Don’t know who James Wan is? Well you certainly ought to change that.
Responsible for films such as Insidious, The Conjuring, and the Saw franchise, James Wan has been shaping our nightmares for years now. The 36-year-old Chinese Australian filmmaker is overlooked far more than he should be. Many people know his films and yet they don’t know the man behind them.
At the young age of 11, Wan was already well-aware that he wanted to be a filmmaker. After he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, he instantly went on to make films with a fellow aspiring filmmaker, Leigh Whannell. The two have collaborated with one another for a handful of films which just so happen to be perfect for Halloween.
We encourage you to sit down with some popcorn, a protective blanket, and a James Wan film of your choice.
Still don’t understand why Wan is an Audrey favorite? Check out the Top 5 Ways James Wan Has Mastered Scary Films:
[Warning: Spoiler Alerts]
1. He understands that given the right setting, a doll can be our worst nightmare.
No seriously, these things are creepy.
2. He understands the power of Audio.
Watch a James Wan film at the theaters and you surely won’t be disappointed with the audio. Many scenes use it very tactfully like this one from Insidious:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IxgYU9HVSw
And lets not forget the way he manages to make a simple title score terrifying as it’s blasted at you at full volume:
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3. Why yes, things popping up at us unexpectedly is frightening.
4. He understands that sometimes “less is more.”
Don’t get me wrong. Wan is brilliant at scary images that stay in your head in the worst way possible, but he understands that there needs to be variety.
He can take a little girl pointing at a wall and horrify you. He can allude to a scary flashback without ever showing what happened, but still give you the creeps. Wan understands that sometimes, our own imagination can be much worse than anything he shows.
5. He makes you care about his characters and his storyline.
You may have turned away from the stomach-churning gore in Saw, but you have to admit, the movie got you thinking. He made sure you paid attention and ended up questioning whether or not you would be able to do the same thing. Would you make the same mistakes?
Often times, a flaw within horror films is that we simple don’t care about the characters. We’re afraid for death itself, but we don’t actually know too much about the characters who are about to die. Wan very tastefully avoids this mistake. He makes you actually like his characters. You end up hoping for a happy ending and it very successfully makes you more invested in the film.
So take it from us and make sure Wan is part of your holiday today. Happy Halloween!
