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The horror within horror

Started by Hydra009, September 09, 2019, 03:03:39 PM

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Munch

Quote from: SGOS on September 12, 2019, 02:57:50 PM
When the first Exorcist made it's big debut, my wife told me that some psychologists had done some research on its effects, because the movie and the book had notoriously affected people in big ways.  She said that those who were most affected were people of faith.  Atheists were mostly unaffected, and the people of faith group was broken down into two sub groups.  Now this if from memory from way back but faith was broken down into strong faith and weak faith, and I think the group that was disturbed by the movie the most was the weaker faith group.  At that time of my life, I would have been in the weak faith group.  I had serious doubts but I was trying to hang on to my Christian upbringing, and trying desperately to find some logic in it.  I had definitely made room for it in my perspective, but essentially I was on my way out the door.  As I noted, that movie and the book kept me awake for months.

I kinda felt the same way, although it was released in cinema before my time, it made a resurgence onto VHS years after when before it was deemed to horrific to be released to the public until then. When it was released, and advertised around, I was still in my late teens and dared myself to see it, this being around the time I was still on the fence with my own beliefs, thinking there could be things out there, their could be spirits or ghosts, there could be curses and such things, so watching this hit be then.

I can rewatch it today without those feelings anymore for obvious reasons, however its like something at the back of my mind still plays to that those feelings of fear that kept it up at night, kinda like your inner child.   
'Political correctness is fascism pretending to be manners' - George Carlin

trdsf

I have no patience for horror movies that rely on gore. The ones that sneak into your head and set up camp, those I like (in careful doses).

The original Blair Witch Project, that worked specifically because you never saw the 'monster'.  We saw it at an early afternoon matinee and I had been impressed enough by it, but I didn't realize how insidious the movie was until I climbed into bed that night and turned off the light and every normal nighttime noise sounded creepy.

The light came right back on, and I sat awake until an hour past sunup.
"My faith in the Constitution is whole, it is complete, it is total, and I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction of the Constitution." -- Barbara Jordan

Unbeliever

I recall one that was pretty good, called The Entity.


God Not Found
"There is a sucker born-again every minute." - C. Spellman

SGOS

Quote from: Munch on September 12, 2019, 03:03:52 PM
I kinda felt the same way, although it was released in cinema before my time, it made a resurgence onto VHS years after when before it was deemed to horrific to be released to the public until then. When it was released, and advertised around, I was still in my late teens and dared myself to see it, this being around the time I was still on the fence with my own beliefs, thinking there could be things out there, their could be spirits or ghosts, there could be curses and such things, so watching this hit be then.

I can rewatch it today without those feelings anymore for obvious reasons, however its like something at the back of my mind still plays to that those feelings of fear that kept it up at night, kinda like your inner child.   
I bought a copy for myself years later just because I considered it a classic.  It has little or no effect on me now.  I read the book first as it was making the rounds around the dorm and everyone was talking about it.  I couldn't believe the book scared me so bad.  About a year later the movie came out, so I knew the plot and movie followed the book exactly.  Even knowing what was going to happen I started wondering if I should be sitting there in the theater.  It may have been opening night. Half the college was there, and of course I was sitting in the middle of the row in a theater about to overflow.  Escaping would have been a major embarrassment, so I toughed it out, worried that I would be doing irreparable emotional damage to myself.  But here I am laughing as I write this.

Baruch

Quote from: SGOS on September 12, 2019, 02:57:50 PM
When the first Exorcist made it's big debut, my wife told me that some psychologists had done some research on its effects, because the movie and the book had notoriously affected people in big ways.  She said that those who were most affected were people of faith.  Atheists were mostly unaffected, and the people of faith group was broken down into two sub groups.  Now this if from memory from way back but faith was broken down into strong faith and weak faith, and I think the group that was disturbed by the movie the most was the weaker faith group.  At that time of my life, I would have been in the weak faith group.  I had serious doubts but I was trying to hang on to my Christian upbringing, and trying desperately to find some logic in it.  I had definitely made room for it in my perspective, but essentially I was on my way out the door.  As I noted, that movie and the book kept me awake for months.

Catholic movies seem automatically Gothic to me, even if they have nothing particularly horror about them.
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Gawdzilla Sama

Quote from: Mike Cl on September 12, 2019, 02:03:31 PM
I remember in '53 I was taken by my grandparents to see a movie--I picked War of the Worlds (Gene Barry); they dropped me off and picked me up--so I watched it alone.  I then had to go back to their house and sleep upstairs by myself.  That movie scared the shit out of me!  Sleeping that night was not easy.  I have hated horror movies ever since.  I do remember seeing the Fly and Alligator People, in the early 60's--but those were not horror movies, what with their rubber costumes and poor special effects, but comedies.   Still don't like horror movies in general, tho.
I saw "The Last Man on Earth", with Vince Price, in the local one screen theater converted from a store. Early zombie movie. Price falls asleep in his wife's mausoleum and wakes up after dark, when the zombies are out. He has to fight his way out of the cemetery  and back to his little fortress.

