The Iconic Scene from 'Kairo' (Short Film Research)

In the 2001 techno-horror film 'Kairo' (Japanese for 'Pulse'), there is an iconic scene in the film where an unconventional "jump scare" occurs, something which was something of a game-changer in the world of horror at the time, with nothing particularly outlandish or prominent in the scene to set it apart. Contrarily, the scene's subtle nature and gradual tense build-up which never reaches its climax ultimately contributes to the eeriness and overall creepiness of the scene.

The unnatural movement of the ghost, the slow pace of the scene, the agonising tension and the absolute silence, all make this scene work so perfectly and so effectively as a representation of avant-garde styles in horror conventions such as "the jump scare".

This scene gave me an idea for my own figure to appear as an antagonist in my short film, which I have titled as B.O.B (Black Ominous Figure) which is a prop I have made myself, which will act as a looming figure in the short film, stalking the protagonists and lurking around the quarters of the house. Appearing in the background every now and then, B.O.B will be seen in the corners of the scene and never have a pronounced shot which directly introduces B.O.B as a character. I made a video all about B.O.B, with the prop being my creative reaction to this scene, as I attempted to make a prop with the ability to have a similar effect as the ghost in this scene.

Below is the post from my website in which I talk about my prop, B.O.B.

https://www.ghirardellomedia.com/post/b-o-b-my-prop-for-my-short-film

Shot Idea - Peeking Figure

Films like 'Kairo' gave me inspiration for an off-centre shot of a horror antagonist, with the image above providing a good example of the sort of shot that I am hoping to achieve in the short film.