Let me take you back to 1984. The slasher horror genre was booming, and characters such as Jason, Freddy and Michael Myers were making their way to the big screen. These characters were different than anything we had seen before. There's fear of the unknown because we don't know exactly what drives these killers to kill. This was the real horror of John Carpenter's "Halloween." These people were being murdered left and right for seemingly no apparent reason.

This was crafted by genuinely creepy writing, a well-constructed score, and aptly timed visual scares. You never had to feel like you were really out of the movie because it was so eerily made from start to finish.

Then, the "Jump Scare Era," as I like to call, was ushered in by a few franchises we all know and not really love (I'm looking at you Conjuring, Insidious, Oujia).

Recently, I went to go see the latest installment of the Conjuring franchise, "The Nun." I gave it 2 out of 5 stars.

As a bit of an insight as to how I graded the film, I started off with a perfect five and subtracted .2 stars every single time there was a fake jump scare that did nothing more than try to keep an audience engaged. 90 minutes later, I counted a whopping 19 fake jump scares, leaving the film at a 1.2/5. Feeling this a little unfair, as there are some decent aspects, I rounded it up to a 2/5.

Still, I become increasingly frustrated by films that have an abysmal script, but know people will go to see the film simply because of the franchise name. Thus, little to no effort is really put into the film, making it another box office winner, but cinematic stinker.

However, jump scares do not have to be all bad. A well-timed jump scare when the audience is already engaged can be a welcomed part of any horror film. Let's check out one from one of my favorites, "Halloween."

Here, Laurie is looking upon a grisly scene of a woman who has been murdered, with a grave stone sitting over her. Because of this, we're already engaged, and we're already creeped out. How could it get crazier from here? Well, another body is hanging and crashes into view. That is the mark of a perfect jump scare. It isn't the main scare, but the enhancement of the scare and general ambiance of the scene.

Now, let's take a look at an example of a terrible jump scare. This clip is from the 2016 spin off film called "Blair Witch."

In this clip, the environment is suitably creepy, but there's nothing that we're particularly afraid of. No scare just yet. Then, as a character turns the corner, a loud burst of sound is made followed by a "AHFOSDFIOH.". This does nothing to enhance anything, or bring attention to anything, it's main purpose is to make sure the audience isn't bored walking through this dimly lit house. It's cheap and it has almost no redeemable value to anything in the film.

The problem is that many franchises have considered this type of scare to be part of the money-making formula. Maybe they make a well-written horror earlier in a franchise, but then just plain run out of ideas and make messes like "Blair Witch" or "The Nun." Either way, I'm hoping that more horror franchises that establish themselves in the 21st century learn that effective horror is not done in the editing room. It's crafted through the acting, the writing, the directing, and the score.