Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3gB1zgpGqs
Read Why We Crave Horror Films by Stephen King in your 100 Great Essays book (if you left the book at home the essay can be found online). Answer question 2 and post your answer to the blog by 3 p.m. on Halloween. We will discuss this essay in class on Tuesday.
I tended to be a very squeamish boy when I was younger. I would shy away to even the slightest bit of blood on a television show. As I got older, I soon realized that the “action” and the “mystery” shows that were broadcasted no longer had the shine that they used to have. One year, we hosted a foreign student from China for a little while. We got along quite well. It became he who first showed me the excitement and the art of what truly is a horror film.
ReplyDeleteAfter that little introduction with the genre, I began watching more and more. Soon, the blood and gore that I was once afraid of no longer seemed to scare me anymore. I started to notice trends in horror films. I noticed the tactics that the producers used to scare the audience such as a creaking door or a sudden noise. Very soon, I could almost predict what was about to happen before it even occurred. Sadly, my little “obsession” with horror films soon came to an end. Even though I wasn’t bothered by being scared, I was still human and the adrenaline that those movies pumped out of me was a little bit too much for me to handle. At the present time, I still watch horror movies, but in a less amount than I used to. I still believe that horror movies can be some of the most exciting movies to watch and to be entertained by.
Like Stephen King, I have also seen dawn of the dead. However, I wouldn’t quite call that movie a horror movie. There were some scenes in that movie that just seemed sort of like a comedy. I don’t know if any of you’ve seen Dawn of the Dead, but there was one scene where a couple of the guys were just standing on top of the mall, shooting at the zombies just for fun. The zombies were too stupid to figure out how to get into the mall. The movie is a horror movie, so why this little comedy section there? Perhaps the producers wanted the viewers to catch up with all the action that’s already happened, but for me, a good horror movie is a movie that gives you a nonstop sweat.
One movie that really stood out to me was Halloween. There wasn’t any movie particular movie in the series that I like, but they were okay horror movies. Because of the Halloween series, everyone knows a person named Michael Myers. I enjoyed these movies because they had a lot of thriller, a lot of blood, but it was realistic blood. I feel that most modern movies overdo it with the blood. It just doesn’t seem real anymore. This helps scare some people but for me, no. The Halloween series was a good series that contained all of the normal horror movie traits but also had a good story line. I feel like some movies no longer have a story line and that kind of takes away from the experience. I guess two hours of non- stop blood and guts is okay but at least tell us why there are cut up body parts littered over the floor.
Then, there are the parodies. Some horror movies like Scary Movie really like to give us the humorous side of a disaster. Scary Movie taught me a lot about how though a horror film may appear to be scary. It’s actually kind of appealing to human nature to see the process of people getting cut up or getting eaten by zombies.
can someone post what question number two in the book was?
ReplyDeletewhat has been your own experience watching horror films? are they one of your favorite film genres, or do you avoid horror films? identify one horror film and explain your response to it.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up watching movies that had barely any ominous parts in them, I eschewed away from scary movies because there was no point in leading myself to nightmares. Even though I hadn't experienced that many scary movies, I'd decided that there was no point in exposing myself to horror anyways. It wasn't the blood that led me away from them, but rather the sudden jumps that were put into them to keep you on your feet at all times. When it was the rare occasion that I did watch them, I was vulnerable to get very frightened and felt pulled into the movie like it was my life. Nowadays, like Ziqi said there has been more horror in movies yet little things start to scare people more and more.
ReplyDeleteThey also have gotten more and more disturbing and unimaginable. For instance, Paranormal Activity has been a hit in the states recently and the creators are now coming out with a third movie. The trailer is filled with creepy scenes like where the girl is painting and she throws water at her invisible "friend" and suddenly both her mom and her go flying backwards as well as the chair they are sitting in. After watching the trailer for it, it was stunning how real the movie seemed and how I had an urge to pull away. At the same time I wanted to see what happened.
Still to this day I restrain from watching the worst. Though it is true that I watch a couple scary movies once in a while and multiple tv shows that involve cops and murders, there is a limit to how bad they can be. Those movies just don't intrigue me like they do to others. I'd obviously watch sports films or films that are fiction and comedic or romantic rather than the horrifying ones. In the cop shows that I watch, it is more comedic than terrifying and more mystery than just dread. Also, movies and tv shows seem to attract your attention and pull you in as if it were real. However, unlike movies from the past, it's all special effects now and fake blood like Ziqi said. I guess that is why it intrigues people more today because they know it's fake and it's entertaining to have that rush. Now that technology is used more often, it seems as if each horror movie is becoming better to the public and the more advanced it is, the more it will continue to stun people and leave them scared once they leave the movie theater.
