What’s your favourite scary movie? 

 

Amy "Silence of the lambs"

Andy "I think it has to be The Shining, although the first Saw is a close second."

Aaron "Not sure it counts but I'm a huge fan of Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror - a film made in the style of old Grindhouse movies of the 70s"

Chris "The Conjuring"

Darren "The Blair Witch Project"

Doug "The classical kind of horror doesn't really scare me, but there's something eerily scary about Kubrick's films, 'The Shining', '2001: A Space Odyssey', 'The Clockwork Orange', 'Eyes Wide Shut' to name a few, also recently watched 'The Guest' which really stayed with me just for it's aesthetics alone, but 'Zombieland', 'From Dusk Til Dawn', 'Shaun of the Dead' are probably the most watched scary movies among my collection. Got there eventually...kinda" 

Jonnie "Jaws. Spielberg, Williams, a giant shark and the dynamics between the three leads is a perfect storm."

Sean "Alien... Alien, simply because the overall look, H.R Giger with Ridley Scott created something beyond simple a film, the art direction, look and feel changed cinema for the better."

 

What scene from a horror movie made you jump the most?

 

Amy "Woman in black, all of it! All jump scares in that movie scared me"

Andy "I have never quite gotten over the serial killer dwarf at the end of Don't Look Now, haven't been able to go near a duffel coat since."

Aaron "The first time I watched The Thing, the scene with the blood testing..."

Chris "The conjuring - clap scene"

Darren "Closet scene from The Ring"

Doug "OK, I'm going to regret my answer to the previous question, and completely contradict myself, and say when 'Stifler' aka Sean William Scott gets half of his head decapitated in 'Final Destination'...never even saw it coming" 

Jonnie "All of Paranormal Activity"

Sean "I don't really jump that much during films, I wish I did! But I love those scenes that go deeper than that, that scare you the next day or a week later, when taking a shower after watching 'Psycho' for the first time, going to bed after watching 'Paranormal Activity', that's when you know it's a good 'Horror' film!"

 

Michael, Freddy or Jason?

 

Amy "Freddy"

Andy "It has to be Freddy!"

Aaron "I have not actually seen any films with any of them in... haha"

Chris "Freddy"

Darren "Freddy"

Doug "I was first introduced to Freddy at a young age, so difficult to forget"

Jonnie "If the Halloween series had ended after the first or second film, I would choose Michael but the endless lacklustre sequels and remakes significantly diminished his appeal and fear. Freddy, however, became suitably more ridiculous with each passing movie, always finding new forms to morph into and puns to quip."

Sean "Freddy! Genius character."

 

Favourite scream queen? 

 

Amy "Sidney from Scream"

Andy "I would have to go for Neve Campbell (Sidney in Scream), she had some really bad luck growing up."

Aaron "Does that woman from Drag Me To Hell count?"

Chris "Emma Roberts"

Darren "Sigourney Weaver"

Doug "I'd have to go with Screams 'Sidney', just for; 'Phone Voice: Do you like scary movies? Sidney Prescott: What's the point? They're all the same. Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can't act who is always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door. It's insulting.' She was a badass!"

Jonnie "The original scream queen herself, Jamie Lee Curtis. Though Shelley Duvall has a great pair of lungs!"

Sean "Neve Campbell, Sid without a doubt, she's our generation's Sigourney Weaver who is equally awesome, not forgetting Jamie Lee Curtis too!"

 

The one thing you can’t watch a scary movie without? 

 

Amy "My phone, so it looks like I'm being ignorant rather than scared of the film "

Andy "Popcorn and plenty of snacks! Unfortunately far too many 'horrors' are made without fulfilling the brief..The Happening, I'm looking at you."

Aaron "I love a good haunted house myself, I don't tend to watch much horror because they normally bore me but the right ones I will give some time to"

Chris "Food"

Darren "A locked front door"

Doug "Popcorn...and a sofa to hide behind of course"

Jonnie "The lights on (ha!)… it’s all about atmosphere. Nothing is more irritating than someone bragging that horror films don’t scare them only to discover they watch them at two in the afternoon whilst playing Tetris on their phone."

