Afraid to lose my love of horror movies

[Lina]

Hi everyone! I decided to post a thread about my recent problems with the horror genre. Maybe, it will raise some interesting discussion...

Recently, I have begun to be afraid of horror movies... Sometimes I cannot make myself watch one (come on, it's my favorite genre...). It all started after I visite a new attraction that recently opened in my city. The attraction is called "Maze of Fear" and it's the scariest thing that ever happened to me. Well, honestly, it's been a lot of fun, but it was way too scary. When we were going there, we thought it will be another silly attraction with some scary decorations and nothing special. But it turned out monsters (obviously, they are just people dressed as monsters) were actually following us. It's really scary, though you know it's all a game being followed by Jason from Friday 13th, some guy with a chainsaw and another guy... I suppose he could be from Saw, actually, though I'm not sure now. That's really tough. I remember after coming out from the maze we had a feeling that we're being followed for some more time. That was a huge experience, kind of cool to feel how horror movies characters must feel. But that's really, really scary. And I am not brave at all, I think (though, I am proud we came to the end of the maze, some people were crying to get them before the end as they could not finish as afraid as they were).

And now I am trying to fight my fear of watching horror movies... That's hard now. I hope it will pass soon, but I am surprised it had such influence on me.

Thanks to reading all the nonsense above

Maybe, you can tell some things that are on your mind. Has some of you visited such attractions in your towns? Are you afraid of horror stuff? I mean, really afraid? How do you fight it? Any ideas are welcome!

 

[Kurben]

Never been to a house of horrors that was really scary.... But if you wanna fight your fear of horror movies thebest way, IMO, is to jump right in. Sit down one evening and watch Halloween by John Carpenter, follow it up with The Birds or Psycho by Hitchcock and round off the evening with the Stendhal syndrome by Dario Argento. Just examples but you get my drift. Oh, and by the way.. I love horror movies too, Don't let anything stand in the way of your love, be it horror movies or something else.

 

[FlakeNoir]

I don't blame you, Lina.. I would probably crap myself if I went through one of those. (I'm actually a big wuss with horror movies and watch them from behind my hands/or a pillow--especially at throat cutting scenes, I cannot (ever) watch those.)

 

[GNTLGNT]

...most horror movies make me chuckle or outright laugh coz they are so over the top, but having someone "track" you?...yeah, that would throw me off my feed for a while, not sure why it's correlating to horror movies in your case-unless it's that now that you've encountered a "real" thrill, maybe the cinematic equivalent will be boring...could be you aren't fearing the loss of the love of horror films, but the shudders just won't compare?....

 

[no bounce no play]

I scream my head off in amusement park haunted houses. My brain knows the monsters aren't real but it goes on vacation or something as soon as I enter the haunted house

 

[Kurben]

I would like to see a really scary haunted house. Seems that the ones over there are much more scarier than the ones i encountered in Sweden. I only have a vague recollection of a painting of the mummy popping up and it was supposed to be scary.

 

[Lina]

I scream my head off in amusement park haunted houses. My brain knows the monsters aren't real but it goes on vacation or something as soon as I enter the haunted house

Oh, yeah, the brain just does not work there Funny feeling

I would like to see a really scary haunted house. Seems that the ones over there are much more scarier than the ones i encountered in Sweden. I only have a vague recollection of a painting of the mummy popping up and it was supposed to be scary.

I have also never seen anything as scary in horror houses, usually there are things that can frighten only 5-year-old children... This attraction is new to our town and I just could not miss it. Well, anyway, that's really fun and cool to test the limits of the emotions, you don't know what you behave like when you are scared unless you are really scared. I am not sure if I will try and go there again, though they promise to change the program and add new decorations every week now

 

[Sundrop]

I scream my head off in amusement park haunted houses. My brain knows the monsters aren't real but it goes on vacation or something as soon as I enter the haunted house

That's half the fun of them!

 

[skimom2]

You're braver than I am, Lina. I adore horror movies and scary books, but spook houses and the like terrify me. I can just close my eyes when the kids want to ride a horror house ride at the amusement park (like in Joyland), but I do warn the attendant that I do not want to be touched--I freak out. After I punched a persistant werewolf (he grabbed my arm!) in high school (lol), I don't even attempt the walk through kind.

 

[prufrock21]

That happened to me first time I saw The Exorcist. But then I found Stephen King, and my love of the horror genre grew more, not less.

 

[Grandpa]

I liked horror movies as a kid, but most of them were bad. Not scary.Think the Hammer movies or Vincent Price drek.

And then there was Psycho. You kids don't understand, like you don't understand Star Wars, how one flick can change the world of movie-making.

And after that, there wasn't so much, not to that level of scariness, not to me anyway. Until Halloween. That had us jumping.

But Halloween begat Friday the 13th, which begat the Nightmare movies, and the whole genre became an exercise of either an unstoppable/immortal foe, or a gross-out gorefest, or both. I just don't care to watch them.

(I adored Alien and Aliens, but I'm calling Alien a scifi/horror crossover, and Aliens a straight-out scifi/adventure.)

 

[Dana Jean]

I liked horror movies as a kid, but most of them were bad. Not scary.Think the Hammer movies or Vincent Price drek.

And then there was Psycho. You kids don't understand, like you don't understand Star Wars, how one flick can change the world of movie-making.

And after that, there wasn't so much, not to that level of scariness, not to me anyway. Until Halloween. That had us jumping.

But Halloween begat Friday the 13th, which begat the Nightmare movies, and the whole genre became an exercise of either an unstoppable/immortal foe, or a gross-out gorefest, or both. I just don't care to watch them.

