Ancey Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Interesting Story- I remember when Paranormal Activity came out some while ago, and at that time, while pretty secular, still sort of agnostic/on the fence. That movie did make me a little freaked out. I had chills a couple of times in the dark, so much I'd need to turn on the TV or something to give me some light in the room. Same with a lot of scary movies. Well, over on of the recent breaks, I rented "Paranormal Activity 2", which supposedly is scarier than the original. I like some good scary movies, truthfully, so I wanted to see it. While I liked the movie, and thought it was really good, and got a good couple jump scares, I didn't have the issue of "oh gosh, something is in my closet!" for days afterward. I thought the ending was nowhere near as scary- creepy as all hell, but not as scary as the first movie's ending. Ha. My Atheism has made me less scared of scary movies. I'm quite aware there are no demons or ghosts or such that will come out and drag me under the bed or something. I think that's it. So, I guess extend the question- are you less scared of the random bumps in the night? (which tend to be inconsequential like house creaking, wind blowing, odd reflection of light as you walk by, etc.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrotherJosh Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I watch scary or horror movies quite a bit, in all honesty most of them don't really get to me much anymore. Most of the popular scary movies I have never really found to be all that frightening...A good serial killer or horror movie is always fun to watch, any movies with demons or exorcisms I just kind of laugh at. For instance that recent movie came out with Anthony Hopkins, The Exorcist I think...anyways, I watched a few trailers and it just seemed cheesy. Same goes for Paranormal Activity. Some of my favorite horror movies are zombie ones, not because it can really happen just because it'd be kinda fun running around with a shotgun and looting department stores looking for Twinkies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I think you're right. When you believe in your imaginary friends, you have some tendency to believe that this sort of shit might really happen. Once you've give that up, you realize how litte sense that makes. Now, I don't like anything gorey or graphic, but I love a good psychological thriller. I remember going to see The Omen with some friends when I was in high school. The movie wasn't showing in our little town, so we had to drive to a bigger town 30 miles away, at night, of course. The long drive back through the country was freaky, and when I got home, I had to check every dark nook and cranny before I could go to sleep. Turned out that all of us had that experience, which was especially bad for the girl who drove, as she still had to get home after she dropped all of us off. Not exactly a response to your discussion, but a funny story anyhow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dB-Paradox Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 You guys are lucky then. I've been a necrophobic most of my life, and I, too, thought that it had dissipated in the last couple of years since becoming an atheist. But just last night, one of the staff members I worked with committed suicide, and for some reason, I can't go anywhere near her room. It seems that my necrophobia has come back to bite me in the ass once again. Man, this sux! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Paranormal 2- just watched it and it was bad. The first movie wasn't that great either but this one was sooo slow. Basically, if you think about it, nothing much happens until the very end and it seems like simply a repeat of the first film. Most of the time I feel cheated when the film maker doesn't ever show me the creature. Build-up is fine and necessary, but at some point let's see the demon crawling across the ceiling or something a la Exorcist III (great film). Not just pans falling down in the kitchen, a pool cleaner machine with a mind of its own, or a bunch of cabinets suddenly opening. Where have we seen this before? About a thousand times. Now "Poltergeist" was a much better film - they showed the ghosts. Someone possessed? Big woo - the person was in darkness so we couldn't see anything much. I also think the trend of the "home movie look" has about run its course. The shaky shots, all the trivial home movie type conversation, etc. It was done well and very creatively in "The Blair Witch Project" and since someone came up with a good idea, we see it repeated endlessly by lesser talents. Why is it in these movies that the men are so clueless? What is with this thing that the women are tuned in to the supernatural and the men don't get it? Especially Paranormal 2. The guy is very plainly living in a haunted house and only the women are seeing what is going on. I am a long-time horror movie fan, but It has been a long time since I have seen any horror movies that really scared or surprised me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I totally had to de-lurk to respond to this one, because I totally know what you mean. I've always been a complete wuss when it comes to horror -- especially the cheesiest supernatural horror -- and I absolutely think it has something to do with the already imaginative fancies I had about the supernatural world because of religion. Remember the This Present Darkness series by Frank Peretti? Yeah, if I thought all those angels and demons were really battling it out in the invisible space around my bed in the dark, it's no wonder it wasn't much of a stretch to picture, say, the Blair Witch hanging out with them too. It got worse when I started actively doubting religion, because it felt like I'd lost the talismanic protection of faith but not the belief in those invisible baddies. Atheism has absolutely made the scary less scary. BUT. Yesterday I got my bad-ass atheist self to Youtube in a fit of procrastination and ended