Sean "Sweets... Chewy kind"

 

What are you views on violence in cinema?

 

Amy "I am a huge fan of violence and gore in movies"

Andy "I think it has its place in the right movie. I prefer intense, psychological horrors over ultra-violent ones. "

Aaron "I think there's always a place for it, sometimes it's nice to be able to switch off sanity with some ridiculous violence"

Chris "Awesome"

Darren "As long as there are appropriate warnings then I have no problem

Doug "All for it. If you don't like what you're watching; turn over, it works for me with Downton Abbey"

Jonnie "It’s a violent world so it’s only natural some of that violence should find itself onscreen. Dismissing violence altogether is perhaps unfair when it all depends on tone in the end. The entertainment values of Re-Animator and Braindead are elevated by the over-the-top gore whilst The Last House on the Left, whatever you may think of the film, undeniably provokes a strong reaction."

Sean "I don't really care, there's a market for it. I don't think you need violence in movies, 'Psycho' shower scene as an example, leaving it to the audiences imagination. With so much emphasis on violence in cinema nowadays filmmakers, do it for the sake of doing it to show they can, losing all meaning... Oh... But then people will watch it because of the violence... I need to buy some corn syrup." 

 

Budget gore or over the top visual effects?

 

Amy "Budget gore"

Andy "Can I say neither??"

Aaron "I don't mind either, both are in danger of looking bad if not done properly, and there are advantages to both"

Chris " Over the top visual effects"

Darren "Tough one... depends, but maybe budget gore in today's CGI driven world"

Doug "Start out with budget gore, then if needed, fill in the gaps & bring it to life with visual effects; failing that, whatever works or is available" 

Jonnie "Modern mainstream horror tends to stumble into the pitfalls of throwing a bus-load of visual effects into their climaxes and I can’t help but lose immersion. John Carpenter’s Halloween achieved so much more with barely a drop of blood and a bedsheet wearing glasses."

Sean "Budget gore, it's why I love horror films as they're so accessible for indie filmmakers, a script, an actor and some fake blood and you have a horror film." 

 

Why is everyone so obsessed with horror? 

 

Amy "Peoples lives are boring, they need the adrenaline"

Andy "I think everyone wants to indulge in their fears every once and a while, while sitting safely on a sofa (with the lights on.)"

Aaron "I think people enjoy the adrenaline rush of being scared, it's a way to test our limits without going to extremes (ie jumping out of a plane or something)"

Chris "Because of the adrenaline rush"

Darren "Visceral pleasure and catharsis."

Doug "Take it from someone that isn't; we ain't, but I suppose its either because of that adrenalin rush we seek, like F1 drivers, or an escape from the horror of our own reality!"

Jonnie "Probably the way it deals with our most primal fears and emotions, and tackling topics that are too macabre for any other genre. Horror films also tend to be more creative, broadly speaking."

Sean "Something deeply rooted in our make-up, when we drive by a car crash we turn our heads to see what's going on, gore sells be it on the news or reading the details in the paper."

 

Zombies or Vampires?

 

Amy "Zombies"

Andy "Vampire. I'm thinking Dracula, not Tom Cruise."

Aaron "Tough choice! I would have to say Vampires, I like the mythology a lot more (for example them having to be invited into a house) and if they're not done stupidly (I'm not a fan of the sparkly variety) they can be quite terrifying"

Chris "Zombies"

Darren "Vampires."

Doug "Zombies."

Jonnie "Dracula is among the best of the best, of course, but overall zombies reign supreme."

Sean "Zombies, simply because it could happen one day in the long distant future, Zombie Ants people!"

 

Who will be the next Wes Craven of horror? 

 

Amy "James Wan (insidious)"

Andy "I liked the guys that made [REC]. I don't think there is signs of another Wes Craven yet though.."

Aaron "I think Joss Whedon played a blinder with Cabin in the Woods, I've always admired his process and if he carried on in horror he would do excellent(ly horrible) things I'm sure"

Chris "James Wan"

Darren "Only one Wes Craven, but Jennifer Kent is one to watch."

Doug "If Adam Wingard's 'The Guest' was anything to go by, plus he also directed 'You're Next'."

