LoginDo horror films scare you?
Mackenzi
11 years, 6 months ago at Oct 18 5:21 - That's it- how scared are you of horror movies in general? Are you the kind to jump at everything, or are you unflappable at the fiction on the screen?
I was watching Session 9 and The Haunting yesterday, instead of afternoon viewings I watched them both at night- way scarier. Being tired and in the dark makes films much creepier to me, and I'll get pretty scared if I'm on my own. Not so much in the day though. But finding films that are actually scary is great, it wouldn't be nearly as fun if I couldn't get a little scared at movies anymore.
I was watching Session 9 and The Haunting yesterday, instead of afternoon viewings I watched them both at night- way scarier. Being tired and in the dark makes films much creepier to me, and I'll get pretty scared if I'm on my own. Not so much in the day though. But finding films that are actually scary is great, it wouldn't be nearly as fun if I couldn't get a little scared at movies anymore.
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11 years, 6 months ago at Oct 18 23:34 - I used to be so easily scared when I was a kid, but now I'm not sure there are many movies that scare me outright. Certainly I find stuff creepy. The Exorcist is a scary film to me, though not because of the outright gross out and shocking moments, but actually the subtler moments (the dream sequence of Damien Karras for instance), the spider walk where Regan walks down the stairs (that was cut from the original edit) is still so, so creepy to me. It's just wrong and so freaking weird, the more I thing about it, the more it creeps me out. The twins in The Shining always crept that hell out of me, there's just something "other" (it's the only way I can describe it) in the way Kubrick shot that scene. I like the original Ringu, I found that creepy. Audition I found very disturbing, though every woman Iv'e ever watched it with fails to find it as disturbing as myself, which I actually think is a scarier fact than the movie itself lmao (I guess you have to had seen the movie to know what i'm talking about ha ha). But generally speaking there are a lot of movies that are shocking or gross but I wouldn't consider them scary, I don't jump a whole lot. For me the scarier stuff is usually subtle rather than gross out or shocking for shocking sake. So much modern horror is just torture porn or whatever and for me it's incredibly banal. I haven't actually seen Session 9, I'd love to though, heard some good things about it.
johanlefourbe
11 years, 6 months ago at Oct 19 7:18 - Coming back to what Prodigal Son said :
- The Exorcist. There is indeed a great creepy mood,especially when nothing really scary is actually happening, I'll give you that but there are some really pathetic and ridiculous scenes (the spider walk being a really good example) and those scenes are more laughable than scary in my opinion. But we already had this discussion, didn't we ? ;)
- Ringu (jap. version). That's a good example. The first time I watched it, it kind of freaked me out and the people with me thought it was pretty hilarious. The fact that I was stoned out of mind didn't really help my perception of this movie though...
- Audition. Again, a great example. I saw this movie only once when I was living in England and it was one of the most traumatising and nightmarish movie experience I had. In my opinion, the whole thing is a nightmare put on celluloid.
- The Strangers. Something pretty awesome also happened while watching this flick. Personally, I thought it was pretty spooky but nothing I couldn't handle but my step daughter brought her then boyfriend. This guy honestly completely freaked out... I mean, the guy was like huge, almost 2 meters, and yet at least twice during the movie, he screamed like he saw some ghost and (literally) jumped behind the couch. My step daughter was terribly embarrassed but I thought it was awesome and I had a blast. Unfortunately, he got scared sh*tless, not me.
Eventually, what I find really scary nowadays, it is not the blood and gore, that's rather disgusting than anythins else, not what can be really scary is psychological horror, when the makers play with your mind or put in you in a mental spot where you actually don't want to be, than it can be pretty frightening.
- The Exorcist. There is indeed a great creepy mood,especially when nothing really scary is actually happening, I'll give you that but there are some really pathetic and ridiculous scenes (the spider walk being a really good example) and those scenes are more laughable than scary in my opinion. But we already had this discussion, didn't we ? ;)
- Ringu (jap. version). That's a good example. The first time I watched it, it kind of freaked me out and the people with me thought it was pretty hilarious. The fact that I was stoned out of mind didn't really help my perception of this movie though...
- Audition. Again, a great example. I saw this movie only once when I was living in England and it was one of the most traumatising and nightmarish movie experience I had. In my opinion, the whole thing is a nightmare put on celluloid.