(I adored Alien and Aliens, but I'm calling Alien a scifi/horror crossover, and Aliens a straight-out scifi/adventure.)

I love hammer films just because of the cheese factor.

 

[Grandpa]

I love hammer films just because of the cheese factor.

Ever see that Vincent Price masterpiece, The Tingler? Apparently when we get frightened, a big lobster grows on our spine, and the only way we keep it from killing us is by screaming, which shrinks it down. So Vincent has to find a mute girl and terrify her and then cut her open to extract the thing. Now, that's cheese. Or just a horrible plot.

 

[Dana Jean]

Ever see that Vincent Price masterpiece, The Tingler? Apparently when we get frightened, a big lobster grows on our spine, and the only way we keep it from killing us is by screaming, which shrinks it down. So Vincent has to find a mute girl and terrify her and then cut her open to extract the thing. Now, that's cheese. Or just a horrible plot.

Oh absolutely! Love it! lol! The fact that the mute woman can't scream is priceless.

 

[skimom2]

Ever see that Vincent Price masterpiece, The Tingler? Apparently when we get frightened, a big lobster grows on our spine, and the only way we keep it from killing us is by screaming, which shrinks it down. So Vincent has to find a mute girl and terrify her and then cut her open to extract the thing. Now, that's cheese. Or just a horrible plot.

I introduced my kids to that one (and the rest of William Castle's schlockfests that I could find) last winter. They liked all of them, but especially Thirteen Ghosts.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

It's an odd feeling being afraid of watching a scary movie or going into a scary ride. There is a negative feeling but it's fun at the same time. If I were you, I would just go with it and watch scary films. What's the worst that could happen?

I liked horror movies as a kid, but most of them were bad. Not scary.Think the Hammer movies or Vincent Price drek.

In my opinion, this is still a problem. Most scary movies seem more gross than anything else. Though there have been some classics like Scream in the 90s and Drag Me to Hell. I don't like the horror genre, but when it's done well I love it.

You kids don't understand, like you don't understand Star Wars, how one flick can change the world of movie-making.

I don't quite agree. Pulp Fiction and Braveheart were game changers. In recent years, I would argue the Dark Knight has set a template that many movies try to copy because it was so good.

 

[Kurben]

I liked horror movies as a kid, but most of them were bad. Not scary.Think the Hammer movies or Vincent Price drek.

And then there was Psycho. You kids don't understand, like you don't understand Star Wars, how one flick can change the world of movie-making.

And after that, there wasn't so much, not to that level of scariness, not to me anyway. Until Halloween. That had us jumping.

But Halloween begat Friday the 13th, which begat the Nightmare movies, and the whole genre became an exercise of either an unstoppable/immortal foe, or a gross-out gorefest, or both. I just don't care to watch them.

(I adored Alien and Aliens, but I'm calling Alien a scifi/horror crossover, and Aliens a straight-out scifi/adventure.)

Every successful horrormovie, (and the really good ones are few and far between, i agree) will spawn a lot of inferior imitations. Scream is a parody of the genre in the same time as it is a horror movie in it own right. Thats just the way of the movie industry. But it still pops out good ones now and then. I saw a spanish one, don't remember the title but it would be something like the childrens home in english (El infanato i think it was in spanish but my spanish is nothing to write home about). I also saw a romanian one that was creepy. But they are exceptions. Most of the movies follow formula 1A and, therefore, are not surprising or chocking since we have started to expect that girl to die in just that way at that moment. My point is that the majority of horror has always been imitations. I don't think it is much different now compared with then.

 

[skimom2]

Every successful horrormovie, (and the really good ones are few and far between, i agree) will spawn a lot of inferior imitations. Scream is a parody of the genre in the same time as it is a horror movie in it own right. Thats just the way of the movie industry. But it still pops out good ones now and then. I saw a spanish one, don't remember the title but it would be something like the childrens home in english (El infanato i think it was in spanish but my spanish is nothing to write home about). I also saw a romanian one that was creepy. But they are exceptions. Most of the movies follow formula 1A and, therefore, are not surprising or chocking since we have started to expect that girl to die in just that way at that moment. My point is that the majority of horror has always been imitations. I don't think it is much different now compared with then.

And what's successfully scary will differ from person to person. I was scared by the original Halloween when I was a kid, but as an adult only three movies have really creeped me out: The Strangers, Funny Games (aside from casting, the German and English versions are virtually indistinguishable), and a French zombie film called Mutants. I'd bet there are plenty of people here that would have no problem with any of these. Vive la Horror!

 

[Kurben]

And what's successfully scary will differ from person to person. I was scared by the original Halloween when I was a kid, but as an adult only three movies have really creeped me out: The Strangers, Funny Games (aside from casting, the German and English versions are virtually indistinguishable), and a French zombie film called Mutants. I'd bet there are plenty of people here that would have no problem with any of these. Vive la Horror!

Of course. What i meant by successful was more at the boxoffice. If you're successful there people tend to think that that movie has sometrhing and a lot of inferior imitations comes along. I must admit that of the ones you mentioned i only seen Funny games. Never even heard of the others. They are on my list. Horror is a very personal thing so of course it varies from person to person. If you are afraid of flies don't watch David cronenbergs The Fly but if youre not then it will probably just be a sciencefiction flick among others. Have always had a weakness for Cronenberg. But as you said: Vive la Horror

 

[skimom2]

Have always had a weakness for Cronenberg. But as you said: Vive la Horror

Oh my gosh--I almost forgot one of his that gave me the horrors: Dead Ringers. That was definitely creepy!