I'm not a huge Halloween fan. Never was. I was fat as a kid and none of the store-made costumes ever looked good on me. I was teased a lot about how I looked in general while in school. On Halloween, when we all had to wear our costumes to class, it was merciless.
I am, though, very fond of scary movies and during the October/Halloween buildup, there is a wealth of watching to choose from on television- both regular and cable.
Some oldies are favorites, like the original Dracula with Bela Lugosi. It is so campy and creepy that it stands the test of time in the scare-me department.
RoseMary's Baby came out in 1968 and for some reason, my parents took me along with them to see it. I didn't get a lot of the references to rape and the devil back then. Now when I watch the movie, I realize how many demonic themes were shoved into it. It's still a classic and can scare me if I'm watching it while home alone.
I wasn't allowed to see the Exorcist when it came out in movies because I was only 12. My parents heard all the hype for the movie and refused to let me go ( It was rated R, I think, at the time.) I saw it years later and realized they'd been right in keeping me away. Even as a college student, it scared the bejesus out of me.
The Omen was another movie that was pretty terrifying ( not the 57 sequels, tho! LOL).
There are a few classics that I don't find pulse-pounding at all but others do like Children of the Corn, Scream ( 1-5) The Texan Chainsaw Massacre, SAW (1-99, LOL). These last two I call torture porn because the movie makers' intention is to show as much blood and gore as they can in each film so you come back for more. The purpose of seeing how horrible we can be to other humans depicted on screen is their only function. Well, that and making money.
Why do we like to be scared? Damned if I know, but we do. There's nothing like seeing a horror movie in a movie theater with the lights down, almost off, the eery music playing in the background and the story evolving on the screen. When someone gasps or screams in the room, it sets off a chain reaction causing people who ordinarily keep silent to let out a few verbal scares as well.
The theme of this month was things that go bump in the night. Translated, to me, that means things that ramp up the terror in my heart. And for me, it's far scarier to be visually stimulated by what I see on screen than it is in any other medium - print, even real life.
And real life can be pretty darn scary, too!
Peggy Jaeger is a writer of rom-coms, romantic suspense, and stories about strong women, the families who support them, and the men who can't live without them.
Visit her at peggyjaeger.com
6 comments:
Good post, Peggy. You're right, there's something about seeing it on the big screen that makes it scarier.
i agree, Lynn. In the dark, surrounded by people you don't know...scary music loud and chest pumping. I'm scaring myself right now'
Peggy, you are so much braver than I am. I've seen zero of the movies you mention...but then I also don't read horror stories. I hear the latest Halloween with Jamie Lee Curtis is another classic. Thanks for sharing your favs, I'm sure some of our readers will be delighted to see them remembered.
Lady in White is terrifying without overt blood and gore. So is The Sixth Sense. I don’t like Horror much, but those two I liked. Great post!
The sixtth sense was terrifying! m. Night Shamylan is a king when it comes to this kind of horror.!
Judith - I think I am the exception to the rule when it comes to being scared, lol!
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