Why Scary Movies?

[BeeRa]

I'm working on some research about horror movies, and I want to know, from fans of the genre, why do you watch scary movies? What attracted you to them in the first place? Why do you like to be scared? Why do you continue to watch over and over? Are you still scared? Thanks for your help. :)

[countchocula]

Every horror fan has their own reason for watching horror, but for me, it has nothing to do with wanting to be scared. The genre is the perfect outlet for escapism. I'm not a big fan of reality, so naturally, I gravitate toward films that are, for the most part, not grounded in reality. I guess you could say that it’s a harmless substitute for alcohol or narcotics. Also, horror encompasses all genres. There's so much diversity within horror, that I rarely feel the need to watch anything besides horror. Comedy, drama, sci-fi, action, adventure, martial arts; you can find it all in the horror genre, but with an imaginative twist. I can’t say that about any other genre.

Just my two cents.

[ICP RULZ]

I agree with Count. I am jsut like him. But also,I have growen up on horror. I mean my whole family hates horror except for me. I feel it adds to my personality,and that it sets me different from other people. It is kinda a childhood thing for me though.

I also love the feeling of dread after you watch a really scary movie and then you are always looking over your shoulder just incase Jason Vorhees or Michael Myers actualy does exist. It is a nice little break from reality and I love it. I feel that you can have the most fun with a horror movie. And once the movie is over,you still have fun with it.

Also,when I was younger,the reason why I would rent movies was mainly for the nudity:D :eek: . And then it became much more. I only rented horror movies based on either reccommendations/nudity. Now that was alll before I had a girlfriend and when I was much younger. Now I rent horror movies based and my personal preferences.

I hope I helped you understand a little more on what goes on inside a horror nuts head.

Peace

[Mr. Movie Man]

Why not? I watch them because I'm interested in becoming an actor and a director. I also watch them because I love good cinematography and a lot of horror/scary movies have great cinematography! One of the main reasons I watch Horror is because I LOVE TO BE SCARED!! Plus, they're lots of fun, including the depressing ones. I also enjoy watching the more gory horror movies as well because I guess I have a little bit of a sick side to me. All of the different types of horror are interesting.

[the night watchman]

Man, I'm the exact opposite of my esteemed comrade, countcocula. I do like being scared, although it's difficult for a movie to scare me much any more. And while I like escapist movies as much as anybody else, it seems to me that horror movies, regardless of their fantastic elements, are the "truest" of all movies. In other words, the only time people act like themselves, when they function outside the dictates of society, is when they're scared, or when they find themselves in situations where they can no longer fall back on the rules. "Night of the Living Dead," "Alien," "John Carpenter's The Thing," "Texas Chain Saw Massacre," "The Birds," "Shivers," Frank Henenlotter's "Brain Damage," “Lost Highway,” and "Susperia" are all prime examples of what I mean. Even more subdued movies, like "Se7en," or "Silence of the Lambs," in which the facade of social decorum must be maintained, are boundlessly interesting to me. I consider some films like “Apocalypse Now” and “Taxi Driver” to be horror because they provide this type of standpoint.

A good example of escapist elements illustrating the fragility of the social fabric occurs in "The Lost World: Jurassic Park," during the sequence where the T. rex runs amuck in San Diego. You know, at a time like that, everything you thought was important -- your politics, religious beliefs, mortgage, bills, career, social status -- all of that suddenly seems completely irrelevant when there’s a 45 ft. long carnosaur is bearing down on your ass.

So, I guess that’s why I’m drawn to horror; because it tears down the facade of normalcy and shows us the real word, however steeped in exaggeration and fantastic imagery a particular film may be.

By the way, do we get to see you paper after your done with it?

[countchocula]

Originally posted by the night watchman
Man, I'm the exact opposite of my esteemed comrade, countcocula. I do like being scared, although it's difficult for a movie to scare me much any more.

LOL, Countcocula?!? How did you know my gay porn stage name?

Actually, we're not exact opposites in this regard. I do enjoy being creeped out by an effective spine-tingler, but a horror film hasn’t truly scared me since I was a wee lad. Thus, I've stopped watching horror for its scare tactics. An upshot of desensitization, but this allows me to focus more on every other aspect of horror. I'm not suggesting that you don't take every facet into consideration; I'm just stating my own case.

