By revealing less about the character, cinematographers, directors, and actors rely on the audience to fill the void, or empty space, with their own prejudices, fears, and insecurities. Thus, by examining why filmgoers are drawn to villainous characters, we can better understand what stylistic techniques create effective psychological effects. Specifically, filmmakers mask the villain from the audience, depicting him as extremely intelligent or omnipotent. Most importantly, however, the most effective villains maintain an element of humanity with which the audience can relate. One of the first lessons we learn as kids is that bad guys wear masks.
Films provide no exception.
Although filmmakers shy away from traditional plastic facades to hide the character s emotions, they use other, more sophisticated methods to enshroud the villain in mystery. Because reality offers no solution, they must turn to their imaginations to compensate for what the mask conceals. Consequently, the less the film shows, the scarier a character or situation can become. In short, we expect the worst and fill the negative emotion with our greatest fears. In films, the organization of the screenplay and the actor s expressions are the two most important techniques in masking the villain.