I don’t do scary. That’s kind of my opinion of scary movies. The whole “horror” genre is probably the one I have the least respect for – verging on contempt for its devolvement from ‘slasher’ films to the ‘torture porn’ that now passes for scary. I don’t cry in films a lot; I’m not scared in films a lot. You have to really, really work to get either reaction from me.
Being frightened is similar to being amused. You can analyze to death why you find something funny; but you just do or your don’t. Being scared is a little more traceable, but you’re either scared or you’re not. They ‘get you’ or they don’t. These are five films that got me. Getting me is usually a combination of the invasion of the safety of the home after a long burn of suspense. The Strangers is honestly the most scared I’ve ever been watching a film. I was not ok for weeks. At all. So it’s a bit late for Halloween, but if you want to have a marathon of things that scare me absolutely comatose, here’s the list.
1. The Strangers (2008)
2. The Sixth Sense (1999)
2. The Others (2001)
3. Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
5. Sinister (2012)
I have the same exact problem with horror films. The slasher genre is beneath contempt; those movies don’t scare me, and they represent terrible filmmaking to boot. Also, I don’t scare easy. Basically, two horror films (out of thousands) freak me out: Kubrick’s Shining, and David Cronenberg’s remake of The Fly. Both of those movies really get under my skin. Also, I am a unabashed fan of Raimi’s Evil Dead 2. The film doesn’t scare me, but it’s entertaining. During the Halloween season I tend to watch black comedies and Tim Burton movies. Also, the old Universal monster movies. Those films are pretty remarkably awesome.
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They are awesome and I’m hoping that Universal’s plan to create a shared universe for them and reignite them for a new generation will get the talent and care they deserve.
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What I really want (and maybe it’s too much to ask) is for them to take the characters SERIOUSLY. These characters have been deconstructed and psychoanalyzed to death, and they’ve been mocked and disrespected since the time of Abbot and Costello. Universal needs to recognize what made these monsters scary back in the day, then figure out how to make them disturbing again for a modern audience. They need to transmit the essence of the characters, not the cliched trappings.
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Exactly what I want to see. I don’t want campy crap. Treat them like Marvel’s treated their characters. Embrace hundreds of years of lore. Imagine the kind of combined world someone like del Toro could create if he poured himself (and freaking focused) into it.
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