Under Light

Light shining upward from below eye level. Shadows fall upward, the reverse of normal, so the face looks strange and eerie. The classic example is a face telling a ghost story with a flashlight held under the chin. It fits naturally in scenes with a light source below, like a campfire, a flashlight or a monitor.

Lighting positions seen from above. The light is on the same front side as the camera, far below the face, shining upward.

Camera view. The underside of the chin and snout is bright, and the shadows climb toward the forehead and ears, making a strange face.

How it feels

Eerie
Fear
Unreal
Unease
Creepy

When to use it

Horror films and scary stories
Ghost stories around a campfire
A face lit by a screen in a dark room
A scene where a single flashlight cuts through the dark

In the movies

Frankenstein (1931) · Source: Movieclips (YouTube) · Original video

Days of Heaven (1978) · Source: Park Circus (YouTube) · Original video

Not to be confused with

Clamshell Lighting: The lower light in clamshell is a weak fill supporting the main light from above, so it does not look eerie. In under lighting, the light from below is the main light.
Low Angle: A low angle puts the camera low; under lighting puts the light low.
Top Light: The exact opposite: it shines from above the head, so the eyes fall into shadow.

Prompt

Keyword

underlighting

Descriptive

Horror underlighting. A single light from below the chin throws shadows upward across the face.

Try these combinations

Close-up + under light: a flashlight ghost story
Close-up, lit from below by a flashlight under the chin, a kid telling a ghost story in a dark tent
Medium close-up + under light: monitor glow in a dark room
Medium close-up, underlighting, flickering screen glow, a hacker staring at a monitor in a dark room