John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Sam Raimi, and even Peter Jackson are some examples.
So why isnt Spielberg seen in the same light, as a horror director done good?
An auteur in his field, he is the directors director.
Horror, in its current incarnation, is cheap, streamlined, and gritty.
Think about his body of work in the late 70s and early 80s.
Each film is set or based around something very, very familiar.
The characters in his films are not cliched, two-dimensional characters or potential victims for the next impressive kill.
Theyre real people, with real lives.
Look at Brody (Roy Scheider), for example.
He smokes, he chats, moans and is flawed.
His family argues, slams doors and doesnt really get on.
Its as though this entire scenario is happening to us and our families.
We ask, what if it was us?
What would we do?
Were not heroes in the traditional sense, and neither is Brody.
But the real horror lies in the fact that an everyday person experiences something that is life changing.
LikeJaws, Close Encountersis essentially about a character crossing paths with something he shouldnt.
Hes just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
UnlikeJaws, the aliens are ultimately revealed to be benign.
Nevertheless, there are strong elements of horror earlier on in the film.
Again, Roy is the everyman, the guy next door who ambles along.
Again, hes you and me, and his close encounter completely alters the balance of is life.
It is this attack on a family mans normality that makesClose Encounterssuch a scary film.
It is this normality that makesPoltergeist, in my opinion, one of the scariest films ever made.
Just look at the family dynamic and the suburban setting.
So, with that in mind, why is the film so terrifying?
The simple things, too.
All these little things come together to make a familiar yet disturbing scenario.
Its also shot fantastically well.
The suburban Californian setting gives the film a hot and humid glow.
There is a warmth to everything.
- Back-lights and harsh spotlights bleed onto the screen, and add to the unearthly nature of the encounters.
The Extra-Terrestrial
Now this, to me, is probably Spielbergs most terrifying film.
It is not, by a long shot, the family feel-good movie it claims to be.
The films horror lies not in the cuddly alien of the title, but in those hunting him.
Think about the scene where the kids are playingDungeons & Dragons.They talk across each other, complain and bicker.
It isnt just Spielbergs dismantling of the family unit that makes him a master of horror.
Of course, the films listed above represent only a small fraction of Spielbergs work.
