Suspense and Shock

This is suspense...

This is SHOCK! 

Shock and suspense are sometimes easily confused, but there is one distinct difference between the two.

Imagine a scene in a film that takes place in a classroom. The camera reveals a bomb in one of the students' bag. There is a timer on the bomb. The audience is aware that the bomb is about to go off, but the characters are not. This is suspense as the audience knows what is about to happen and are waiting for the moment.

Imagine the same scene. Everything is the same, except the camera does not show the bomb in the bag. The characters and the audience are both blissfully unaware what is about to happen. All of a sudden... BANG! Without any warning, it explodes and kills everyone in the room. This is shock as the audience knew nothing about what was to happen and it came as a surprise.

Examples of these two devices are used extensively in most thrillers:

• Children of Men (shock) - coffee shop blows up unexpectedly killing everyone inside just as a man leaves.
• Sabotage (suspense) - we know what time the bomb will go off, the audience is anticipating it.

Another classic example of suspense is shown in the film 'Rope' by Alfred Hitchcock, made in 1948.

It tells the story of two young wealthy men, Brandon and Philip, who strangle and murder a friend of theirs purely to see if they can get away with it. They then have a dinner party and invite other friends (including the dead friend's parents!) while the dead body is in a chest that they are serving food on!

Suspense is created through the body in the chest. What will happen? Will the body be found? Will the murderers be brought to justice?