I agree with Ziqi that it is appealing to see suffering sometimes. I also agree that some of these horror films these days are filled with comedy and that I think is to attract different kinds of viewers.
ReplyDeleteWatching horror movies was definitely not part of my upbringing. I decided there was no reason to sit and watch a movie that not only I didn’t enjoy, but also gave me nightmares. It wasn’t the blood or gore I was afraid of it was the reality of it. For instance I was afraid the monsters in my closet or hands coming from underneath my bed. I think that through the evolution of horror movies the old horror movies were based around the scary creatures and monsters where as today the horror movies not only capture the scary monsters they are scary in a physiological way. For example one movie that is physiologically scary is The Blair Which Project. I have only seen the first ten minutes before turning the movie off, but from what I saw it seemed to be more of a mind game. Where the things done in the movie could or could not be true. I think that is what scares me about horror films not the official scare of the blood or creatures; the reality of after the movie is over. This is how horror movies are being portrayed these days, the stunning reality and the urge to what to know what happens or adrenaline rush appeals to many people, unfortunately that’s not me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elise when she says there is a limit to how scary a movie can get, depending on the persons limitations everyone seems to be different. As Ziqi said it’s the special effects and motifs that keep on bringing the people to the theathres, whether they are the unrealistic horror films or the realistic films they will continue to entertain the public, just not me.
I agree with Ziqi when he said that it might not be the horror or adrenaline rush that the audience wants it could be the comedy of seeing blood or gore, laughing at it is better then being scared from it. It could be a way of coping for veterans or even normal people who go through tragedies that can sometimes be portrayed in horror films.
I can't say that horror films have had a large impact on my childhood, because, to be honest, I haven't seen that many of them. My family just didn't, and still doesn't, enjoy watching horror movies. I am not a huge fan of them myself, but I can have fun watching one once in a while. The first horror movie that I saw was called The Forgotten, and it was about a mother who's son suddenly and mysteriously vanishes, leaving no trace of his existence behind. Even though it was nowhere near as creepy as say the Exorcism, or Paranormal Activity, I was only eleven when I saw it, and I was extremely creeped out at the time. Honestly, I don't think the horror genre is close to my favorite genre, but I don't exactly avoid them either. I am somewhere in the middle on my stance about them.
ReplyDeleteOne horror film that I saw very recently is Paranormal Activity, which was about a girl and her boyfriend who are haunted by a "demon." I only felt creeped out until after the movie was over, and after everything that had happened in the movie had time to settle. I wasn't afraid of the blood or voilent part of the movie, I was afraid of the same thing that Carolyn mentioned. The realism of it all. I agree with what she said about how it could happen to you or me in our minds. Just the fact that strange noises that happen at night exist in my life are enough to make me question whether or not the same thing in the movie is happening to me. In my opinion, that is what people crave, the idead of chance that the same thing could happen to them. That and the unknown. Some people love to get scared by something they know nothing about, and that is why psychological movies are more and more popular; something almost intangible is so much scarier than something very concrete.
I personally detest horror films. I always tell myself to avoid anything that would really scare me. Still, because of certain circumstances, I will either feel like I have to watch it or you just have an urge to just because it’s a movie. I have seen very few horror films because of this. The reason that I hate them so much is just because of how the producers make them. They take a totally fake and out of this world idea and use every technique possible to make it seem real. It is because of these really techniques that seem to bring the idea into this world even though they never could be. Really, the producers of these horror films are just manipulating and screwing with your brain to believe certain things that aren’t true. In fact, it is very similar to how a company would advertise a product. They use certain techniques to make you believe something just like a horror film producer would use techniques to make it seem real. One movie that I have seen that demonstrates this idea is Paranormal Activity. It is completely out of this world and makes no sense, but still, they use all these techniques such as videoing off what seems to be a cheap home camera and putting a bizarre idea into a real life. Really I must say that these producers rarely fail. I am always scared of something after watching a scary movie even though it is not real at all. This is exactly why I tend to avoid this awful trickery. I totally agree with Elise in that the movie seems to be part of your own life when the producers make it seem realistic. They somehow manage to put crazy ideas into human lives. Personally, I prefer to carve pumpkins and to scare others on Halloween night in my haunted forest (which we are unfortunately not doing this year). I actually think that it is a lot more fun to scare others rather than be scared. It’s something to laugh about rather than be scared about!