up watching a bunch of clips from Japanese horror flicks. You know, the hair ghosts that walk like their bones are broken and they have rocks in their shoes? The ones that literally scare their victims to death? Yyyyeah. I got about three and a half hours' sleep last night. I spent most of the time staring at shadows, fully expecting them to turn into long, creeping, black hair... Then again, when I was a kid the Yip Yip aliens on Sesame Street used to scare the hell out of me. My mom told me I had an overactive imagination... Maybe she was right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 BUT. Yesterday I got my bad-ass atheist self to Youtube in a fit of procrastination and ended up watching a bunch of clips from Japanese horror flicks. You know, the hair ghosts that walk like their bones are broken and they have rocks in their shoes? The ones that literally scare their victims to death? Yyyyeah. I got about three and a half hours' sleep last night. I spent most of the time staring at shadows, fully expecting them to turn into long, creeping, black hair... Oh yes, Japanese horror, the only bright spot in at least the last 10 years. The Ring was great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMJ Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 The Yip Yip aliens frightened me also! Once you watch a few horror movies they loose their hold to frighten you. If you really want to rid yourself of some fear, listen to the actos and directors commentary. Seeing the actor who played the monster giggle or crack a joke takes some of the terror out of your favorite scary movies. Some scary movies can sometimes disturb me but none frighten me anymore. I do admit that if I go in a bathroom, I check all the stalls to make certaint that there isn't a serial killer hanging out. LOL And if I use the bathroom at a friend's, I check the shower and closet. But that is fear left over from watching slasher movies when I was a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erica Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Oh yes, Japanese horror, the only bright spot in at least the last 10 years. The Ring was great. DON'T MENTION THAT FILM. *cowers under the blanket* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CelticWhisper Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 Interestingly enough, The Ring didn't scare me. I think it actually put me to sleep. Ju-On, however, and The Eye (Thai horror film) scared the everloving fuck out of me. Also, if you want scary, try some David Lynch. His movies aren't classified as horror but some of the most terrifying things I've ever seen are in his films. He's the only director I know of who truly understands dream logic and can reproduce it on the screen, and the end result is movies that literally play out like nightmares. Inland Empire is the best example but I would NOT recommend that one for a newcomer to Lynch - get used to his style first. Lost Highway (anything with the Mystery Man), Mulholland Drive (that fucking fuckdamn motherfucker Winkie's scene), and the Twin Peaks series and follow-up movie (fire...walk...with...MEEEEEE!) are great examples of how he can be scary without you realizing it until it's too late. If you want to ratchet it up a notch, try Eraserhead. Just note that people commonly find Eraserhead really fucking sick and one actress almost quit production because of certain scenes. As for IE, well, it contains the only scene in movie history to ever give me nightmares, and this is coming from someone who used to watch Event Horizon every night to go to sleep. It's 3 hours long, though, and by far Lynch's most abstract and incomprehensible work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petunia Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I think scary movies will still freak me out. But, now I don't think that the spiritual side will be as bad for me. The Exorcist was so bad for me, because I believed it was real. Plus Linda Blair was really creepy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExFundiDCLawyer Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I watched the Exorcitst for the first time last night. I had never seen it or the poltergeist movies because to do so would "allow satan into my life" I watched other horror movies, just not those because they are "real". And because of all the "unexplained" deaths that occured around those movies. Lol, which I have sense discovered was all an urban ledgend made up to scare people, kinda like the satanic halloween rituals I heard about as a kid. Now that I am an atheist, I have been meaning to watch them. I was home sick yesterday and it was on TV. I found it mostly ammusing, with bad acting and not scary at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vigile Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I watched the Exorcitst for the first time last night. I had never seen it or the poltergeist movies because to do so would "allow satan into my life" I watched other horror movies, just not those because they are "real". And because of all the "unexplained" deaths that occured around those movies. Lol, which I have sense discovered was all an urban ledgend made up to scare people, kinda like the satanic halloween rituals I heard about as a kid. Now that I am an atheist, I have been meaning to watch them. I was home sick yesterday and it was on TV. I found it mostly ammusing, with bad acting and not scary at all. The real exorcist story took place in your neck of the woods in a big house in Georgetown. I've walked by it on occasion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I agree David Lynch's work is incredibly disturbing. I also don't get it - meaning I can't understand the plot, sorry. "Twin Peaks" is a good example. I watched a couple of episodes, dismissed it as boring and never tried again despite a friend of mine's enthusiastic recommendation. The only movie I saw of his that I really appreciate is "Blue Velvet". That is a good movie. The first Exorcist movie came