in Child’s Play becomes more human—and creepier—as the killer’s spirit stays trapped inside. Jason’s hockey mask keeps its scars from film to film. Even fonts can be a sly nod, like American Psycho using the same typeface for both its title and the infamous business card scene.
3. Paying Tribute to the Classics
Some directors stack their films with winking references to the genre’s past. Jordan Peele’s Us is full of them—the Lost Boys boardwalk, a VHS copy of Goonies, and even red jumpsuits that recall Invasion of the Body Snatchers. These aren’t Easter eggs; they’re love letters to the movies that influenced the genre.
2. The Twist That Changes Everything
Done well, a twist doesn’t merely surprise—it recontextualizes the entire movie. The Sixth Sense famously did this, and Us has a last-act twist that changes everything. Great twists are expertly seeded with clues so, upon repeat viewings, you’re surprised you didn’t notice them earlier.
1. The Hook That Won’t Let You Go
A good horror film takes hold of you early—sometimes with a scary opening like Jaws, sometimes with an individual tragedy that gets you emotionally hooked, or with building, slow-burning suspense that holds you hostage. The “hook” is what takes hold of your mind long after the credits have rolled.
Next time you sit down to watch a horror flick, stay alert. In horror, the greatest nightmares can be made out of the tiniest details.