This profound and simple explanation by the master made me feel a bit of a sense of relief, confused by the definition of the suspense film. Suspense is so, then the suspense film should be a film that keeps a main suspense from beginning to end, and relies on the suspense of the plot itself with firm internal logic to promote the development of the story. If film narration is a struggle between the narrator and the receiver, then the suspense film should be a complete process in which the audience is convinced by the suspense of the story itself.
This requires the narrator to tell a story with suspenseful qualities as it is, instead of artificially creating coincidences and making mysteries, not doing tricks in links outside the plot, or selling other things through suspense (this is very common). And finally overwhelmed the resistance of the recipient. If this is done, even if it appears a little flat in the process, it will not prevent it from becoming a suspense film. If the audience can be perfectly stitched in during the storytelling process, while maintaining the audience's strong attention to the main suspense, it can also intersperse some wonderful local suspense, triggering everyone's strong understanding of the character's fate, plot development, branch clues, and stage plot. Looking forward to it, and continuously satisfying it, then such a suspenseful film is not an exaggeration even if it is called art.
Of course, most stories can make audiences look forward to something, so in order to distinguish suspense films from other films with similar settings, look at it this way: in suspense films, suspense does not appear as a technical means to attract the audience, but as a plot. The development of the necessary bones and blood exists.
I have to say that very few really can be called suspense films. But in my mind, there are still some worthy of this title.
The first thing I want to talk about is "Psychological Game", because this film can basically be regarded as a model of a suspense film. Whether it is a whole or a chapter, suspense does not appear as a means, but is a necessary condition of the film and a powerful promoter of the story, and The logic of the story is excellent for the audience. At the beginning of the story, it was clearly stated that I would give my brother a unique game as a birthday gift, but the later development made people fall into a psychological situation of competing with oneself, even if 99% think this is not a game but an outright conspiracy. But there is always 1% who can't give in to doubt that the director is indeed playing a clever trick. From the beginning to the end, the audience is in a state of uncertainty. The mood fluctuates with the plot, but the rationality has been swaying from side to side. Moreover, the story also uses a lot of side information, intersecting with the protagonist’s feelings, making the story confusing and confusing at the same time. It looks more three-dimensional and believable. The chapter’s approach to and distance from the truth time and time again is full of suspense, and it does not affect everyone’s strong desire for the final outcome (the main suspense). And the portrayal of the physical and mental injuries encountered by the protagonist in the process of searching for the truth and the emotional reactions triggered by it are also wonderful, betrayal, fraud, untrustworthiness, anger, humbleness, fear, and survival. . . The audience was easily caught and made it want to analyze, think and judge for the protagonist. However, these efforts were obviously in vain. Due to the innate setting of the story, no one can judge how this is going. One thing.
When the final mystery was revealed, the audience breathed a sigh of relief, their high-hanging expectations were gently put down, their nervousness was released, and the psychology of curiosity was satisfied.
However, looking at it conversely, the reason why suspense can be used as the context of this movie is actually an innate condition, that is, "this is just a game". Since it is a game, the rules are naturally determined by the creator. The director puts himself in an unfettered environment first, and then he can lead the audience ups and downs as he pleases. Although there is a little speculation, it is clear that the audience does not mind. And because of the wonderfulness of the story itself, even if the transfer of the director's pen and front turns into a conspiracy, it is not completely impossible.
There is no doubt that this is a typical suspense film, it sells a suspense story, rather than blindly mixed with suspense in the story. If you want, you can also interpret some human things, but these are just some additional products outside the theme, not what the director wants to express. I believe that when most viewers think of this film, it should be the story itself, rather than sighing with philosophical issues such as human nature.
And "Fantasy Chainsaw 1", which can also be classified as a suspense film, brings us even more. If the mental game is an entry-standard suspense film, then Chainsaw Cry 1 can be said to have The level of art is quite high. Of course, only the first part of this series makes me think so. Because there is only the first one, it is a suspenseful story.
Dirty and narrow closed environment, sudden shadow of death, shadow murderer who only hears the sound, cruel and painful choice of life and death. . . .
