system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: 'Jump scares' are a cheap party trick, and movies that are full of them shouldn't be considered horror



Lately I've noticed that most horror movies rely on jump scares. Something will unexpectedly pop out at the audience, a loud noise will startle everyone, you know the works. Sometimes the movie tries to trick people into believing that a certain scene will have a jump scare, to make the viewer feel safe, and then do a jump scare in the next scene.

I think that movies like Paranormal Activity, The Conjuring and The Darkness do not do their best to scare the audience in a creative way.

Jump scares do something physical to your body. Sometimes my mom jumps out at the me when I walk through the door, to elicit a scream or a 'fear' reaction from me. However, a second later I'm just laughing because it's silly and not at all scary.

When I go see a movie at the theater that has a lot of jump scares, most of the audience members just seem to be laughing. You may hear a collective gasp or a scream, but that's just a reflex. 

Most movies riddled with jump scares do not leave an impression on me. I find them annoying.

Jump scares do not tell a story that sends shivers down your spine and causes you to lay awake at night. Jump scares do not show you a gruesome scene that will be burned into your mind for the weeks to come.

Jump scares are cheap party tricks. They are annoying and do not elicit any feelings of terror. 

Change my view. 
_____
gpt
All of that is true for a poorly executed jump scare in an otherwise bland horror movie, but here's what a good jump-scare does. Beyond the obvious physical reaction of fear at being startled, a well-executed jump scare adds to the tension of a movie overall by chipping away at your ability to trust scenes that seem safe. In the wake of a good jump scare, you're likely to be more vigilant, which makes you more invested, because that's how fear works in real life. Something startles you out of the blue, and suddenly every shadow that kind of resembles it requires a second look just in case. Bad horror movies aren't bad because of jump scares but because they're lacking in some other way (usually lack of investment in the characters) and can't take advantage of the viewer's distrust.