ReplyDeleteI didn’t grow up watching scary movies or horror films, I always much preferred watching comedies or romance. Why scare yourself when you could have a good laugh instead? My sister was the same way so I’m sure since I was the younger sister I followed in her footsteps. I remember watching a Disney Channel Movie, called “Don’t look Under the Bed,” when I was probably 5 or 6. My babysitter let us stay up to watch it, and since Disney (or so I thought at the time) wasn’t scary, I thought I would be fine. The movie ended up being about the boogieman, and how he grabbed kids feet when they dangled their legs off the side of their bed and dragged them to some weird world. I honestly don’t think I could hang my legs off of my bed for years after that or even go to sleep without thinking of a man under my bed. I avoided all scary movies after that. That movie was probably one the first “scary” movies I remember seeing. The weird thing is, when I was 5 I begged my mom to let me watch the movie “Jaws.” I love sharks, and shark attacks so much it’s kind of weird. I’m not scared of blood or killing, although it’s very gross. I am so scared though, of things jumping out, when you least expect it, or even a movie about stalking. Things that are very creepy give me nightmares. Another thing about my experience with “horror,” is that I used to read really scary books before I went to bed. I would make my parents read me books from the “Goosebumps” series, and I would fall asleep to it. Thinking back on that, I was a strange kid that I enjoyed going to bed with scary thoughts. I think the big difference though with books, is that I created my own images with the words so I never actually experienced “watching” it and it was all made up in my head so I knew it wasn’t real. I can count on one hand the number of horror movies I have seen which isn’t that much. The most recent scary film I saw was called “Dream House,” starring Daniel Craig. It was this very very creepy physiological movie about an insane man who killed his family. But he convinced himself that he didn’t do it and changed his name. He believed he was this new man, and kept having flashbacks to his old life. The scenes where a man standing outside the family’s house watching them through a window, probably scarred me the most, because I sometimes trick myself that a tree is a person watching me. I really hate watching movies that I can almost “relate” to. The “Dream House,” was supposed to be in a little New England town, and the family seemed really normal. The horror film genre is not my favorite film genre by far to say the least.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Oren and Carolyn about how it’s not gory stuff that’s scary, but the reality and the story plot behind them. It may be fun to watch them for some people, but for me I would do anything to not have to live my own horror story life. I’d much rather watch it happen to someone else in a movie.
I did not grow up watching scary movies. My family enjoys good action movies, and loves all the old Sherlock Holmes mysteries, but we did not generally approve of horror movies. I do not enjoy horror films because I find no fun is scaring myself and jumping at shadows. I avoid watching them if I can. Occasionally I will watch one if I am with a group of friends and they all want to watch, but even then I tune myself out. Personally, I see not point in scarring yourself, yet I know that others enjoy the chills and feelings of fright. To them it is exciting and addicting. I prefer reading as my exciting addicting activity. I do not even enjoy reading horror books. I do not like turning on the TV and seeing some horror film playing, yet somehow it is still interesting. I do not want to watch it, yet at the same time I am enthralled. I agree with Brendan and Elise that if a horror movie is set in the real world it seems very realistic it draws people to watch it. Producers and directors have figured this out and are now creating disturbing, realistic, yet utterly fake films. The first time I watched Paranormal Activity I was totally creeped. I started to jump at shadows even though I knew the film was a fake. The Haunting in Connecticut had me scared to go into the basement, forever checking behind doorways and knocking on the walls. I talked sense into myself eventually, but I really do not like scaring myself. The film was about this family who moves into this old house. The house used to be used for séances and is filled with all the dead bodies, ghosts, and spirits. The boy is able to hear and see the ghosts and tries to uncover their secret. He wants to help them. In the end he does free them by burning the bodies which are hidden inside the walls of the house. He takes an axe and chops at the different walls so that the bodies fall out like a waterfall. I agree with Ziqi about reasons why people enjoy watching horror films. I believe it is a mixture of wanting to be scared and also laughing at the ridiculousness of something like that happening to you. Some Dateline shows could be considered horror and those are real life experiences. There are definitely horrific things that could happen and that possibility is what scares me the most. I do not want to live my life in fear of what could happen, that is the main reason I do not watch horror films.
