10 Everyday Things Horror Movies Have Made Terrifying
4. Quiet Time
Silence, as they say, is deadly.
No genre uses silence and ambiance as well as horror can, with many soundtracks looking sparce in comparison to most blockbusters to allow for the deeper atmosphere that silence and quiet time provides. This entry is not for a particular item but rather a feeling of absence that is so distinct to horror, one that lets a viewer know exactly what they're experiencing, even if they just tuned in midway through.
In films, that silence creates a tension that builds for every second the main character is seen alertly pacing through an area that looks, sounds, and smells okay, but just doesn't feel right. Recently, the scary effect of silence was fully fleshed out in John Krasinski's 2018 blockbuster, A Quiet Place, where characters had to preserve the silence to escape creatures that hunt by sound, leading to one of the most iconic uses of American Sign Language ever in film.
That absence of noise just means that something is coming in horror movies, whether its the actual threat, or just jump-scare meant to test the viewers reflexes, and maybe even put them at ease before the real horror gets going. Either way, people definitely know something is amiss when a room is quiet, too quiet.