I don’t know how or why or where this topic came from to be honest.
With all the movies I’ve watched so far this year and just taking notes of how fun and innovative and exciting horror has been lately (it always has been, even in lull periods) and I just wanted to acknowledge some of things I’ve learned as a fan of horror and film making but my own perspective as someone who has experience in the art field.
I used to get these two different “titles” or aspects confused or they seem to overlap because of how intertwined and important they are to each other. I’ll even say that it can depend on each other.
I want to talk about cinematography and art direction within film but specifically horror because this is a horror blog and we are focusing more on the art side of things. There is a difference but I think of them as a big collaboration with other titles (set design, costume design) in an artsy way.
Let’s talk about it!
Oh boy. I always forget cinematography is also “director of photography” and I think we all categorize it as the same thing or we just assume that the director of said film/project is in charge of all that aaaaand maybe but the director is most likely directing the performances and getting the best they can out of the actors. Like I said previously, everything is a big collaboration. Cinematography is all about “visual storytelling”. It’s how we are presented with the atmosphere and if we’re talking about horror (or thriller, sci-fi), what are you giving me, the audience, on a silver platter? You’re going to see how “moods” are shown, ambience, the play with shadows and lighting, camera angles (dally zoom, dutch, low, overhead, tight framing) and movement. There’s staging and position quality as well. It’s the actual filming process.
A great example I wanted to throw in here from a television stand point is The Twilight Zone (1959-1964). I doubt Rod Serling knew how impact and important this show would become in the genre but I look at episodes that come out of that show and it’s nothing but great visual storytelling with camera angles and shadows and lighting and establishing a mood that most of the time doesn’t seem all that great. Just full of tension because we know we are in The Twilight Zone. Some episodes I was thinking of are “Where is Everybody?”, “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street”, “The Hitchhiker”, “The Invaders”, “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” and so many more. These are like from the first two seasons and there are SO MANY to throw out there as examples like “The Masks” or “Living Doll”, I just, sigh, so good.
Film wise, I throw in Halloween (1978), Jaws (1975), Psycho (1960), Hereditary (2018), In a Violent Nature (2024), Saint Maud (2019), The Thing (1982) and there are once again so many to throw in here but I see these films as great ways of creating “atmosphere” with all the aspects mentioned earlier. Yes, it takes a director to see the full vision of what they want but a cinematographer or director of photography is there to help them bring it to fruition.
And then here comes art direction busting down the door like HEY YOU NEED ME TOO and yes, yes we do. Art direction is how visually things come together from set design, costume design, color story, special effects, color grading. It boosts whatever is being presented to its fullest potential.
They all work together to make the final project be cohesive and not fall short.
As someone who worked/experiences within museums or galleries, how these institutions are run, it’s like a machine. You have to have all parts working together and being consistent and on the same page in order to have a new exhibit on display or an event experience and there is a head person in charge (director vibes) and we have teams of building and outlining the exhibit (set design), someone who picks out what objects to display, if it follows the narrative that’s been set and I feel like a film set is run the same. And I also feel like art direction is more important than we realize.
Previously, I talked about the absence of color and the power of color and it isn’t just color when it comes to art direction. It can also include atmosphere and ambience, lighting, set building, VFX or literal special effects, it’s the principles and elements of art. We’ve talked about this in the past but all of these concepts can bring art to life. Movement, variety, balance, space, texture, form, shape, unity, it’s all there. And like with cinematography, some great examples are Creepshow (1982), Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992, please watch all the behind the scenes extras about this film), Nosferatu (2024), Akira (1987), Longlegs (2024), The Substance (2024), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, however, it can fit in the other category as well).
I’ve gushed about The Substance, still one of my favorite watches in so long but I wonder what that film would look like if it didn’t have the color palette and grading that makes it so vibrant. And the color story between Elisabeth and Sue is just… it’s such a huge part of the story. Elisabeth (Demi Moore) is in blue a lot, that is her color of her unitard, her two piece suit and her yellow coat is so beautiful and stands out. And when Sue (Margaret Qualley) shows up, she’s in a mix of blue and pink to signal to the audience she’s representing both. But that changes when she buys the all pink unitard and takes over. And then towards the end, Sue is in a huge blue ballroom dress, there’s a yellow ground sweeper, the red of the long hallway and men’s bathroom, the insane ending, it’s all visual storytelling with color. And the cinematography is great too, a lot of nods to previous great horror films and interesting choices with timing and reveals and camera angles.
In conclusion, these two go hand in hand. Hell, they work on the same body. One cannot live without the other. And it’s easy for us to confuse one for the other but I wanted to give a little bit of insight and definition. What films (or series) would you add into these categories as their strengths? I feel like Hannibal (NBC, 2013) is a great contender. I miss that show. I’ll take any reason to talk about that show.
Leave a comment below on what you think and I’ll see you guys in June!
Peace, love and chicken grease!
Shots of Horror 
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