How to Research Horror Acting for a More Believable and Striking Performance

Working as an actor in a horror movie provides you a unique opportunity to explore raw human emotions that are rarely felt in everyday life. Although we may all experience moments of fear or horror, our lives do not offer the opportunity to experience the emotions while you're being chased by a crazed serial killer, or watching as a monster from the depths of the earth ravage your friends. Throughout my experience working as an actor and casting director for horror films, I have seen firsthand how wonderful it is to explore these dark recesses of the human emotional rainbow. If you're prepping for a horror film, you should follow several tips to effectively research your characters' emotions to deliver a striking and believable performance.

Human Psychology

One of the greatest tools you as an actor can have in your possession are books that involve human psychology. This is vital when you are researching a role that involves emotions you've never truly felt. While surface level emotions may be easy to convey, such as fear and tension; however, there are sub-emotions that help build the house of an excellent performance. When you're researching your character, turn to human psychology sources to uncover how the human brain experiences horror.

Watch Horror Movies

While some actors refrain from watching movies of the same genre they are researching, I find this to be silly. Although you should never copy a performance, you can use horror movies to find inspiration and watch your fellow professional actors perform. I always watch horror movies before I have a horror film audition or before working on set. This not only gets me in "the mood" for the type of acting I'm expected to deliver, but it allows me the opportunity to get a new perspective on this subject matter.

Define Emotions

Defining a character's emotions can help unlock the mysteries of a scene. While there are basic emotions that can be found in a scene, when you begin defining these emotions by turning to a dictionary, you can get a better picture of what these emotions entail. Within your script, write the primary emotion beside each line of dialogue, and include a basic definition for each emotion. This has helped me countless times when I'm hitting a creative block.