After the movie was over I walked two miles to get back home, part of it through a cemetery.   In the dark.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

Gawdzilla Sama

Quote from: trdsf on September 12, 2019, 03:05:24 PM
I have no patience for horror movies that rely on gore. The ones that sneak into your head and set up camp, those I like (in careful doses).

The original Blair Witch Project, that worked specifically because you never saw the 'monster'.  We saw it at an early afternoon matinee and I had been impressed enough by it, but I didn't realize how insidious the movie was until I climbed into bed that night and turned off the light and every normal nighttime noise sounded creepy.

The light came right back on, and I sat awake until an hour past sunup.
I've hated POV movies ever since that one.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

Gawdzilla Sama

My sister and brother-in-law went with me to see "The Exorcist". Kathy chickened out and left for the lobby about half way through. After the movie Terry and I went to collect her and found she was the only girl there, six guys were also in the cluckers collection.
We 'new atheists' have a reputation for being militant, but make no mistake  we didn't start this war. If you want to place blame put it on the the religious zealots who have been poisoning the minds of the  young for a long long time."
PZ Myers

SGOS

OK, so I just dragged out my DVD of the Exorcist.  I'm almost finished.  Now, knowing the plot and having watched at least 5 times, but not once in the last 5 years.  I would describe it as interesting, good plot, and what I might refer to as cinematically creepy.  That is, I can understand the intent, and see how it would feel at least creepy to downright terrifying to viewers, but all I feel is a critical interest in observing the film.  No jumps, no revulsion, or fears, and I'll sleep like a baby tonight.

To imagine it once had such an impact on me is perplexing.  I guess people just change.

Unbeliever

I don't remember anything but being disgusted by The Exorcist. Not a movie I could watch more than once.
God Not Found
"There is a sucker born-again every minute." - C. Spellman

Munch

Quote from: SGOS on September 12, 2019, 06:50:54 PM
OK, so I just dragged out my DVD of the Exorcist.  I'm almost finished.  Now, knowing the plot and having watched at least 5 times, but not once in the last 5 years.  I would describe it as interesting, good plot, and what I might refer to as cinematically creepy.  That is, I can understand the intent, and see how it would feel at least creepy to downright terrifying to viewers, but all I feel is a critical interest in observing the film.  No jumps, no revulsion, or fears, and I'll sleep like a baby tonight.

To imagine it once had such an impact on me is perplexing.  I guess people just change.

of course they do. In a way that itself had a narrative point one of the reviews had for IT chapters 1 and 2. In IT chapter 2, it takes place 27 years after the first movie, which means the characters in it are 27 years older and have experienced growing and changing. One of the issues in chapter 2 is how you'd think that what the adult versions of the characters from chapter 1 now fear 27 years later would be very different to what they feared as children.

the review raised a good point in how the things we fear as children won't be the same things we fear as adults, and the flaw of chapter 2 could have done a better job of showing this. Like me, the things I fear today are not the same as what I did as a child. As a child I developed a fear of losing my mother, that she'd die one day and I'd be without her, that kind of existential crisis hit me hard as a child, and while that fear is still in me, its not the same all consuming fear it had back then.

fears change and we evolve. I was terrified of movies like the exorcist or halloween or childsplay as child or teen, but today the things that scare me more are things like living alone, or not having access to the medication I need like my insulin, or money troubles.

'Political correctness is fascism pretending to be manners' - George Carlin

Baruch

Quote from: Unbeliever on September 12, 2019, 06:56:50 PM
I don't remember anything but being disgusted by The Exorcist. Not a movie I could watch more than once.

Just jealous you can't cuss out a Catholic priest as good as the girl could ;-)
Ha’át’íísh baa naniná?
Azee’ Å,a’ish nanídį́į́h?
Táadoo ánít’iní.
What are you doing?
Are you taking any medications?
Don't do that.

Unbeliever

Nah, just jealous of that crucifix...
God Not Found
"There is a sucker born-again every minute." - C. Spellman

Hydra009

#43
Quote from: Mr.Obvious on September 12, 2019, 02:11:08 PMZombie flicks don't scare me either, but they do give me nightmares.
Me neither.  I feel bad for them, honestly.  Scanning the immediate area and figuring out how they died really tugs at the ol' heartstrings.

But TWD has a great twist that truly makes them scary again: not all zombies are zombies.  Some of them are living people disguised as zombies.  They can cause normal anti-zombie gameplans to fail spectacularly - leading the zombies around barricades/traps, ferreting out otherwise well-hidden survivors, using weapons unexpectedly, stealing items, etc.  A hell of a surprise!

And the worst part about it?  Every time you encounter a zombie, you're never quite sure what to expect.  Constantly second-guessing yourself can be just as costly as making a hasty decision in error, so you're handicapped either way.  And just a moment of hesitation can be deadly...

SGOS

The problem with zombies is that seem to be evolving unusually fast.  You can't keep up with zombie lore because it changes so fast.  I'm continually crying out, "Hey, there not supposed to be able to do that."