What do Bambi, The Dark Knight and Seven all have in common?
Spectacular moments of off-screen violence… Its these filmmaking techniques that the masters of cinema use to create suspense and feelings of dread.
The murders inMare never seen, but their impact hangs over the film like an oppressive cloud.
Bambis innocent cry of, We made it!
We made it, mother!
is enough to have viewers of all ages weeping into their popcorn.
Peeping Toms most disturbing moment is undoubtedly Marks protracted scene with his colleague Vivian (Moira Shearer).
InPsycho, its Hitchcocks cutting, rather than Bates knife, that supplies the violence.
For us, the most disturbing death is the one that occurs almost entirely off-screen.
Well, here I am the killer says, as Lounds splutters with terror.
Although entirely bloodless, the effect is shocking because its so wrenchingly unexpected.
Its certainly gorier, but unsurprisingly, has far less impact than Manns version.
And likeManhuntersix years earlier, the subsequent ear-removal incident is still hugely shocking, even though it occurs off-camera.
The words Why so serious?
will never seem quite the same after Ledgers remarkable turn here.
We the scene is already vividly painted in the mind, and its shudder-inducing.