- The Strangers. Something pretty awesome also happened while watching this flick. Personally, I thought it was pretty spooky but nothing I couldn't handle but my step daughter brought her then boyfriend. This guy honestly completely freaked out... I mean, the guy was like huge, almost 2 meters, and yet at least twice during the movie, he screamed like he saw some ghost and (literally) jumped behind the couch. My step daughter was terribly embarrassed but I thought it was awesome and I had a blast. Unfortunately, he got scared sh*tless, not me.
Eventually, what I find really scary nowadays, it is not the blood and gore, that's rather disgusting than anythins else, not what can be really scary is psychological horror, when the makers play with your mind or put in you in a mental spot where you actually don't want to be, than it can be pretty frightening.
xxixii
11 years, 6 months ago at Oct 19 8:50 - Session 9 and The Haunting are good flicks
Interesting I *want* to be genuinely scared by horror movies - they can hit you in multiple ways through graphic gore and overall disgustingness, through creepiness and atmosphere and through the brain psychologically, and through timing pacing and jump scares. Adult themes help as well - especially about sex
IMHO a great flick will utilise ALL or at least MOST of those methods - this is probably why I find it hard to like the older horror movies as they simply are not graphically competent enough for me. I think modern filmmakers make the mistake of just pushing ONE angle hoping that will work, normally gore and graphics
Recent horror flicks I have enjoyed
Moebius
Dream Home
Bloody Reunion
Ultimately horror is about identifying with the characters and the ordeal they are in
Interesting I *want* to be genuinely scared by horror movies - they can hit you in multiple ways through graphic gore and overall disgustingness, through creepiness and atmosphere and through the brain psychologically, and through timing pacing and jump scares. Adult themes help as well - especially about sex
IMHO a great flick will utilise ALL or at least MOST of those methods - this is probably why I find it hard to like the older horror movies as they simply are not graphically competent enough for me. I think modern filmmakers make the mistake of just pushing ONE angle hoping that will work, normally gore and graphics
Recent horror flicks I have enjoyed
Moebius
Dream Home
Bloody Reunion
Ultimately horror is about identifying with the characters and the ordeal they are in
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Deleted
11 years, 6 months ago at Oct 19 9:02 - @johanlefourbe
Exactly it's the psychological stuff that I find the scariest, but it's difficult to say what scary really is. I mean its the kind of the thing that plays on your mind, isn't it? (the mental spot as you put it) Iv'e never been somebody who jumps out of my seat (least not as a adult)though I do know people who do. I know that I could be accused of being sexist here (and I don't mean to be) but I've always thought that a lot of horror movies feature women as the central character because horror movies have a tendency to get more of psychological reaction from women. Of course I know that isn't always the case, but just observing from watching certain movies with girlfriends and friends, y'know?
It's interesting what Mackenzi said about the time when you watch a movie plays into how you react or the situation too as well I think. I grew up in a rather isolated rural environment and as a youngster I remember things I'd seen really terrify me and I think the situation of where I lived and different factors played a part in me being so disturbed by stuff I'd seen. Of course being an over imaginative kid helped too but none the less I think certain factors play into the way you react y'know? Watching things at night definitely feeds in to that without a doubt.
It's interesting that your step daughters boyfriend had such a reaction ,are you sure he wasn't reacting to you? hey I always found it pretty intimidating meeting girlfriends dad's and step dad's ha ha?;)
Man, I used to find the Teletubbies terrifying when I was stoned, god knows how I would have reacted to Ringu lmao;)
Exactly it's the psychological stuff that I find the scariest, but it's difficult to say what scary really is. I mean its the kind of the thing that plays on your mind, isn't it? (the mental spot as you put it) Iv'e never been somebody who jumps out of my seat (least not as a adult)though I do know people who do. I know that I could be accused of being sexist here (and I don't mean to be) but I've always thought that a lot of horror movies feature women as the central character because horror movies have a tendency to get more of psychological reaction from women. Of course I know that isn't always the case, but just observing from watching certain movies with girlfriends and friends, y'know?
It's interesting what Mackenzi said about the time when you watch a movie plays into how you react or the situation too as well I think. I grew up in a rather isolated rural environment and as a youngster I remember things I'd seen really terrify me and I think the situation of where I lived and different factors played a part in me being so disturbed by stuff I'd seen. Of course being an over imaginative kid helped too but none the less I think certain factors play into the way you react y'know? Watching things at night definitely feeds in to that without a doubt.