Jonnie "There is only one Wes Craven. Let’s hope there is the next John Everyman or Sean Crotty of horror - be inspired by someone but don’t aspire to be them."

 

Sean "I don't think there's anyone as groundbreaking, James Wan is starting to do good things... But I think for true "Horror" a lot of good things are happening in foreign films, then these obviously get picked up for American remakes and watered down."

 

How old were you when you watched you first horror,

and what was it?

 

Amy "Lol probably doesn't count but Shaun of the dead when I was in high school"

Andy "I remember watching Cape Fear when I was about 6-7 years old. "

Aaron "I was 12, The Haunting, saw it with my dad in the cinema and because I'd seen the trailer for it spent the whole film wondering when the ceiling was going to fall"

Chris "11 - The Ring"

Darren "Probably around 5 years old, back in 88. I watched Alien"

Doug "I saw Silence of the Lambs on VHS when I was 9. Whenever I was off sick from school, my parents would rent me movies. They thought it was a fun tale about a timid sheep...I WISH I was joking!"

Jonnie "2 years old - Predator. (does Sci-Fi Action Horror count?)"

 

Sean "I can't remember how old, but I used to watch the "Goosebumps" series, then one of the first horrors I watched was "Scream" they never really bothered me, the Japanese horrors originals of The Grudge, Dark Water, One Missed Called & obviously The Ring... They definitely stay with you!"

 

If you could have worked on a horror film that’s already been made, what would it be?

 

Amy "Silence of the lambs"

Andy "Paranormal Activity, just so I could step in and stop the scene with the footprints of what is seemingly a Duck from ever happening. It was all going so well."

Aaron "I think Drag Me To Hell would have been a lot of fun to work on, or the saw films, before they went too silly"

Chris "The Conjuring"

Darren "Alien"

Doug "Probably something Kubrick did, or 'Apocalypse Now' if that counts, just so I could watch the infamous untold horrors & insanity of those shoots unfold live, right in front of me"

Jonnie "Blair Witch Project. Simple, effective and I’d be rich right now."

Sean "I would say "The Shining" but it'd kill the mythology of it, so I'll say "The Blair Witch Project".. That'd take some therapy to get over!"

 

Have you ever had to stop watching a horror film because it just freaked you out too much?

 

Amy "No"

Andy "Not yet, I want it to happen though!"

Aaron "No, not that I can recall"

Chris "No"

Darren "No."

Doug "No, but there's certain films like 'The Human Centipede", 'A Serbian Film' etc out there, that I know I would if I started watching them, so just tend to avoid them"  

Jonnie "Not freaked out as such, but got annoyed at the sheer amount of jump scares: Event Horizon

Sean "No, I don't know if it's because making films you just know everything is fake, it's hard to be that freaked out .. I do think the "Documentary" approach hightens tension though"

 

The Walking Dead or Fear The Walking Dead?

 

Amy "The Walking Dead"

Andy "Always the original."

Aaron "I've not seen either, although starting The Walking Dead soon, so that."

Chris "The walking dead, thats not a question"

Darren "The Walking Dead"

Doug "The Walking Dead...'Fear The Walking Dead' has got a long way to go."

Sean "TWD"

Jonnie "I prefer my zombie horror in 90 minute film form."

Thoughts on horror classics getting remakes? 

Amy "They work well at promoting the old film, making people go back and watch the original"

Andy "Please see above!"

Aaron "I'm not a fan of any film being remade, I think the originals should be left be, and focus should be returned to original ideas"

Chris "Don't do it."

Darren "leave them be. Horror is often about context of the time, so remakes tend not to work."

Doug "As a 'not major horror fan', it doesn't really bother me so much. If there wasn't a demand for it, it wouldn't happen. But I do worry about other classics, in other genres, that aren't horror, being remade, so I completely understand peoples reservations. Please leave Back to the Future alone...please!!!"

Sean "I think everything is just a remake of something else, unless the writer and director has something completely new to bring to the story, you may as well just do it under a different name... Sounds bad, but see "Last House On The Left" Wes Craven loosely based this on "Virgin Spring" by Ingmar Bergman. I think Rob Zombie did Halloween justice, you can tell he is a fan and wanted to tell more of Michael's backstory, which I loved!" 

