Insidious 6 Director Picks the Movie With Best Jump Scares Not Insidious
When a director talks about the art of fear, the conversation often veers into the realm of pure adrenaline. For Jacob Chase, the maestro behind the latest installment of the Insidious franchise, the pursuit of the perfect jump scare is a deeply personal obsession. In a recent discussion, Chase unveiled his all-time favorite cinematic experience for eliciting a fright, and the choice might prove a delightful surprise to seasoned horror enthusiasts.
While he explored the fine art of the scare, Chase didn’t just name one favorite; he laid out a fascinating taxonomy of cinematic frights. He praised films for their masterful restraint, highlighting instances where a true scare is built not on cheap tricks, but on psychological dread. He noted the brilliance of films like The Ring, arguing that it never needed to telegraph a jump scare, letting the tension build organically until the moment of impact.
Chase pointed to specific, unforgettable moments across the genre as benchmarks for effective horror. He singled out the chilling moment of the girl-in-the-closet in The Ring, recognizing it as a benchmark for suspense. Equally effective, he credited the casual shock of the car scene in The Haunting of Hill House for delivering a fright that caught audiences completely off guard during seemingly mundane conversation.
His palate for effective scares stretches far beyond the haunted houses. Chase even traced his understanding of sudden frights back to iconic cinema, citing classics like Jaws and E.T as foundational influences on how one effectively manipulates fear and suspense on screen.
But when it came to the ultimate cinematic thrill, Chase ultimately settled on The Conjuring 2. He declared that while the first film was a wall-to-wall masterclass of scares, the sequel delivered an even richer tapestry of frights. The director James Wan, who helmed The Conjuring 2, was clearly adept at escalating terror, resulting in a viewing experience that Chase found superior.
Within his own Insidious canon, Chase revealed his personal favorites, including the thrilling pillow fort sequence from the new film, which he described as bringing a haunted house to life on screen. He teased further moments of high tension, hinting at a dentist sequence and a dramatic closet scene set to climax the narrative.
The Conjuring 2 has proven its staying power, achieving an impressive 80% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 253 critic reviews. Financially, the film is a blockbuster success, having grossed $323 million worldwide against a $40 million budget in 2016. Meanwhile, the newest Insidious film, Insidious: Out of the Further, holds a 58% rating from 64 critic reviews. Sony Pictures is projecting a $25 million opening weekend debut for the upcoming sequel, indicating that the appetite for high-stakes, jump-filled horror continues to grow.