ReplyDeleteEver since I can recall, my father has tried to educate my sister and me (who are close in age and therefore grew up side by side, share every teachable moment my parents saw) in the realm of media, culture, and period movies from different decades. While my father heavily values the traditional education found in schools, online articles, or on discovery channel, he has always tried to show my sister and me what school and readings may skip. Here in lies his love for showing us what he thinks of as masterpieces of film. I am very thankful that my father showed me so many movies which I would otherwise not have seen, but which instead I was able to enjoy and learn from, however, there are a few movies I feel I could have done without.
ReplyDeleteWhile I always enjoyed the science fiction and period movies that my father showed, my sister and father were particularly fond of the horror films. Though in fact I had every choice in whether I watched them or not, I always felt obligated to sit by my sister and father on the deeded nights when a horror movies was in the machine. Though my sister and I would hide beneath the pillows in equal measure, she seemed to enjoy the sense of terror more than I did.
Growing up I still saw many horror movies but my father never managed to foster an appreciation in me for them the way he did with my sister, or with me for science fiction. Today having seen all the classics: psycho, the shining, the exorcist and more, I can safely say its not my thing. The exorcist in particular has always left a mark in the part of my conscious most active before dozing off, when every creek in the house is audible, and the covers are infinitely to thin to protect from the claws or monster or demon. I saw the exorcist for the first time when I was seven and my sister nine. Huddled together behind the couch cushions, we peered through our hands as scene and sound crushed our chances of a sound sleep that night. I can remember staying up all night, and waking sporadically for many nights to come, peering over the covers at the dark shadows in my room. The scenes from that move did not leave me to sleep soundly and without periodic terror for several months. Though having recently re-watched and actually enjoyed the exorcist, when I first saw it, I decided horror movies were not for me. From that point on I have not avoided, but rather neglected horror movies and the like. Though I will watch the occasional one with my friends, the joy and entertainment comes from all of us being scared together, rather than from the movie itself. I don’t believe I will ever match my sister and her habit of watching horror movies by herself, in a dark room, before bed.
I agree with Brendan that it is not the gore or violence that scares me. Instead it is the suspense, tension and anticipation that kills me. I agree with Elise that when it comes to gore, and even to comedic horror movies like Shaun of the dead, I actually enjoy them. Still though, the face in the dark and the violin soundtrack will always make me cringe.
I have never been a big fan of horror movies. It’s not because I get scared easily or dislike the adrenaline rush. I just don’t have the motivation to sit there for a couple hours watching people getting maimed and spooked by ghosts, zombies, and mentally unstable-chainsaw wielding bandits. There can be some satisfaction from watching people receiving the bad end of the stick, so to speak, in life, but I agree with Carolyn: horror movies just aren’t for me. However when I start watching a horror movie, I can’t stop. There’s no way for me to sit down and watch the first few minutes of a horror movie because I will always need to know what happens. Do the characters finally become the bad guy’s dinner? Do they get their heads slowly sliced through? Or, do they overcome the menace? All questions I must get answered if I start watching a horror movie. No doubt if horror movie producers made better, catchier commercials I would have to see every movie I saw an ad for. I think it’s interesting that Bethany brought up Dateline, I had never thought of it as horror. But they are real life horror shows. Things do happen in real life, although the dateline shows aren’t anything like most of the horror shows. But if you consider many of the things that have happened in history, life is pretty much one group of humans causing horror to another group. Nazi Germany comes to mind, as well as slavery in the Americas and the European Inquisitions. Descriptions I have heard of life for the victims of these historical crimes seems to me horrible enough – I don’t need horror movies.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I would hide from horror movies. I knew perfectly well that if I were to watch one I definitely wouldn’t sleep for days. Yet, if I heard the screams coming from the TV I couldn’t stop myself from running into the room and gluing my eyes to the TV. My brothers would warn me and say it was too scary for me, but I didn’t care, I had to know what happened.
ReplyDeleteI slowly became less and less scared, as my brothers explained to me how you can find faults in the movie, for example, in the movie Jaws. My brothers and I were watching it when I was in 1st or 2nd grade. My brothers paused the movie to show me how you can actually see the bolts and nails on the robotic shark. After finding hints that ensured the story was fake, the less and less horror films scared me.
