Really Deep Thoughts

Hi All,
The question posed several times over at the imdb boards is:
Why do people watch and enjoy horror films?

I’m going to TRY to answer.
I don't like gory, sadomasochistic crap. I don't like seeing women or men tortured or killed senselessly. Having said that, I DO like to be scared. I like more of the paranormal stuff, or the make-believe stuff, like anything that ever appeared on 'The X Files' (though some of that was real-life creepy stuff), like ghost stories and things that go bump in the night. I will watch some of the 'slasher' films only because there's a fright factor in them. You know, 'Look now! When she closes that door a killer will crawl out from behind its shadow!' So sure, I've seen my share of teens getting murdered on film. Most of the horror films made are very laughable. The killings are so over the top that we laugh. But then, I've also seen ‘Platoon’ and ‘Full Metal Jacket’, and the teens that were murdered in those films bothered me a lot more. I guess the thing with most horror movies is, I know it's all fake. And despite clever marketing devices like, 'Based on a true story!' none of these things have any basis in reality. There have been some very sick people out there, serial killers, on whom some of these stories are loosely based. Like 'Wolf Creek’ or ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ or ‘Silence of the Lambs.’ Those can be a bit more disturbing.

But the question was, WHY does being scared appeal to me? It's like a roller-coaster ride or sky diving: feeling like you might plummet to your death gives you an adrenaline rush like no other. But those things can be done safely, you might argue. Yes, true. But your mind will never think it's SAFE to jump out of a plane at 30,000 feet or fly on a rickety vehicle at speeds of up to 100 mph. The mind is designed to set off alarms when the body is in potential danger. And we've gotten to the point (I have, anyway) where when we watch a movie (or read a book) we engross ourselves so much that we think we're IN the movie. We sympathize with the characters set before us. So when said characters are put in peril, we fear along with them. Adrenaline rises, and we like it. There's a small part in our heads, though, that tells us it's not completely real. It's all just a psychological thing. I would think shrinks would have a field day with this question.

One poster’s objection to 'Wolf Creek' was that it was exploitative of women. All horror movies are exploitative of violence, to men and women. And we are all very, very desensitized to violence. I am desensitized to violence on film, for sure. Because I have studied films and obsessed over them my whole life, and I know how they are made, I do not completely lose it at killings on screen, unless they’re just overdone, like in ‘Hostel.’ In real life, if I saw such things, I would throw up and probably end up in the nearest facility because in real life, I hate violence of any kind. I cannot even stand a verbal argument in real life. And I get angry at the very thought of one human being abusing another, whether it be physical, mental, or worse.

But yet, I’ve written stories from the first-person perspective of a murderer. I myself would never so much as yell at another person. I made it all up from a character somewhere in my head. I guess it's a great oxymoron? I like to be scared in the fantasy world of film, but not in real life. In real life, simple things like heights, being underwater, and clowns scare me.

This debate reminds me of the Car Wreck phenomena: Why do people want to SEE the car wreck victims? We all slow the car and crane our necks on instinct. Why are we drawn to violence and frightening things? Who knows. I guess there’s just something in us, in our makeup as people. I know there are people here who will say, “But I HATE horror movies! And I hate to be scared, in any form!” Good for you, I say. You do not have The Dark Side in you. Me personally, I have it. Why? Probably has to do with things that happened when I was a young child (Freud was right!). I saw a lot of young people like myself (I was 4, 5, 6,7 years old) suffer. And that’s the cruelest violence I can think of: inflicted by our own bodies, when they don’t work correctly. Because that leads to violence against ourselves. And that’s a real tragedy.

So why do I enjoy scary, creepy, horror movie type stuff? Because Edgar Allan Poe was one hell of a writer, and I read him at a young age. Haha He is still number one at horror. Numero Uno! I actually was looking through some childhood books I had and I noticed that I had quite a few that dealt with ghosts and such. So it’s my parents’ fault! Haha Thank You, Parents. I think some of us seek out what we don’t know and don’t understand. And we never know when these killers in horror films will strike, or how, and that’s part of the interest. I’m just trying to answer this question, but as you see from my endless rambling, it’s hard!

Reasons I Really Like Horror Films
1) There’s always attractive teen-early 20’s guys as leads. What’s nice on the eyes is nice on the mind.
2) The Slutty Girl usually bites it pretty early. I was never a fan of slutty girls, sorry.
3) The killer is usually some hideous guy with deep family issues of some kind, thus branding ugly guys forever.
4) Someone always survives and manages to foil the killer. So you feel like you got a nice chase, at any rate, and revenge.
5) The overacting and yelling is often so overdone, it’s comical. Laughs are always good.


:)
Have a great day, All!