This is destined to be a suspenseful story. If you feel that it is not convincing enough, it is very simple. You can imagine what you and another person would do in this scene and see if you can reach a definite conclusion. People can work hard to control themselves, but no one has absolute certainty to control others, especially when interests and contradictions are extremely prominent.
If psychological games still have something to do with it, then Chainsaw Horror sews the audience into the plot in a direct and powerful way. Mental games make you think about where you are going, and Chainsaw 1 also makes you wonder where it comes from.
A lot of suspense was lost at the beginning of the film. Who is the arbiter behind the scenes? Why is it so cruel? What is the inner connection between the hunter and the prey? What will happen to the prey? . . . It's as if you open a door and see a raging wave coming, and you are swallowed before you react.
After dragging you in, the story does not relax its control over you. Every next step is driven by the plot. As a meticulous layout, some clues and props are naturally indispensable, but everything shows almost Perfect temperance, every use it provides also has a strong style, that is, it has to be chosen, and this choice is quite painful and torture, quite philosophical, but this time the audience It’s still hard to realize this, and most of my attention is focused on this cruel path to survival.
Like a mental game, the theme is also a single-line narrative, but the director uses some parallel narratives to explain the corresponding background and clues, but these backgrounds and clues are not only for explanatory purposes, but also bring the audience about the "murderer." The vague impression of "motivation" and "motivation" further stimulates curiosity and sense of expectation.
Fortunately, the director did not make much fuss about the jigsaw situation, otherwise the audience's interest may be difficult to concentrate on the survival test of the secret room, and many divergent deviations will occur. So after making the necessary explanations, the camera returned to the two poor parties again, and the suspenseful splendor began to show up again and again, and was always accompanied by the contradictions of human nature. The audience watched the difficult cooperation between the two prey, while speculating on the impact of their decision on the development of the story. At this time, the audience is no longer paying too much attention to the ending, but the follow-up impact caused by each choice and action. And attracted by the human considerations behind it. The trade-offs before every action, every loss of control at the psychological edge, every tear after hope is ignited and shattered, are perfectly in line with the logic of the story itself. There is no glitch, no mistakes, and the audience is prey. While squeezing a sweat, he also worked hard to guess the hope that might be overlooked, and tried to discover other roads cleverly hidden by the director, but the facts are the inevitable result under realistic conditions. When everyone understands that the psychological challenge in this extreme environment is the most exciting suspense of the story, the stage has come to an end.
Then there was a huge psychological shock. The corpse slowly stood up and said in a contemptuous and sincere manner: Many people don't know how to cherish, but it's not you. It's not you anymore.
The suspenseful story and the depth of humanity are there, but the director makes the heart that has become softened again violently beat, and while shocking people, they once again leave some puzzles. For example, do those with broken legs survive? Is the confined person dead or alive? What will the jigsaw do after it leaves? This kind of suspenseful open ending makes it difficult for people to come out of it for a while. Compared with mental games, I don't know how much better. In particular, what is most commendable is that it does conform to the inner logic of the film, which is unexpected and reasonable. At the last moment of the film, a hazy jigsaw tree was successfully set up, making a person who was familiar with human nature and played it on the palm of his hand, making people scared of his IQ but at the same time having to do it. Conquered genius criminals come to you alive. When the jigsaw said "game over" lightly, the psychological shock also reached its culmination.
Compared with psychological games, the classic of Chainsaw One is that the content is richer and deeper. Not only the story itself is full of suspense, but the director also uses a lot of suspense skills in the chapters, but the structure is not obscure. And complicated. While completing a rather artistic suspense story, it also achieved the screen image of a master of layout. If the mental game is a good-looking suspense film, then Chainsaw One is a well-deserved suspense classic, and the complex feelings it brings are hard to imitate. Regrettably, the follow-up chainsaw is basically a blood plasma conference performance of the cross-cutting style. It has not been able to surpass the wonderful and logical suspense of the plot and the suspense shown by the chainsaw. Through all kinds of exquisite institutions and bright red scenes, we can see It's just the dictatorship of the screenwriter and the catering to the audience's psychology, and the feeling of being hung up high has long ceased to exist.
