-
Essay / How Merian C. Cooper's King Kong Movie Uses Special Effects
Special Effects in Horror CinemaMany horror films involve the use of special effects to create horror. To create horror, the amount of special effects depends on whether the plot focuses on the monster itself or the effects created by the monster. Therefore, more special effects are needed if the film is about the creature itself, while fewer special effects are needed when the film focuses on the ramifications of its presence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayWhen the plot of a film centers on the visible presence of the monster, special effects are necessary to create the horror. In the 1933 film King Kong, by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, King Kong is a monstrous creature created using stop-motion animation. King Kong is physically displayed on screen through the use of special effects. The special effects before Kong's introduction, such as the boat on the water, do not create horror. Horror is created through special effects when King Kong appears, because Kong is a scary and scary creature. The film would have no horror without the physical presence of King Kong. Once King Kong is captured, he is taken to New York to be presented. Before the opening begins, Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) simply talks to John Driscoll (Bruce Cabot) about her worries about seeing the monster again. During this scene, there is no use of special effects, and furthermore, no sense of impending horror or impending danger. King Kong is not present in the scene; no special effects are therefore used. When King Kong makes his debut and appears on stage, the audience feels a sense of danger and horror, derived from the monster's presence. Although the special effects used in this film are primitive, they are still effective in creating horror when Kong is present. Since the monster is created purely through special effects, it is the special effects that make King Kong such a horrible character. Advanced special effects are important in creating horror when the film's plot centers on the monster itself and its destruction. James Cameron's film Aliens (1986) uses model special effects to create the aliens. Early in the film, when Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is rescued, there are no scary or horror-inducing scenes. At this point in the film, no heavy special effects are used since the alien creatures are not yet introduced, so there is no sense of horror created. Once Ripley and some military personnel go to the colony to investigate the cause of the loss of communication, special effects are used to depict a destroyed colony, alien eggs, and the aliens themselves. It is when these special effects are used that the horror is created. Without the use of special effects, there would be no representation of alien eggs, nor aliens, and therefore no creation of horror. The aliens are the source of the horror, and when the aliens' creations are removed, there is no horror. Although Aliens uses complex special effects throughout the film, a film does not need to use special effects at the same level of complexity if the monster is not constantly shown. Elaborate special effects are not necessary to cause horror in a film if the monster is not constantly shown. The monster in the film is not fully displayed. Steven Spielberg's film Jaws (1975) uses special effects to create the gigantic shark and.