I believe it was in 8th grade, that a workshop came to our school. There was this one activity where they took a scene or a horror movie and just took out the music. The movie didn’t effect me at all. One of the main reasons horror movies are scary is because of the bone chilling music screeching behind it. We instinctively cringe when we here that nahnahnahnah (like in jaws). With no music urging us into that “I know something is going to jump out” feeling, we have nothing to fear.
Today I enjoy thrillers. I don’t watch many horror movies, but I like gory and thrilling TV shows, like CSI and Bones. I’ve learned to love leaning on the edge of my seat and jumping at surprises. The blood and guts no longer disturbs me, I’m practically immune to the sight. Especially as Halloween rounds the corner my craving for horror movies is spiking.
In response to Brendan:
I totally agree with your hatred for the directors in making the horror movies seem real. I always try to avoid that movies that say “true story” or look like I could relate in any way to them. If I feel like it could happen to me, I’d never sleep again!
I don’t particularly like to watch horror movies. It definitely wouldn’t be my first choice when picking out a movie, but I have seen my fare share and I don’t find them all that bad. I can always muster up the courage to watch a horror movie, but there are always certain parts that I really didn’t like and wish I hadn’t seen. I was lucky enough, though, to not see a horror movie until I was enough to be able to handle it and understand it. When kids are little, myself including, you always want to watch scary movies that your parents or older siblings get to watch without understanding that you would be totally freaked out by what you saw. My least favorite parts of horror movies is when it is either night time or everything is dark and something is about to pop out or something is about to happen. The result is never as bad as I anticipate, but the build up is always what freaks me out. Horror movies are definitely not one of my favorite genres, but I don’t avoid them entirely. I don’t choose to watch them, it’s just what other people are wanting or want to watch so I comply and go along with it. There are three prominent horror movies that I have seen that stand out in my mind. They are The Ring, Saw, and Halloween. All three of these horror movies are full of intense moments when the lights are dim when you don’t know what is about to happen so naturally those movies provoke a remembrance of being scared at certain when I think of them. They may not be as scary now as they were at time because I was younger then, but the feelings of being scared remain with me. There was a part in Saw when the bad guy was hiding in the closet of a little girl while she was sleeping, and that scene freaked me out. It’s weird, the scenes like that scare me more than the one’s where the guy is sawing off his own foot with a hack saw. I can handle tons of blood and violence, but those intense build up scenes really scare me more than anything you’ll find in a movie. Even those these movies all had their scary moments, I enjoyed them all because sometimes it is nice to be scared and I kind of enjoy it a little bit even though I didn’t enjoy it at time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Sammy said about wanting to watch and know what happens in horror movies even when you are a little kid. People warn you that they are scary, but that doesn’t matter to you because someone else you know is watching it so you want to see the same thing. No matter how scary a movie is you don’t want to be left out or be the only person who didn’t see it. This last bit could apply at any age, not just for younger people.
ReplyDeleteMovies like Saw are the kind of horror movies I was never allowed to watch when I was little, but of course I did it anyway. It was always such an excitement to go to my friends houses for sleepovers and watch scary movies, to feel that jump and rush when you get surprised. That is the aspect of horror movies that I adore, it is almost like an extremely addictive rush of adrenaline. What I didn't, and still don't enjoy, is the gory unnecessary bloody horror of violence. I enjoy the psychological thrill in the movie Saw because it is somewhat like a maze or puzzle; these victims are stuck in a killer's own personal sick game, and need to find their way out of it alive. I can never fully enjoy the movie though, due to the gross violence. I have never found watching that appealing, I mean the basic shock and disgust of seeing blood and guts is intriguing at first, but I can't watch a full film of it the way I could a comedy or a thriller.
ReplyDeleteOne horror movie that I will enjoy for the rest of my life is The Shining. My father loves the movie also and despite the violence in it, the movie is mostly a mind trip and full of suspense. That is what makes a good horror movie, not the murder, guts, and blood.
In response to what Matthew said, I also think its interesting that Bethany brought up dateline. I myself never thought of dateline as horror, but now that I think about it, those stories should scare me more than any thriller or murder scene, because they are true stories. But then again, movies like The Haunting in Connecticut is based on a true story and that movie freaked me out. Dateline never scares me because I don't think of it as real, or at least not anymore real than any other horror movie. The only types of violence and horror that scares me is the real type, when it happens to you or someone you care about. You can't get that type of terror through a film no matter how hard you try.
