HORROR MOVIE ETIQUETTE: little kids are scary + THE PURPOSE OF HORROR MOVIES??

[MattJack]

PS
Yeah little kids aren't scary in the slightest, or demented dudes with axes or cleavers. b-o-r-i-n-g

[Krythor]

I agree about the Exorcist. It annoys me when people say they found it funny rather than scary, but imply that most typical horror garbage isn't. I think it's a case of people trying hard to take themselves out of the movie, latching onto the absurdity for humour either out of a need for non-conformity, misplaced bravado or to prove they don't watch that old shit. They're probably the same kind of people I meet who are LOTR fans who irrationally refuse to watch the original Star Wars movies; BUT THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER ARGUMENT I guess.

The Exorcist was absurd and over the top, but what's scary about it to me is what's not shown. There's a creepy implication that the devil or whatever it is is just lurking around in the air, watching everything. It's almost a disease, which is just WEIRD.

[Guitar Woman]

I seem to remember The Shining having a few elements you guys are complaining about and it still being a good movie in the traditional sense, but that's probably because of the fucking phenominal cinematography and direction. That's one of three horror movies I enjoyed for reasons other than Ed Wood levels of camp, the other two being Jacob's Ladder (despite the ridiculously cheesy message) and Alien.


Also.

[liquidstatik]

you wrote all that jlust to show that picture huh?

[wobzire]

So worth it.

[Guitar Woman]

two sentences is a lot of words liquidstatik

[Fathom Zero]

Normally, numbers are spelled-out unless it is 100 or more.

The first Saw was terrible. But the second one was the one that surprised me. I didn't expect the twist. I wasn't scared, but I was intrigued. The only movies that scare me are the ones that unintentionally preyed on my fears, like Twister and Little Nemo.

Now they're my favorite movies.

[TuxKamen]

For years, the only films that would give me nightmares after seeing them (or, in some cases, just seeing the advertisements for them) were zombie movies... which put me in a tough predicament, since zombie movies were always my mom's favorite. In the case of the previously mentioned Japanese remakes (Grudge, Ring, One Missed Call, etc.), I tend to enjoy the Japanese versions a bit better... there seems to be more plot to them there than the American versions, IMO.

[MetalMilitia]

While I agree that the "creepy evil kid" is becoming a pretty lame cliché I suspect that's more down to lazy, unimaginative film making that an inherent lameness of kids in horror films. The same goes for gore - it's not that it can't still be shocking, it's just that films like SAW have been too stupid to utilise it correctly.

A year ago I don't think I could've justified this opinion but when The Orphange came out it showed that creepy-ghost-kids are indeed still scary and that gore, if used correctly, can still be shocking; case in point, the old lady getting her face ruined by a bus.