7. Don't Mistake Disturbing For Scary
This is a bit more subtle, but much more important. Another subgenre of horror movies are the disturbing ones. A scary movie can be disturbing, but if it relies too much on disturbing its audience, it's no longer scary, it's just unsettling and revolting. When something disturbs us, it's a temporary state. A disturbance is an interruption of order, but something can be done about it. It can be ended. Fear, however, is a life-long presence, and nothing can be done about it. It will always be with you in some form. For example, images of torture are disturbing. As such, torture is a universally reviled crime that is justly and severely punished. It turns our stomachs, traumatizes us, and may even cause fear, but witnessing it on screen, it can be overcome. But believing you could be subjected to torture (or any harm) is scary. And that fear could linger throughout your life, no matter how well you protect yourself because it's tied together with your mortality.
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