ReplyDeleteI would like to start out by saying that I am not one of those horror film experts who can rattle off the plot, actors, and year a movie came out, and I am definitely not serious enough about them to even consider watching one on my own. However I would be lying if I said I haven’t seen a couple, always when I’m with a group of people. My reactions to them span a pretty wide spectrum. Some I view with humor, some disappoint me, while others completely creep me out.
ReplyDeleteFor starters, zombie movies are off limits for me as my greatest fear is being alone facing some impossible evil (blood and gore really do nothing to me). I came to realize this fear in a not even legitimate horror movie, it was I Am Legend and I went to see it in theaters with my best friend, Dewey. For a week after, I slept on the floor in my parent’s bedroom because I was so terrified. For a year after, my parents had a hard time even letting me go to the movies with Dewey, and lastly, I’m pretty sure it contributed largely to my insomnia difficulties. Since then the only zombie movie that I can watch is Zombieland, which is so comedic that there is really no scare factor.
One film which I feel should have been terrifying but somehow has become one of my favorites, is One Missed Call. Basically you hear yourself die in a voicemail and there is no way that you can avoid it. It had some pretty gruesome scenes but it had just the right amount of implausibility and the plot was intriguing enough that I really enjoyed watching it.
I fell asleep while watching The Shining and it still managed to leave me a little disturbed and very confused (probably because I didn’t see the end). I plain old just didn’t like that movie, it was too slow moving and so frustrating that I don’t even feel inclined to go back and watch it again. I understand that there has to be suspense in a horror movie but The Shining just over does it and annoys me more than anything else. This feeling is similar to what I get when I watch disappointing “horror” films. Those are the ones that look like they should be scary and have all the ability to be, but then nothing ever happens and the credits suddenly role on while you’re thinking “well that was a waste of time.”
For me, the best part of this genre of movies is the fact that I’ve never technically been allowed to watch them (probably because of the I Am Legend debacle), so of course I have to go and see them. Watching them with a group of friends makes them less creepy but at the same time makes the suspenseful moments have so much more tension and the thrill so much more exciting. Though it is not my favorite genre, I definitely feel that it is a necessary one, and I agree with Sammy that my want to see them is very high around the Halloween season.
I disagree with Carolyn when she says that audiences don’t go to watch horror films for the adrenaline rush but they instead go to watch it for the gore. While gore has a way of morbidly attracting people, it is my honest opinion that people just like to get their pants scared off every once in a while. The dramatization of gore just adds on to make a movie more poignant. Like Ziqi said, the realistic and not overdone blood makes the best movies.
I have not had a lot of experience with watching horror movies. I have probably watched a total of two, and only one of them completely, and both were because I was doing something related to Halloween. The first one that I saw, One Missed Call, I liked it. I thought it was perfect for Halloween, because it was one of those movies where creepy things happen and things jump out and scare you, but it was also so unrealistic and badly made that it was only scary when I was watching it, but afterwards it didn't keep me up at night, or give me bad dreams like a murder mystery would. The second one I saw, Paranormal Activities, I saw completely at a sideways angle, so everything was distorted and I could only tell the juste of what was going on, but not the actual details. Whether it was because I wasn't paying attention, or I just couldn't see the screen enough to be thoroughly frightened I was bored. From my experiences with horror movies I have determined that I don't particularly like them, seeing as the second film I saw was the most recent, I think that I prefer movies that I can laugh at, or think about what is happening, rather than just be creeped out by demons or ghosts. Although murder mysteries scare me more, and do keep me up at night, I prefer them. I think that this connects to what Stephen King said in his essay about how we are all insane, and we need to watch the horrible things happen to people to keep our insanity hidden. I don't think that watching horror movies are as bad as watching murder mysteries though because all the horror movies I've seen have been completely unrealistic, whereas murder mysteries tend to be more realistic.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that agree with anyone about horror movies. I don't really find them realistic and I don't get afraid of them because I think that something in the movie will happen to me. Maybe it is because I am so used to strange things happening, like doors creaking, lights flickering, music turning on randomly and those sorts of things, that when they happen I don't get creeped out or immediately thing to the plot of a horror movie.