out when I was in school and I had a cool teacher who really loved it. She was scared by it and I really wanted to see it then, but I was too young to watch it and my parents were fundys, so it was only many years later that I saw it. One of the few movies where I read the book before I saw it (a mistake). It is still very effective and just a great film. The scariest Japanese film I have ever seen is "The Audition". I almost could not watch that one. Generally speaking, I don't care for torture flicks, even though it was artfully done. I think I have seen "Ju On" but can't specifically remember - some plot details and it may come to mind more than the title. I love all those Japanese ghost/reincarnation movies. My all time favorite horror movie remains "The Thing" - the John Carpenter re-make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galien Posted March 17, 2011 Share Posted March 17, 2011 I don't like horror movies, don't understand why people want to see other people get hurt. I have a firm grip on the fact its the live ones that present the threat. I have to say though that any pschyopath wearing a hockey mask that was silly enough to attack me would most likely come off second best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabula Rasa Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 The scariest Japanese film I have ever seen is "The Audition". I almost could not watch that one. Generally speaking, I don't care for torture flicks, even though it was artfully done. Deva, The Audition freaked me out pretty bad too. If it's any consolation the movie freaked out Rob Zombie so bad he walked out of the theater. We're talking the same guy who directed House of a Thousand Corpses, The Devil's Rejects and the Halloween remakes. One thing that freaked me out pretty bad when I was a kid(about 8), was an episode of Night Gallery called Professor Peabody's Last Lecture. It has a world religions professor lecturing his class about " The Great Old Ones" in a mocking manner, and as he does, the weather outside starts getting bad. This was a great case of what you couldn't see being capable of scaring the crap out of you. For those of you who are curious, here's the episode on Youtube.( I can't be held responsible for any nightmares you have or if you wet the bed(lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabula Rasa Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I don't like horror movies, don't understand why people want to see other people get hurt. I have a firm grip on the fact its the live ones that present the threat. I have to say though that any pschyopath wearing a hockey mask that was silly enough to attack me would most likely come off second best Well Galien, as for me, ever since I was a kid, I've always had an interest in the strange and unusual. When I was a kid, I loved monsters and dinosaurs.(Godzilla and The Hulk were my heroes). Aside from that, I think some people like to be scared because it's a release. The real world is full of anxiety, and horror is one way to vent those mundane fears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deva Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Hey TR, that's a good Night Gallery episode, strange that its one I don't remember from the original run of the series. The two that I do remember are the one where the dead guy is coming to the house and as he gets closer and closer you can see it in a painting - Roddy McDowell was in that one - and the other one is where the earwigs get into this guys head. I can't explain my fascination with horror but it has been pretty much life long. I love monster movies, ghosts and everything supernatural. The real world creates such anxiety for me that you would think that would be enough but it may be that this is a way of somehow trying to cope better by seeing the worst that can happen and dealing with it on some level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galien Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 I don't like horror movies, don't understand why people want to see other people get hurt. I have a firm grip on the fact its the live ones that present the threat. I have to say though that any pschyopath wearing a hockey mask that was silly enough to attack me would most likely come off second best Well Galien, as for me, ever since I was a kid, I've always had an interest in the strange and unusual. When I was a kid, I loved monsters and dinosaurs.(Godzilla and The Hulk were my heroes). Aside from that, I think some people like to be scared because it's a release. The real world is full of anxiety, and horror is one way to vent those mundane fears. Interesting tabs. I got the wind up me over that witch from Snow White and then it was adrenalin central. I was sure that fucking medusa lived outside my house in the bushes. Because of my heightened anxiety I am not a good friend of adrenalin so I tend to avoid it where at all possible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volt Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 My mom absolutely refuses to watch the Exorcist because it freaks her out so much. I watched it when I was like 12 or 13, so a few years ago now, but I was never scared by it. It was kinda disturbing, yeah, but I didn't freak out or get paranoid afterward or anything. My parents insist that I'd be scared of it if I grew up going to church, and they're probably right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chosendarkness Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 Must be some sort of primitive reaction in our brains to the unknown that causes us to get scared by ghost movies. I don't believe in ghosts and ghoulies, yet I can still get scared at night after a good supernatural horror movie. It's much easier now to ignore and go to sleep though since becoming a skeptic. I have to admit I get some weird pleasure out of being scared of the dark. Weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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