What Are Jordan Peele's Favorite Horror Tropes?

Horror Tropes with Jordan Peele and Conan O'Brien 

What I love about Conan's podcast is that it's pretty funny, but he really gets into the craft with artists in ways that are both disarming and accessible for people watching.

In this one, Pelle started out talking horror villains and then the conversation ranged all over.

The Power of the Minimalist Villain

Peele jumps right in by espousing the genius of John Carpenter's Halloween and its villain, Michael Myers.

Peele labels him a "minimalist villain," which is a fun thing to unpack. There is not a lot to Myers. It's just like a Shatner mask, slow movements, and a machete.

What makes him scary is the way he's shot. Often from below or far away, always coming forward, with nothing stopping him.

The monster is simple, and so is the camera, but it pays off in scares.

The big lesson for your own films, consider how you can use minimalism to create a truly terrifying antagonist. Sometimes, less is more.

Atmosphere is Everything

Conan brings up a fantastic point about the importance of atmosphere, citing Robert Eggers' The Witch. He brings up the scene where we get a shot of a tree line, but the musical tone played behind it makes us feel like something is going to jump out and attack us.

It should be mundane, but it's so eerie and scary because of the unknown and the tone.

They make the point that it's not all jump scares. If you build a world with a distinct and unsettling atmosphere, even the most ordinary things can become terrifying.

Daylight Horror

One of the most interesting parts of the conversation is their discussion of "daylight horror."

Peele mentions his love for Midsommar and The Vanishing, which are films that prove that horror doesn't have to be confined to darkness.

In fact, setting your horror in a bright, beautiful, and seemingly safe environment can be even more unsettling as it subverts expectations about when bad things can happen to you.

Think about how you can subvert audience expectations. Take a familiar, safe setting and turn it into a place of terror that you've never seen anyone do before.

Horror and Comedy Are Similar

Peele comes from a comedy background and talked about how he sees a lot of parallels between horror and comedy. And in comedy, usually the audience is laughing, but the people on the screen are not.

The same thing works with horror.

In those horror movies, we see the people on screen assuming nothing scary is happening here while the audience is on the edge of their seats.

Both genres are about subverting expectations and creating a visceral reaction in the audience.

Don't be afraid to inject humor into your horror, or to find the horror in the mundane. Anything to keep the audience guessing.

Summing It All Up 

This conversation between Jordan Peele and Conan O'Brien is a reminder that the most effective horror uses the tropes and tools we know in new ways. It subverts expectations and challenges the audience to think about what's happening in new ways.