When I was young I was afraid of nearly every television show. Even the slightest amount of fear would cause me to run up to the television and slam the power button. Even a movie that wasn’t designed to be scary at all would terrify me. For example, when I saw Star Wars A New Hope for the first time it scared me. For the next couple of months, I would always open my closet before going to bed, to make sure Darth Vader wasn’t hiding inside my closet. Whenever I heard even the slightest noise, I would lurch in fear, expecting to hear the distinct sound of Vader’s breathing.
ReplyDeleteOf course nowadays Star Wars doesn’t scare me at all, and neither do horror movies. I, like Brendan, have seen Paranormal Activity. I didn’t find it scary at all. Instead it was boring and weird. Other than that, I don’t watch horror movies. Television no longer scares me as it once did, so these movies seem bizarre to me. I don’t find them thrilling, scary, or fun. As a result, I don’t care much for horror movies, and I don’t plan to watch them in the future.
I disagree with what Carolyn said about how there is no limit to how scary a movie can get. I believe that there is a point when a movie can’t get any scarier. Two things control how scary a movie is: how realistic the events in the movie are and the events that take place in the movie. Eventually, we won’t be able to make the events in the movie seem any more realistic. Once everybody has enormous three-dimensional televisions with perfect sound, the events in a movie will be equally as realistic as real life. The people will appear to be standing in the room, as if they were real. At this point, a movie will be equally as real as real life, so it couldn’t possibly become more realistic. The events in a movie also have limits. There can only be so many zombies, ghosts, and other scary demons in any given movie. In this sense, both the realism and the events in a movie are limited, and therefore, there is a point when a movie can not become any more scary. I agree with Oren, Claudia, and Carolyn about how gory scenes don’t make a movie scary. Blood is disgusting and distasteful, but not scary. Overall, I don’t like horror movies because I don’t find them scary. They don’t make me sprint up to the television and slap the power button in sheer terror the way they once did.
I enjoyed reading the Steven King essay, because Horror Movies are one of my favorite genres of movies. I’ve been watching them since I was a little lad, and have pretty much watched everything from the old Hammer Horror Classics, like the Wolf-Man, and Nosfuratu, to newly released movies. For some reason, I’ve never found them particularly scary. Some of them, I’ve found somewhat haunting, but I haven’t ever really been afraid of a movie.
ReplyDeleteI also find the horror movies that stick with me the most are the “Psychological” horrors. A lot of movies seem to think cheap, fake blood, and randomly gratuitous gore is enough to be scary. That’s not scaring. It can be shocking, and surprising, but eventually it just gets silly. There’s a point when it seems so unreal that it just get ridiculous. A prime example of this would be really any of the “Slasher” genre. Friday the 13th,. Saw, Hellraiser. It’s just cheap blood and special effects.
The Horror movies I enjoy, and that scare me the most, are the older ones, ironically. The less the director relies on special effects, the better the movie usually is. Some of my favorites, that I can watch many times, and still be affected by, are ones like “The Shining,” “Psycho,” “Vertigo, “Alien” and the old, Christopher Lee version of “The Wicker Man.” Instead of cheap blood, jump scares, and elaborate deaths, they rely on a slow, subtle build of tension, and more realistic, human reactions. It’s not about the monster, or the killer, it’s about how the people respond. It’s philological, human reactions, and you start to really feel like you’re part of the movie. Usually there are deeper themes, which are hinted at, but never shown. Basically, the more they leave for the imagination, the scarier is.
It was interesting to read King’s essay, and I could identify with a lot of what he wrote about. It was fun trying to figure out how much of that applied to me.
Stephen King has an interesting point that taking our inner monster out occasionally is better than having it sneak out in our everyday lives. I however think that horror movies are not at all interesting enough to get this horror "fix". I have never really found horror movies that appealing because they dont usually have enough of a plot to justify having someones guts fly across the screen. The lack of story has always bugged me but not prevented me from enjoying senseless violence, but once again the majority of horror movies are even lacking this. When someone is brutally murdered and I am going out of my way to see it I want to feel like I am there and that maybe the murder could be real. With most horror film I end up being extremely disappointed not only in the lack of intelligence by the "survivors" but also by the killers. The stereotypical horror movie consists of a single african american dyeing first then a ditzy blond running off in to the woods and dyeing then the last three people attempting to fight off there foe and by the end all but one of them is dead. This set slasher formula is extremely boring.
