When you watched Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, you may have noticed the brighter lighting, from the scenes inside the Hogwarts Express to the corridors in the ancient castle itself.
But starting in the third movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it looked like someone forgot to brighten the lighting to the point you may have needed to adjust your viewing device’s screen.
The visuals grew darker, and much of that darkness remained for the rest of the series. If you noticed the same phenomenon, you may be wondering why.
Chris Columbus directed the first two Harry Potter films before handing the keys to Alfonso Cuaron. Cuaron changed the entire layout of the series and introduced substantially darker lighting, which the following directors Mike Newell and David Yates also utilized. Keep reading to find out more.
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Why is the Lighting in the First Two Harry Potter Movies Different?
When you watch the first two Harry Potter movies, you’ll notice that they contain bright lighting in many of the scenes.
Chris Columbus directed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and when he was in charge, his preferences differed from his successors.
However, there is also more to the explanation.
The first two movies, like the books, weren’t as dark overall as their five sequels, so Columbus’ lighting fits well with the initial plot elements.
While there were some dark moments, like when the last time someone opened the Chamber of Secrets a Muggle Born (Moaning Myrtle) died in the second film, the overall scope of the films were nowhere near as dark as their successors.
In Prisoner of Azkaban, for example, one of Lord Voldemort’s servants, Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail), escaped to rejoin his master in Albania. In Goblet of Fire, Wormtail performed a ritual involving flesh, blood, and bone to return Voldemort to his body. Dark elements to say the least.
Why are the Harry Potter Movies So Dark?
When you watched Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, you may have been surprised upon your initial viewing. The scenes were darker from start to finish.
These darker scenes initially started because Prisoner of Azkaban had a new director, Alfonso Cuaron. Cuaron had a different view of the series and only became familiar with Harry Potter when he read the books after Warner Brothers chose him to direct the film.
Cuaron also changed much of Hogwarts’ layout, which included a new location for Hagrid’s hut, plus the addition of the bridge and the clock tower.
While Cuaron only directed the third film, his successors in Mike Newell (Goblet of Fire) and David Yates (Order of the Phoenix through Deathly Hallows: Part II) continued with the lighting Cuaron used.
The lighting symbolized that the films’ overall scope had grown progressively darker. Prisoner of Azkaban set the stage for Voldemort’s return when Peter Pettigrew (Wormtail) escaped custody, reunited with Voldemort, and ultimately performed the ritual to resurrect the Dark Lord’s body.
Darker Lighting Symbolized the Films’ Darker Elements
In Goblet of Fire, we witnessed Harry receiving help time and again through the Triwizard Tournament. And toward the climax, we discovered that Lord Voldemort needed his blood to complete his rebirthing ritual.
When Order of the Phoenix rolled around, we knew Voldemort was back, but the Ministry of Magic and their allies at the Daily Prophet went out of their way to censor and demonize Harry and Dumbledore who claimed the Dark Lord returned.
This censorship allowed Voldemort to act incognito and lure Harry into the Department of Mysteries to retrieve the prophecy that spoke about both of them. Toward the end of the book, the Wizarding World knew Voldemort was back, and the Second Wizarding War commenced.
In Half-Blood Prince, Voldemort’s Death Eaters were wreaking havoc throughout the Wizarding World. We also learned the Dark Lord tasked Draco Malfoy with killing Albus Dumbledore. While Draco did not pull off the deed, Severus Snape stepped in and killed the longtime Headmaster.
Things grew even darker in Deathly Hallows: Part I, when we learned Snape (then thought to be a Death Eater) became the new Headmaster at Hogwarts. During his time as Headmaster, the Carrow siblings invoked a reign of terror within the school.
Are the Harry Potter Movies Too Dark to See Properly?
When you watch the Harry Potter movies, you will notice that between Prisoner of Azkaban and Deathly Hallows: Part II, some scenes can be so dark that you can’t see what’s happening.
However, if you turn out the lights while you watch the films, you can remedy this issue to an extent.
With the Harry Potter TV Series set to be released later in the decade, perhaps they won’t use such dim lighting when they inevitably film Season 3 (Prisoner of Azkaban) through Season 7 (Deathly Hallows).
Which Harry Potter Movie Has the Darkest Lighting?
According to one fan, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince used darker lighting than any other Harry Potter movie. This fan also mentioned they even tried watching the film on different devices but to no avail.
However, others praised Half-Blood Prince for its cinematography. The respected Bruno Delbonnel served as the film’s cinematographer and received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography in 2009.
Other fans argue that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Parts I and II contained the darkest lighting.
Warner Brothers would likely agree with the latter fans because the company’s logo at the intro of each film was relatively light in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. But when you reached Deathly Hallows: Parts I and II, darkness completely obscured the logo.
Harry Potter Movies Got Darker After Chamber of Secrets
While each of the eight Harry Potter movies contained dark elements, the overall plots grew darker as the series progressed. But this wasn’t the only reason the series’ lighting grew darker.
The eight Harry Potter movies saw four directors, with Chris Columbus opting for brighter lighting than his three successors. Alfonso Cuaron was the first director to use darker lighting for the series, while Mike Newell and David Yates followed.
Sion Fawkes has been covering Star Wars since January 2022, expanding his expertise in Star Wars Canon, Legends, and MCU. When not writing, you can find Sion in the gym or running trails. He also likes watching sports and listening to audiobooks.