10 More Horror Movies Which Broke The Fourth Wall To Scare You
Break the fourth wall? More like demolish it.
In the realm of acting, the fourth wall is the invisible barrier separating the story from the observers. To avoid ruining the immersion, performers rarely look at or speak while facing directly towards the camera. However, rules (and walls) are made to be broken. Not only did Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs, and Deadpool go against this tradition, the characters acknowledged the fact they were in a movie.
Even though this technique has a ton of comedic potential, it's also tremendously effective in the world of horror. Think about it; no matter how frightening a slasher or sci-fi flick is, the audience can remain calm, knowing they are watching a piece of fiction. But by interacting with the viewers, they find themselves playing a part in the story, making the experience more intimate and unnerving.
Some films grab the audience's attention straight away by directly addressing them in the opening. Other times, a movie may break during the conclusion, hoping to leave a lasting impression.
Although we've already looked at 10 Horror Movies Which Broke The Fourth Wall To Scare You before - including Wes Craven's New Nightmare, Psycho, and Funny Games - rest assured that there's plenty more where that came from.
10. Creepshow
George A. Romero's cult-classic centres around young Billy, who's chastised by his father Stan for reading a horror comic called Creepshow. We are then shown five tales of terror from the comic, involving monsters, zombies, giant bugs, and space plants. Once each of these chapters conclude, the action cuts back to Billy before moving onto the next sinister saga.
Due to this set-up, viewers should quickly get a grasp of the movie's framework. In the comic book world, anything can happen. But since Billy lives in the normal world, everything is grounded in reality.
Or so it seems. In the final scene, Billy becomes so tired of his abusive father, he repeatedly stabs a voodoo doll of Stan.
As Stan screams in pain, exaggerated lines of light spray across the screen, indicating this story doesn't take place in the real world after all.
The camera then zooms out, revealing that everything we saw took place in, you guessed it, a Creepshow comic. Not only was this the perfect way to leave blindside viewers, it perfectly fits with Creepshow's motif that nothing is ever as it seems.