Other commendable suspense films include "Instinct", "No U-turn", "Doctor Edward" and so on. But with the above two as references, it's easy to see whether the movies that are often dubbed the suspense film are worthy of the name.
For example, "Memory of Murder" in South Korea, this movie does have a lot of suspenseful settings, but if you look carefully, you will find that these settings are subjectively completed by the editor and director. All the clues are specious, and there is no intention to convince the audience, everything It's just the plot. It can be seen that the director's intention is not to tell a suspenseful story at all. In the memory of murder, it is not difficult to see many hints. For example, the police had no time to catch criminals because they went to suppress the parade. The perceptual detection of the small town police and the rational detection of the Seoul police had a fierce collision and mutual transformation. have a meal together. . . All signs point to the various problems that have emerged during the country's transition, and the so-called suspense is more often just for the continuation of the story, and at the same time as a means to keep the audience's attention, so as to finally reveal the director's true intentions. Under the cover of the case, the director described the state of mind in an era, as well as deep thinking about the source and the future. At the end, the complex expressions of the police in the small town also interpret the painful pursuit but still can’t Lost, lost and unwilling to answer. Although the standard of the film is first-rate, and the work itself is quite ambitious and tolerant, it cannot be called a suspense film. On the contrary, due to the suspenseful settings and the overwhelming control of the picture, it somewhat affected the expression of the theme and blurred the sound that the director really wanted to make.
This is similar to David Fincher’s "Zodiac", which is much more sincere. The director did not put too much effort into suspense. Halfway through it, he knew that this was not a film that satisfies psychological stimulation. After watching it, It is not difficult to draw conclusions afterwards. David Fincher just wanted to show how the lives of a few normal people were pulled out of or even ruined by an accident, and by the way aroused some thoughts about life.
"The Seven Deadly Sins", this film is often recommended in suspense. Regrettably, this is not a suspense film in my opinion. It can be regarded as a thriller at best, and it is difficult to even count as a detective. Religious significance, mysticism, and the implicit individual's challenge to existing rules are not difficult to find in it, but there is no suspense. The overall plot is like a neat display of religious oil paintings in a gallery, and the audience only needs to use the eyes of Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman to complete a viewing. In the film, there is almost no real confrontation between the detective and the criminal. Although the beginning is full of suspense, the next step is to walk through the streets all the way to appreciate the works of the criminals. Under the arrangement, helped him complete the final stroke. From the perspective of the plot, this ending is a bit far-fetched. It all comes down to the detective's irritable character and the criminal's so-called understanding. It is basically the screenwriter who left the plot behind and arranged it for the so-called perfect ending. In fact, the screenwriter can make a police detective commit any of the seven deadly sins. In the end, it is not difficult to justify it. Although this kind of cleverness is effective and confusing, it is too far away from suspense. Suspense films are more like wishful thinking caused by misunderstanding. Of course, in the sense of peddling philosophy, the film is still doing well.
For example, "Fight Club" is easy to see that it explores the mutual influence and transformation of the id, ego, and superego within the framework of modern civilization. At the end, with a shot of Edward Norton, the id and ego collapsed, and a superego who completed the spiritual sublimation stood in full bloom. The plot is interesting, the idea is clever, and the meaning is clear. The strange thing is that this film is often recommended as a suspense film, which is really puzzling.
Similarly, there is "Butterfly Effect", whose content is destined to be suspenseful in its narrative style, but its essence is a video-oriented philosophy lesson, which has little to do with suspense.
"The Silent Lamb" has to be talked about. This is a classic thriller, rich in content and far-reaching, but it is really difficult to be judged in the category of suspense. The suspense of this film is basically used as a drug introduction to lead to deeper human issues. It is basically set by the screenwriter, analyzed by Hannibal and the heroine from shallow to deep, and verified by the lens, not by The story speaks for itself. The director also did not want the audience to look at the film from a suspenseful standpoint, so although the suspense of this film exists, it does not affect the expression of the main ideas under the director's control. After all, as a detective film, it is inevitable that there will be some puzzles in it. If it is therefore defined as a suspense film, it is just a beautiful misunderstanding.