BeeRa, you'll find that the reason why we're drawn to the genre varies with each person. Sometimes, the reason is personal. Sometimes, the reason is primal and instinctive. Sometimes, the reason isn't very deep at all. It all just depends on the horror freak in question.

Are you a horror fan yourself, BeeRa?

[the night watchman]

Originally posted by countchocula
LOL, Countcocula?!? How did you know my gay porn stage name?


LOL! Oops. Freudian slide, I guess.

[Diego]

I dig all horror movies and for various reasons:
-I love being scared in the movies.
-Gore is cool
-Great and stylish directing, in horror, it can be appriciated easilly.
-It's a classic genre.
-It doesn't hold back and it's not scared to show whatever it needs to show.
-I dunno why...since I was very pecke, I loved horror, even if I pas piss afraid at night.

[Fly Girl]

My brother showed me 'Alien' when i was only (roughly) 6/7 years old. The scene when the alien popped out the guys belly.......the rest is history. I've been watching horror films since then but not as indepth as now.

I enjoy horror for different reasons, such as: killing scenes, special effects, the directing, blood & gore, it's great to see how shocking or creative the next horror video can be.

When i was wee i always wanted to be a special effects artist, so i think this is another reason why i like horror so much. And i wish i had followed my dreams....

[Fly Girl]

....talking about dreams, since i've started watching the more indepth horror films, i've been having some seriously fucked up dreams. Like slicing people's heads off with spades, or pushing wire through people's throats to kill them??? I shouldn't watch horror before bedtime.

[KillerKlown]

I dunno, I suppose those were the films that you weren't allowed to watch when you were a kid, so you had to sneak around behind your parent's backs to watch them when they were out.....Tasting the forbidden fruit, so to speak.

I've always been a HUGE gore fan - the more the better. I think that comes from the first films I saw when I was wee....I remember seeing Cannibal Ferox when I was only about 7!

The main thing I like about 'good' horror is the feeling of uneasiness that comes after watching the film - where you look behind you while going up the stairs, or turn on more lights than necessary when going from one point of the house to another..... Although it isn't too much fun at the time!!

[Boogeyman]

I think I first watched horror because of the mystery and mystique that surrounded it. I wasnt allowed to watch horror until I was about 11 or 12, but my friends watched one every now and then...but, I guess I was just captivated by the whole genre, that I was forbidden to watch. But, then when I was "officially" allowed to watch horror, I became a fanatic. I would rent them by the dozen at blockbuster (not really but close).
And yes, I do like being scared. I think its one of the greatest feelings someone can have. Like Busta Rhymes said in Halloween Resurrection "It's OK to be scared. Fear is good. Fear motivates. Fear let's you have the feeling of being alive." And I couldnt agree more.
Although, there is a downside of being a horror fanatic. I think the mystery and mystique is now (for the most part) gone. Im not as easily as scared. And I know that its just actors acting like they're being killed...its not real. But, all in all...I'll always love horror. It has some things that other genres cant provide. It'll always be my favorite. But although, some of the mystique has vanished...you always have to wonder while walking down a dark hall...could it really happen to me?

later

[BeeRa]

I just wanted to thank everyone who posted their thoughts on scary movies. I have been looking high and low on message board after message board for the information that I needed presented in an intelligent and sensitive way, and I had yet to find what I needed. But all of your posts were perfect and I am so glad that you all shared your opinions with me. I myself adore scary movies, as well. The research I am doing is more presentational, so I won't have a paper, per se, to show you. But I greatly appreciate your thoughts. And keep 'em coming! I hope to hear more from you! You all are wonderful! :)

[Boogeyman]

Originally posted by BeeRa
I just wanted to thank everyone who posted their thoughts on scary movies. I have been looking high and low on message board after message board for the information that I needed presented in an intelligent and sensitive way, and I had yet to find what I needed. But all of your posts were perfect and I am so glad that you all shared your opinions with me. I myself adore scary movies, as well. The research I am doing is more presentational, so I won't have a paper, per se, to show you. But I greatly appreciate your thoughts. And keep 'em coming! I hope to hear more from you! You all are wonderful! :)

anything we can do to spread the word of horror...

later

[Romero&Juliet]

BeeRA... STICK AROUND!! If you like horror, you'll have a ball here!!

