When I was growing up I wasn't allowed to watch scary movies. My mom thought they invited evil spirits into our house so we couldn't watch. So I grew up with a great amount of fear regarding horror movies. If a preview even came on TV I would have to change the channel because fear and adrenaline would flood my veins, making me feel weak.
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My first adventure into horror movies was a double feature at the drive-in when I was 20. It was The Haunting and The Sixth Sense. I had nightmares days after. I didn't watch another scary movie until I saw the original Halloween when I was around 26. Again, nightmares and I saw Michael Myers around every corner. Then my sister, a horror movie junkie at the time, convinced me to watch The Ring. I was paralyzed with fear. The next day my TV went to static for no good reason. I shut the TV off and ran upstairs.
But something changed in me. I liked the fear. So I started watching more scary movies and I haven't stopped. I could do without gore, but thrillers and supernatural/exorcist stories fascinate me. Unfortunately I am not really scared by any of these movies anymore. I know they are just movies and I know all the horror movie clichés. The half naked girl WILL go upstairs/to the basement/outside to see what the noise was. The black guy, who used to be the first killed, will now be the last or the one to survive. The evil thing hunting the characters cannot be killed. I've seen them all and I need a really scary movie to freak me out.
It's funny to think how terrified I used to get and now they don't phase me. Well there are a few: Insidious, Woman in Black, and anything with dolls or mirrors like Dead Silence or Candyman (cheesy yes but scary because of the mirror aspect.)
The coming, and now passing, of another Halloween found me on my couch, ignoring homework, and watching cheesy horror flicks wishing I was scared. Suggestions anyone on what movies might scare the living crap out of me? : )
Jealous. Perhaps one day, I can overcome my fear as you did. I spent my Halloween physically forced to watch horror movies. I watched Paranormal Activity and the Last Ecorcism.. well "watched" is a loose term. I spent the majority of them burying my face into a friends chest or simply peaking through the cracks in my hand. No matter what, I always have vivd images or sounds that stick in my head and replay over and over whenever I try to sleep on my own. Not my idea of fun, but whatever works for ya! :)
ReplyDeleteThe Descent is a movie I've seen a half dozen times and still scream when I see it. I also really like Japanese horror movies. They have a different concept of evil. Evil comes from something unresolved. It isn't just evil for evil sake. So the stories tend to be a little more interesting. I recommend the Japanese Ring series. (The books are sensational too.) Although the American version is pretty good.
ReplyDeleteBut the movie that scared me more than anything else was The Mothman Prophesies. In fact, it isn't a horror movie. I don't even know if you can call it a thriller. It is based on a book by a parapsychologist who reported on true events in a town in the sixties. It kinda comes back to what we talk about in class. How that element of apparent truth lending some sort of authenticity, in this case terror. I had this brilliant idea to watch The Mothman Prophecies when my spouse was out of town, in the dark bedroom. Someone drove on the little back-road behind my house during some crucial scene casting a pair of red eyes (tail lights) on my wall. I am not kidding you, I tipped right out of the bed screaming.
But don't forget to pile on the cheese. If you haven't seen Army of Darkness, you haven't seen cheesey horror. Tucker and Dale vs Evil pokes fun in a good way. Although if you are squeamish, stay away from Troma films. I don't think I will ever fully mentally recover for Poultrygeist. It is only slightly less disturbing than The Human Centipede. Which I confess to having seen all the way through.
For me the more believable the horror, the more bone chilling the terror. Having had one true paranormal experience in my life, (not necessarily demonic, but ghost-like) certain movies with elements of a true story or actual experiences really ignite the haunting flame deep inside my cowering soul that test my level of courage against the terrifying unknown.
ReplyDeleteI never used to watch that many horror movies until I had a boyfriend who loved them, and so I got used to them. I'm not a fan of gore movies, but I love psychological thrillers with lots of twists that keep me guessing. For me it's kind of a game to see if I can figure out what happens before it happens. Of course if it's too easy to figure out, that's boring, but a good story line can keep me enthralled throughout the whole movie.
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