There is also a so-called suspense film that is confusing. In fact, the story itself is not about suspense. It just uses the integration of structure and narration to create the audience’s sense of confusion and curiosity. The most representative one is "Shards of Memory". I won’t go into details again. If you follow the normal narrative technique and rhythm, the film will be unremarkable. However, the director is very good in structure. If it is forced to be classified as a suspense film, it can be appreciated as a technical suspense. Similarly, "Fatal ID", which uses expression techniques to create an overall suspenseful effect, can also be regarded as a technical suspense film.
And "Eight Sides Ambush" and "Memory Rift" are self-questioning and self-answering films. The director does not intend to logically convince the audience, nor can he see any antagonism between the narrator and the audience, the director only needs to do When it can attract the audience to sit down and be led quietly by the director for a while, it is considered a success. There are also "When the Branches Break" and "From Hell", because you have no room to participate in this kind of film, and you can only accept everything the film shows you. And a suspenseful film should allow you not only to participate in it, empathize with you, but also to nod secretly when you see the answer.
Although suspense films are hard to find, wonderful suspense is not uncommon. Speaking of which, let’s talk about the setting of suspense in Pulp Fiction. In the period when Vincent and Jules were ordered to deal with the punks, the middle process The suspense creation is very in place. The relaxed dialogue and the subsequent killings that the audience has been told form a strong contrast, which lifts the audience’s emotions. At the same time, the content of the "foot massage" conversation paves the way for the branch plot, and then After breaking the goal, it was discovered that the opponent was basically a group of high school students who were trembling with fright. The strength of each other was very different, and the audience's hearts were naturally let go, but just when you thought you could breathe a sigh of relief, the gunshot sounded and the audience's hearts were gripped again. rise. The tight shots, the change of rhythm, and the drama of the event itself firmly control the mood of the audience on the trajectory that Quentin wants. Small events can cause big psychological fluctuations. This level is undoubtedly superb. However, many people commented on this work, mostly focusing on its unique structure and scenes, but neglecting Quentin's use of suspense techniques, which I have to say is a bit regretful. Fortunately, in this year's "Unscrupulous Army", Quentin once again gave us a surprise about suspense. The scene of the confrontation in the pub is definitely a classic interpretation of suspense skills, the kind of almost suffocating tension and scenes. , The huge tension released by the dialogue makes people hooked, and the subsequent theater game also has twists and turns. I personally think that this is the charm of this movie.
On the contrary, if you blindly break away from the plot and be suspenseful for suspense, then the lesser ones will give people a strong sense of fabrication (such as the American drama "24 Hours", but fortunately its rhythm and logic are not flawed, so everyone does not care about the editing) , But seriously undermine the seriousness of the theme (such as the first part of the American drama "Prison Break", due to the looseness of the plot itself, coupled with the abuse of suspense skills that the screenwriter likes to mechanical, frequently coincidentally artificially create and resolve crises, making suspense to watch It seems to be a living habit of the characters, the original tension is eliminated, and even the audience can't get nervous when they should be nervous). This is very taboo in the use of suspense techniques.
Finally I have the opportunity to count some suspense films and fakes in my mind. As a film lover who has a special liking for suspense films, I actually don’t want to think about the ins and outs of suspense. What prompted me to write it down is due to many The hardship of searching for pearls and the depression of hard-to-find masterpieces in fish eyes. I do not deny the achievements of related films, but frankly speaking, when I see those films that cannot be called suspense films, they appear in many recommendations under the banner of suspense films, and I was also swindling a lot of time and feelings. At times, it is inevitable that there is still some unhappiness. Similarly, if my remarks can cause those recommenders who confuse reasoning, horror, suspense, and horror, and think that a little suspense can be called suspense, then I am definitely in a good mood.
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