Horror, for me, is THE most demanding for both people working on a film and its audience.. It deals with the most abstract, nonsensical plots, where reality is just.. well, its FUCKED! the audience is forced to go into a horror movie with a different set of morals to judge its characters, different rules for assuming exactly what their motivations are..

your average love story just shrinks in comparison when the boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl turns into boy meets dying girl, falls in love and feels the need to suck the girls brains out, then mount her in a bed until she rots.. Just an example.. Granted, its not the most engaging of stories.....that depends on who you are too!!

[psycho path]

Horror is my absolute favorite genre of movies in the world. I enjoy comedies and adventures too,but horror is just awesome! My thoughts change from time to time. Sometimes Im in the mood for party horror,at others atmospheric gems,and sometimes intelligent ones(Signs,which was one of 2002's best)

[Hell Phantom]

like cood old count said....Horror can be a mix of every genre. i don't watch horror movie to be scared! If I did....then I wouldn't like scary movies since only two have ever given me the willies. I also grew up on horror...at first it was just to see people being. I mean! If a movie had a low ass body count...it sucked. But after a while...you grew more into it and start looking at other things. YADDA YADDA! I'm saying mostly the same stuff everyone else has. And like Romero&Juliet said: STICK AROUND!


HORROR KICKS ASS!

[Andrew Tom]

Although this has nothing to do with BeeRa's paper or the topic I have to ask something. After watching all these horror movies that we have watched, do you still think about death the same way you did before? Has horror made you more or less scared of your own death?

[the night watchman]

Good question, Andrew. I think my attitudes toward death have changed over the years, but I'm not sure horror movies have had much influence. When I was younger, images of vilolence and death upset and scared me, and I think to a certain extent watching and reading horror was a safe way to confront these feelings. But like all horror fans (I hope), I can still tell the difference between fictional death and real death. There's really no mistaking the two. I may have become somewhat desensitized to cinematic gore, but genuine violence and death still profoundly affects me, and I have to face them in different ways.

My own death? Well, who wants to die? I'm afraid to die, like I think any rational and introspective person would be, but I face that fear by trying to live life as positively as possible, and by trying to make my loved ones' lives as meaningful and happy as I can.

[countchocula]

My perception of death and violence hasn't been altered in the slightest from years of sopping up horror films. Much like Night, cinematic grue doesn't really leave an imprint on my psyche, but real life violence does have a potent impact on me. I don't fear death, but I do fear what lies beyond death. It's the unknown that bothers me, not death itself. After you expire, you're no longer in control. Or maybe you are in control. That's just it; I have no way of knowing until I die, which isn't the most desirable way to find out.

[the night watchman]

I know most of you probably hate Roger Ebert, but personally I respect him quite a bit, and I'd go as far as to say I think one of the best film critics out there. Even if I don't agree with his assessment of a movie, and even if I think he's dead wrong, I still always know precisely why he holds the opinion he does. At the very least, he's one of the most articulate critics.

Which brings me to my point. Today I read a review of a notorious South Korean movie called "The Isle," which sports graphic images of self-mutilation. Ebert gives it 3 stars out of 4, a pretty good score by anyone's assessment. Toward the end of his review he writes this:

"Why would you want to see this film? Most people would not. I was recently at a health resort where a movie was shown every night, and one of the selections was Pedro Almodovar's "All About My Mother," which involves transgendered characters. "Why," a woman asked me, "would they show a movie with things I do not want to see?" She is not unusual. Most people choose movies that provide exactly what they expect, and tell them things they already know. Others are more curious. We are put on this planet only once, and to limit ourselves to the familiar is a crime against our minds."

I think horror -- and all films of the fantastic, but horror most of all -- challenges familiarity by delivering images we may not want to see, situations that disturb us, and themes that fly in the face of our perceptions of morality. What we need to see and know most, I think, are probably the things we most ardently resist. That's why I watch horror.

Thanks, Rog.