Visual Horror and Lighting (Part 2)

Color.

Of course, the right colors help to establish emotional contact with the viewer/player and convey a wide range of sensations. But would he experience fear? What should be done with color to make the player experience horror?

Look at the color palette in the attached images. Scary?

Color itself usually does not evoke fear or anxiety. And I would say, It's not so much about the color itself, but rather about how familiar to us objects are tinted in a certain color or shade: Sickly pale, blueish skin tones in "The Ring" or bloody-red colors throughout all the “Shining” movie, including blood itself.

"The ring", "Ju-On"

"Shining"

In conditions of low lighting, a lack of color is manifested. Reducing saturation is one way used to create a night image.

A prime example is the movie "The Witch". The picture has low color saturation and creates a feeling of perpetual twilight. Perhaps the viewer's anticipation of night adds additional suspense.

"Witch"

If you've ever rushed home through a twilight forest - you'll understand me. If you've ever been in the forest alone late at night - you'll know what I mean.

We apply our existing visual experience to things we see on the screen. It doesn’t matter whether this experience was acquired during gameplay or outside it.

Excessive saturation, overload of the perceptive organs - is another extreme (“Mandy”).

"Mandy"

If we use intense monochrome colors (for example, if we flood a familiar room with red light) - the viewer/player will be disoriented. We will essentially "break" their usual visual experience: familiar objects will change color and lose details. 

In general, an effect similar to what described in my first post.

Regarding the color palette and how color and fear are interrelated - in many horrors, color is used more to create a certain aesthetic or underline the narrative rather than to enhance the horror experience.

A scary image can be also created regardless of color; it’s not necessary to use dark tones. 

"Pearl", "Midsommar", "Wicked man", "Suspiria"

Here is also a shot from “Mandy”, that was accidentally inverted by my browser, but it was creepy enough, so I decided to use it as an example of a creepy "strawberry cake" palette.

So, what's the takeaway? Color is deeply tied to our experiences and how we perceive different hues and shades. 

When we work with color, we must keep the viewer's perceptual experience in mind, integrating color into the narrative rather than rely on abstract color schemes.