ReplyDeleteI have always found the concept of Zombies much scarier because they are just everyday people that have because of some extraneous situation become blood thirsty monsters. This is better because then it is more a question of how people cope with the disaster and the fact that if a zombie apocalypse were to happen then potentially everyone you know could be out to get you. My personal issue with zombie movies is once again its rare to find one with a good plot to go along with the hordes of undead.
The other type of horror movie I enjoy in small doses is phycological horror. I enjoy more phycological horror movies because they generally have more story and better characters that you actually care about by the end. Also when there is less senseless killing there is more suspense which builds up until it is all released at once (in a good movie). Then when all the suspense is over and the movie has ended there is no way to avoid feeling scared because after two hours of sitting on the edge of your seet you get used to the feeling. Sometimes to the point that even after you've left the theater your body is still ready to jump, run, or just freeze in fear. For me that is a good horror movie.
When I was younger my parents never really censored what types of movies I watched so I saw many different types of movies. Having many older relatives meant that at family gatherings I was exposed to movies that weren't intended for an eight year old boy. I remember the first horror movie I ever saw was one of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies. I watched it and I was interested, but I was never really all that scared. I knew that what was happening on the screen was just on the screen and that I couldn't and wouldn't be hurt by whatever was there. I have never felt very stimulated by horror films as they don't really scare me. I wouldn't say that I avoid horror films but I find that as a genre they are often not the most creative films. If a movie is written simply for the sake of showing blood and guts then it isn't really scary. Its implausible, and just not very convincing. I do enjoy horror movies if they are well written and have more substance than just a basic gory run of the mill movie. An example of a horror story I really loved is The Stand by Stephen King. While not a movie it is truly frightening and is a great story. The Stand is the story of the world after a flu kills off a huge portion of the population. The book examines what would happen to society and to the collective psyche of the people who survived. What is so scary about the book is how, while some aspects are pure fiction, there are many portions of the book that are plausible and very scary. To me anarchy in the USA is scarier than a single mass murderer.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hans that the write by the numbers formula of the modern horror movie is very monotonous and I dont like it. I agree that for me a scary movie is one that appeals a fear that I have deep down
ReplyDeleteI grew up despising horror movies and loving romantic comedies. This year was probably the first year I have ever seen a horror movie My brother was watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre and so I decided to see if I still am scared of horror movies. I watched about a quarter of it and had nightmares that night. I have never been so scared in my life. I did not find any entertainment when I watched that movie. I do not even know why I wanted to watch it. I know I can get easily scared, but I will never be able to get over that amount of time I spent watching the creepiest movie I have ever seen.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Carolyn and disagree with Daniel. There is a limit to how scary a movie can be. There are many movies out in the world that I have heard are so scary that one would be so affected by it that the plot in the movie scares them for a while. Having no limit on a scary movie would probably end up with many people needing medicine because they can't function properly after watching it. If there is a limit, more people would go see scary movies and would enjoy it. There is a point in scariness where it is ridiculous. Each person has a different limitation on a scary movie. I would say that my oldest brother has a very high limitation and I have a very low limitation on scariness. Even though there are some horror movies that are unrealistic, they still can frighten many people.
Like Brendan, I prefer to carve pumpkins, collect 20 pounds of candy, and dress up in ridiculous costumes. I would rather pee my pants from laughing really hard than from being scared by frightening people and objects.
The first horror movie I ever watched was “The Ring”. Some people say “oh, not a scary movie at all”, but I was not ready for it. I watched it in fourth grade at a friends house and had trouble sleeping for weeks. Ever since then I’ve never really liked horror movies, they just stress me out and scare me, when I would rather be laughing.
ReplyDelete“The Ring” may have ruined horror movies for me, or I was never cut out for them in the first place. The idea that there was no escaping this Samara, no matter how hard you tried, was terrifying. The people who Samara victimized ended up with these mangled faces, and in one of the first scenes you see one such face and i was shocked. It was the scariest thing I had ever seen. “The Ring” did not have blood or tons of action, but there was never sun in the movie, it was grey the whole time and was intended as a psychological horror. It was not an edge-of-your-seat thriller but it messed with my ten year old mind.
Now that I’m older and got over my younger fear, I watch scary movies sometimes and I do get some enjoyment out of them, but I will always take a good laugh over a scare so I tend to avoid them whenever I can.
I like what Ziqi said about movie parodies, because I really like to watch those. Even though they are low-budget ridiculous movies the always make me laugh.