Lighting is an important part of any production but it can be critical for a horror or suspense movie. A hinted or implied impression of something that’s there can be more powerful than seeing it in full. It causes the audience to use their imagination and the fear of the unknown can be terrifying. If you are making a low budget film then shadows are your friend. They can hide mistakes, unfinished areas of a set, change the mood of a scene and much more. Instead of showing the actual monster you can show the shadow instead. This implies that something sinister is there, but just out of reach, and creates tension. It also gives the audience something to look at but could be something as simple as a life-size cardboard cutout in the shape of the monster.
Some examples that could easily be used in a production:
So it’s important to be sure you are effectively using the appropriate lighting technique to set the mood for your scene. Granted, a professional lighting setup can be very expensive but it doesn’t have to be. You can use any kind of light source as long as it looks good on screen. If you are drawing a blank as to how shadows can set a mood, try watching some old film noir movies. They masterfully create tension and suspense in a scene by having a strong contrast between the light and the dark, as well as casting large portions of the set and parts of the actors in heavy shadow.