Remember Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark? No one remembers that actual stories, but they'll remember the illustrations (like the one above - one of the tamer ones at that) until the day they die. I mention this because I'm trying to get my family to have a horror movie night with me. I was going to update afterwards, with what movies we watched and how we liked them, but it keeps getting put off. So, I decided to do a pre-movie night post. I've been on a bit of a horror kick recently: books, movies, TV shows, you name it. It's all been a little bit of a disappointment, though. Take movies. I have watched some good scary movies (horror, thriller, suspense, etc.), but none of them have actually scared me. I'm looking for something that will give me that same sense of dread that I still get from those creepy-ass Scary Stories illustrations. Since movie night got pushed back, I thought I would see if anyone has any suggestions for a really good scary movie (or stand-alone TV episode).
First of all, I have to admit that I am not a gore fan. I like my creeps more psychological and mysterious. The problem with that, however, is that many of these movies tend to be of the more slow-burning variety. While there is nothing wrong with this kind of film in theory, it can be done very well, but it also gets very predictable. The suspense, the escalating scares, the louder and louder bumps in the night can become almost interchangeable between movies. If you've seen it once, you've seen it a thousand times. The noises and flashes of ghosts can still make you jump, but predictability is almost always anathema to any real sense of unease that these movies are supposed to create. This was my main problem with The Conjuring. It had some fun scares, but, in the end, it was just a standard haunted house movie.
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| I added this under the break because what the fuck, right? |
On the flip side of the coin, however, are movies that show their cards too soon and disappoint. This was my problem with Insidious. The boy in the inexplicable coma was an interesting storyline, but the explanation and the later foray into the Further was too ridiculous. I am currently reading Danse Macabre by Stephen King, which is a study on horror as a genre. (Just as a side note, did you know that the "grue" in "gruesome" is an actual word? It means "a predator that dwells in the dark" and is a frequently used term in this book.) King talks about seeing the zipper on the back of the monster. It's the disappointment of seeing the man behind the curtain instead of the wizard. There is nothing worse than an ending that doesn't live up to the build.
I think one of the only movies that really hits the mark when it comes to showing too little vs. showing too much is The Sixth Sense. Although, this is probably more of a thriller than a horror film, it is a classic for a reason. With all the "they were dead all along" twist endings floating about now, it's easy to forget that it was The Sixth Sense that started the trend. As far as twist endings go, most people found this one fairly unexpected, and it felt organic when it could very easily have been forced.
I did like Paranormal Activity, although not quite in the way that I think the movie intended. The movie was entertaining enough, but it was later, after it had ended that it actually affected me. I think it would have been even creepier if I had not lived alone at the time that I saw it, but it was unnerving to think about all that could be going on while I am blissfully unconscious in sleep. I also liked the twist on a person being haunted rather than a house. It cleanly takes care of that whole "why the hell don't they just move" problem that dogs most haunted house movies.
So, does anyone have any suggestions? What movies or books or shows actually frightened you?
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