It's interesting that your step daughters boyfriend had such a reaction ,are you sure he wasn't reacting to you? hey I always found it pretty intimidating meeting girlfriends dad's and step dad's ha ha?;)
Man, I used to find the Teletubbies terrifying when I was stoned, god knows how I would have reacted to Ringu lmao;)
johanlefourbe
11 years, 6 months ago at Oct 20 7:32 - @Prodigal son, great comments!!! Hahahaha
Honestly, I don't think the guy got scared by me ;)
@xxixii, interesting thoughts as well. Indeed, modern horror flicks are usually visually impressive but, like you said, the makers don't go further than this. That's why I'm rather dismissive towards them.
I think what really scary is, is indeed when you can identify with the character and when the movie plays with your own fear and phobias, than it is pretty frightening.
Actually, the most scary thing I have ever seen was not a movie but an episode of a TV show. I think I saw it when I was about 13-15 years old. It was the first episode of a new show called 'Au dela du réel' (I have no idea what it is the original title in English).
It was about a horror novel book writer à la Stephen King. Apparently, the guy was massively popular and many people wonder how he could sleep at time after writing such terrifying stories. Anyway, one day, he started to notice something rather unsettling. Each time he looked in a mirror, he noticed a dark figure (some kind of Freddy Kruger with a poncho) moving towards him. Of course, each time, he turned his back, the fellow was gone. Each time he gets a small glimpse of this guy but he is too far to be properly seen but, at some point, the main character becomes scared shitless and see this man everywhere, even in the sunglasses of a cop. At some point, he decides to lock himself up at home, in the dark, covering all the mirrors, and closing his eyes for most of the time. During the final climax, his girlfriend leaned over and tell him that everything is fine. At that point, the guy looked at her right into her eyes, and suddenly he sees in her eyes his stalker right in from of him, there is some commotion and he jumps through the window. The End...
I was a mess after watching this. I couldn't sleep that night and I barely sleep for at least a week. Ever since I have been rather freaked out by mirrors, expecting to see weird things in the reflection ('Candyman' is also a pretty good movie using this idea). It is how influential this harmless episode has been to me.
Honestly, I don't think the guy got scared by me ;)
@xxixii, interesting thoughts as well. Indeed, modern horror flicks are usually visually impressive but, like you said, the makers don't go further than this. That's why I'm rather dismissive towards them.
I think what really scary is, is indeed when you can identify with the character and when the movie plays with your own fear and phobias, than it is pretty frightening.
Actually, the most scary thing I have ever seen was not a movie but an episode of a TV show. I think I saw it when I was about 13-15 years old. It was the first episode of a new show called 'Au dela du réel' (I have no idea what it is the original title in English).
It was about a horror novel book writer à la Stephen King. Apparently, the guy was massively popular and many people wonder how he could sleep at time after writing such terrifying stories. Anyway, one day, he started to notice something rather unsettling. Each time he looked in a mirror, he noticed a dark figure (some kind of Freddy Kruger with a poncho) moving towards him. Of course, each time, he turned his back, the fellow was gone. Each time he gets a small glimpse of this guy but he is too far to be properly seen but, at some point, the main character becomes scared shitless and see this man everywhere, even in the sunglasses of a cop. At some point, he decides to lock himself up at home, in the dark, covering all the mirrors, and closing his eyes for most of the time. During the final climax, his girlfriend leaned over and tell him that everything is fine. At that point, the guy looked at her right into her eyes, and suddenly he sees in her eyes his stalker right in from of him, there is some commotion and he jumps through the window. The End...
I was a mess after watching this. I couldn't sleep that night and I barely sleep for at least a week. Ever since I have been rather freaked out by mirrors, expecting to see weird things in the reflection ('Candyman' is also a pretty good movie using this idea). It is how influential this harmless episode has been to me.
Jordan
8 years, 8 months ago at Aug 27 19:47 - I've seen quite a lot of popular horror films and honestly the only one that gave me chills was Blaire Witch Projects (the moment in the woods when they find witch's bone attributes, to be exact). There are many good horror movies but so far I didn't see one that would make me be scared to walk to the toilet at night..