Jonnie "n the late 70s and 1980s the wave of classic horror receiving remakes worked due to the drastic developments in technology and effects, as well as what was now allowed to be shown onscreen that was strictly forbidden during the time of the Hays code. Cinema has developed less between 1980 and 2010 than it had between 1950 and 1980, so there is less reason to revisit the same old monsters. To quote Pet Sematary, “Sometimes dead is better”. ;)"

 

If you had to watch one horror film

on repeat for the rest of your life what would it be and why?

Amy "Silence of The Lambs"

Andy "The Shining, it's more than a horror, the music and cinematography are brilliant, plus I want to stay at that hotel.

Aaron "Hannibal lecter trilogy"

Chris "The conjuring or as above so below"

Darren "Alien. It's visually stunning, the performances are excellent and it is terrifying."

Doug "Gaaaaaaaaah, this is like the first question, it changes constantly, ahhh, OK, gonna be clever and say either 'Zombieland', 'Shaun of the Dead', or 'From Dusk Til Dawn' because they flipped the genre on it's head and created something new with it i.e. made horror funny, in a good way...oh and because Bill Murray as a Zombie...come on, what's not to like?"

Sean "I'd say "The Shining" just cause you know you'll find loads of little hidden messages throughout, you'd probably go insane yourself after a few weeks but it'd be totally worth it"

Jonnie "The 1931 Frankenstein. It’s fantastic, not very long and wouldn’t rot your brain like enduring The Texas Chainsaw Massacre everyday would."

 

Which horror character is your

all-time favourite Halloween costume?

 

Amy "Hannibal Lecter :)" 

Andy "Jigsaw is always a good one!"

Aaron "Does the Joker count as a horror character? Don't care, him. He's awesome"

Chris "Freddy"

Darren "Dracula."

Doug "The Joker. Dressing up as him and getting into character was so much fun, it worried me a little"  

Sean "Scream... Does freak you out still"

 "Ash Williams makes for a pretty groovy costume." 

Amy Eglen

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"I'm a freelancer, I have emails to reply to, omg I need to upload some behind the scenes photos to Facebook, OMG I need to Tweet that person! How the f@*k am I supposed to read this blog about making my life easier!!"

Dude, chill! Grab a drink, put your feet up and read some tips that WILL save you time, this is why I don't have to worry about replying to that email or uploading that photo, I've searched to find these apps, because I couldn't take it anymore! It's ok to say that, being a freelancer basically means doing everything... It's stressful in the modern age, you can't turn off like you used to be able to, you need to send that Tweet or post that Facebook status, so prepare to make your life easier! 

1 ) TeamViewer free

 

 

TeamViewer allows you to connect to another device once you both have this little gem installed, you get your partner's ID and connect remotely, that's it, it's that simple!

This can be a life saver when deadlines are close, or you just need to login to someone's computer to check an edit before uploading, I highly recommend this to all freelancers! At some point, you will need it!

 

 

Pros - It's free, it's easy to use, this app just does what it says on the tin; you can connect to any computer, anywhere!

Cons - Haven't found any as of yet, if your internet is a bit slow can cause some funny moments, but nothing too bad.

https://www.teamviewer.com/en/index.aspx?pid=google.tv_ex.s.uk&gclid=CJHsiteI1MgCFWnkwgodUA0BGA

2 ) Tresorit free (with limit)

 

Tresorit is a downloadable system that allows you to connect with your team, you upload any files into the folder and it will be encrypted and sent to your team.

It's secure, it's very reliable, unlike some other sharing systems. Forget carrying a USB stick with you in the future, this is the way forward! 

 

 

https://tresorit.com

3 ) Hootsuite free

 

I've put this on here because I'm surprised how many people still haven't heard of it, it's an all in one social media suite, allows you to schedule posts to go out across all social media platforms.

This saves a hell of a lot of time! Freeing you up to do other stuff.

 

 

 

https://hootsuite.com/

 

If you have any other suggestions please comment below and let us know what you're favourite apps are?