What is suspense?

Suspense is the fear, anxiety and/ or excitement that an audience experiences watching a film. There is tense anticipation as the audience expects something (usually bad) to happen but are uncertain as to what or when. Suspense in film is usually associated with the horror/ thriller genre which aim to provoke fear from its audience. Cinematic devices are used to gradually build up this feeling until it reaches a climax. These could include: 

• Dramatic irony is often used to heighten the feeling of suspense- the audience knows that the characters are in danger but powerless to change the plot. 
• Music in a minor key, normally uses 'haunting' riffs, crescendo builds up to the climax, increasing tempo and increasing the pace
• Obscure camera angles from extreme high or low angles create the sense that a character is being watched or is vulnerable/ threatening. This put the audience at unease because they know the character is being watch therefore expect something to happen however have no idea what it is. 
• Lighting is often very dim to create shadows and darkness which heightens the fear of the unknown.

Below are some examples of how these have been used: