Exploring Immersive Horror Filmmaking and the Terrifying Future of Jump Scares

The Consensus on the Immersive Format

NFS: Thanks to everyone for joining this discussion! How does everyone feel about the new immersive format for filmmaking?

I think it’s incredible. Immersive filmmaking creates a whole new way to experience stories, especially for horror, where tension and perspective matter so much. It feels like stepping directly into a filmmaker’s imagination. — Raymond Mendez (Producer, Don’t Ignore Me)

3D, in recent years, has become a post tool and the realm of VFX. I’m excited to see what the new URSA Cine Immersive camera and Apple Vision Pro can deliver. — Judd Overton (DP, Totally Killer)

Immersive filmmaking is really exciting. It is also its own art form that plays by its own set of rules. You’re giving your audience far more agency, so you need to think more about guiding the viewers' eyes through blocking, action, and other storytelling elements. It’s not easy, but a good immersive experience is truly unforgettable. — Andrew Scott Baird (DP, Shelby Oaks)

Immersive Cinema is an exciting new frontier, and it's perfect for terrifying and thrilling content. Nothing can match the feeling of being immersed in a horror film. I've loved watching horror movies in dark movie theaters since I was a kid, but the immersive experience is so much more intense! Imagine being in the Nostromo right next to Ripley in Alien. The surround sound audio and 360 views contribute to a powerful all all-encompassing thrill ride. Even as a filmmaker who loves the craft and tricks of filmmaking, I find myself jumping when scary stuff flies at me. — Ricardo Martinez (Writer/Director and Co-Founder of The LatinXorcists)

The new URSA Cine Immersive is fascinating. I only got to play with it briefly at CineGear, but it looks unreal and feels like a glimpse into where visual storytelling is heading. It reminded me of an experience I had last year when my phone broke and the Apple Store took six hours to repair it. Honestly, it was kind of nice to wander around without a phone for a while. When I came back, someone suggested I try the Apple Vision Pro headset. Within seconds, I was completely pulled in. A simple video of a rhino walking toward the camera actually made me step back because it felt like it was a foot away.

That moment stuck with me. It showed how depth can completely trick your senses. I still maintain that the scariest experience I’ve ever had was playing Resident Evil 7 in VR. Moving through that terrifying house, I actually found myself slowing down, being cautious, like I was really there. Immersive worlds place us, the audience, inside the action. When you’re truly alone, that’s when you get scared the most.

That’s why the URSA Cine Immersive excites me so much. It taps into that same idea, creating a space that feels real, close, and dangerous. For horror, that’s everything. I’d love to play with that sense of proximity, maybe placing creepy figures at the edges of the frame and letting the viewer notice them late. Getting the audience to play along is the dream. — Julian Terry (Writer/Director)

How Will Filmmakers Adapt to This New Tech?

NFS: As immersive video continues to grow (particularly videos experienced with the Apple Vision Pro), how do you see filmmakers possibly choosing to adapt to this new technology?

Filmmakers will start thinking more about how the audience moves and reacts inside the story instead of just watching it. It’s going to blur the line between storytelling and experience. I think directors will use sound, space, and subtle motion to guide emotion in more interactive ways. — Raymond Mendez (Producer, Don’t Ignore Me)

I’ve worked on several immersive (180º and 360º stereoscopic) productions over the years. It’s a really unique way to experience a story. Whether it’s a documentary or narrative film, you can be transported to any environment or scenario. It really feels like a captured moment in time to me. It feels honest. I think that’s where you can really mess with people. There’s a lot of room there for the unexpected. — Andrew Scott Baird (DP, Shelby Oaks)

I think immersive filmmaking can offer a lot of branded content possibilities and brand offshoots of major franchises. Imagine going to see Predator Badlands and getting a code to watch a whole new scene at home afterward. Imagine seeing Weapons and getting a chance to experience locations from the movie or to see additional backstories or vignettes? 20th Century or A24, give me a call, I've got pitches! — Ricardo Martinez (Writer/Director and Co-Founder of The LatinXorcists)

Immersive Jump Scares

NFS: For horror filmmaking specifically, what do you think about the possibilities of shooting and viewing "jump scares" in this new immersive format?

It’s both thrilling and terrifying! In immersive horror, you can’t look away, so the audience feels completely trapped in the moment. Jump scares could feel more personal and unpredictable, which makes the fear way more real. — Raymond Mendez (Producer, Don’t Ignore Me)

Immersive media is interesting when you think about what horror could be with it. It puts you right there, like a video game, which can be terrifying. But with the ability to look around and change your own angles, the Jump Scare needs to evolve a little. Jump Scares in traditional films work best when the field of view is limited. It’s what you DON’T see that builds suspense, and when something comes out from a corner you couldn’t see, that’s what gets you. For immersive media to have a jump scare, I think things are going to have to be hiding in plain sight, or popping out from behind corners you hadn’t yet reached—just like a video game. — Justin Warren (DIT, The Woman in the Yard)

I love a good jump scare. Creating them is such a collaborative process where sound and editing/ timing are key. I feel like in a 3D world, your senses are heightened, so the ability to trigger a visceral response through lighting and sound, and the viewing engagement will give filmmakers new opportunities to get the heart racing! — Judd Overton (DP, Totally Killer)

Jump scares in immersive likely take much more work to achieve effectively, but the payoff is the ability to terrify your audience in a way that 2D filmmaking isn’t necessarily capable of. Cutting within a scene and forced movement can be really off-putting when you’re in a headset, so you want to guide the moment from a fixed POV as much as possible. For example, you’d consider guiding the viewer's eyes away from a section of your scene just to guide their eyes back, and BAM! That apparition or masked killer is standing right in front of you. Spatial audio is also critical and can help guide the attention of the viewer and create a really creepy moment. — Andrew Scott Baird (DP, Shelby Oaks)

Oh, jump scares are beyond thrilling in the immersive space! But that's also not the only way to achieve horror and terror. Immersive viewing is a captive experience, meaning the audience can't move! As filmmakers, we can literally force the audience to sit in the midst of chaos or way too close to a terrifying creature. The experience can easily create a feeling of claustrophobia - this hasn't been exploited completely yet, either! — Ricardo Martinez (Writer/Director and Co-Founder of The LatinXorcists)