Thy time is nigh...horror film discussion!

[Terminal Est]

MF and I were wondering what kind of subjects might make for long winded interminable posts...this idea came up, and I cannot believe that it had not been brought fore before this. Or if it has, I missed it.

So then, what are your opinion on horror films? Do you like them? Are they a hobby, or something merely casual? I made up this little questionnaire here, in order to help, but, you do not have to follow it by any means.

How often do you watch horror films? How much do you enjoy them?

What DO you think of horror films in general?

Which horror film, or films, do you love the best?

Which horror film has completely and utterly frightened you?

What do you think the future of the horror genre will be?

What IS your favourite horror genre? Any opinion or thoughts on the differences between horror of yesterday, and that of today?

And finally...what do you like best about a horror film? Gore, suspense, a good story, characters, shock value, other? What do you believe to be the most important in making a horror film successful? Fear, or having fun?

Again, no need to answer all these, but give your general opinion about the horror genre, some favourite films, or if you totally hate them, then explain how come.

Now make your answers good, else I have this knife here and-*Trips, falls on knife, dies.*

I will answer it later. For now, I leave with this hilarious quote;

This is Rob Zombie we're talking about here. His Halloween remake is most likely gonna be about hot chicks and gore, I don't think he's a very deep guy.

[Revenant]

Well...

I don't watch horror films often, but if I watch, I enjoy...

Bloody reflecting of reality

13 Ghosts, Doom

13 Ghosts

bright...and creepy =P

I just can say that I like horrors with zombies, mutants and other unreal creatures...

Plot and blood! That's my answer on the last quastion
And the majority of people (and me) just have fun. we used to separate the reality from film so they are not scary any more.

[Terminal Est]

Very well, I shall reply to MF's Halloween post in here.

Out of all the Halloween movies I have seen, the first one is obviously the best, as it is a classic and has many elements which have been copied so many times since.

Indeed, the first Halloween film was praised for very specific things. Have you noticed that there is next to no gore in it? John Carpenter succeeded perfectly in establishing an aspect of fear and tension, by ditching the general slasher formula. Of course, a lot of it is still there, such as chase scenes and cheesy deaths, but we can take them more seriously because it can be a frightening film with his attempts at authentic fear.

By today's standards it may be laughable, after nearly thirty years, the genre has been refined, exaggerated, milked and everything you will, however it remains that next to Psycho, which pretty much invented the slasher genre, Halloween established it. It came out before Friday the Thirteenth, and although that latter series has seen much more success due to following Halloween films being so broken, it deserves the credit.

Although I cannot say I was entertained by it at the time, as I was completely and utterly terrified, it wasn't until much later that I was able to look back on the experience and appreciate it for thrilling me so much. Any movie that can have that much of an impact on you, whether it is positive or not, is a remarkable feat indeed.

Exactly, and this film (And the second, for me.) is genius for this. It is the sort of slasher film that cuts deeper (NO PUN INTENDED HA HA.) than most of its kind, and years later, we always seem to remember them...

When I was ten years old, I watched the second one, which is basically a continuation of the first, and the very best in the series, in my opinion.
However, it completely got to me, I was so frightened, frightened enough that my father was slightly alarmed. He came with me to rent it, this is what we did on the weekends, along with ''Alive'' and Halloween III.
He was not comfortable with my decision, but he allowed me to take it anyways, and I think he regretted it, ha ha.

Like you and the first, I was not entertained, not until years later when I found out why it was so scary. There is something WRONG about that entire film...After the first, John Carpenter did not want to make a sequel, however, his contract had obligated him to do so. He wanted to leave the first film as one story, and such was to be it.

I believe that how wrong his sequel feels is a manifestation of his vehemence. Michael is much more violent, and relentless, but not exaggerated as in the later sequels.

What frightened me the most was his robotic movements, and his complete lack of emotion. Not merely his mask which burned itself in my brain forever, but his...motive. Jason is angry, but we do not know what Myers feels, if anything...but he IS coming. I always have a bit of a hard time explaining it.

I did not realize it then, but...as well, it is one of the few slasher films where everyone in it knows that Michael is on the loose, and THEIR fear scared ME. An innocent man is killed in the film, the authorities thinking it was Myers...their panic and lack of control disturbed me, the little otherwise tranquil little town now turned into a living hell. And the hospital setting, poor Laurie being basically crippled and CRAWLING to escape as he ''walks'' after her. I was much too afraid, did not sleep for the longest time and I never watched a single horror film until the age of fourteen.

If Jason comes for you, you may as well get on your knees and pray. If Myers comes for you, you -might- escape, but most likely, you shall fail. This, in my opinion, makes it all the more disturbing.

We had rented other horror along with this...Halloween III, which I had not even watched at all because the second scared me too much. (But I knew not that it had nothing to do with Myers.) Not understanding much English back then, my imagination ran amok, as well...I did not realize that Myers was possessed, I thought he was a normal human, and could not understand how he could be so strong...and unemotional.

Michael Myers is an interesting villain, because he is so effective as a horror icon only because of the elements of the environment. If the movie was shot in scenes during the day, he really would not be very scary at all, at least I don't think so. I would probably laugh at him, especially in that slow way he moves. It is the mask in the dark elements which make him so f**king scary, and the fact that his face is already hidden adds to the mystery of the evil. I do not remember ever seeing his real face, and I guess that is part of the illusion and awe.

Indeed, everyone commands the mask, for it is this which spreads so much fear...Jason looks angry, but Michael Myers has no emotion, and it seems to stick out of the darkness-but only when he wishes it.

We do see his face though, in the extended version of the first film, which I own. He looks, er, odd. XD

I find him creepy during the day, just as much. Remember when he stares at Laurie through the school window in broad daylight?

Oh, and fun fact; the first mask is a replica of William Shatner's face, for real.

I was not too impressed with many of the sequals, but I must admit that I did really like H20.

What makes the Halloween series so interesting is the broken story...through almost every sequel, they restart the series at some point. For example, H20 takes place twenty years after I and II, ditching the ones in between, as if they never happened. Part V does not even follow part IV's conclusion. It is very odd. I do not think that they knew what to make with the stories...in the later ones, we learn that Myers is being manipulated from afar by druids, and that he is, basically, the grim reaper.
They also suggest that through the end of a certain bloodline, the world may be saved from its chaos and death; like a sacrifice, which is why Myers is instructed to kill certain specific people. He would actually be the saviour of humanity, or, after this sacrifice is over, those who control him would be granted eternal dark powers...of some sort.

But it was going too far, and H20 had sought to rectify this, by keeping Myers more ''human'' but still much unknown.

For this reason I much appreciate H20, however I prefer the older sequels better...this sort of slasher film only worked in the eighties, I find them fun, no matter how convoluted and asinine the series had become by then, forgetting its unique roots. H20 was a bit boring and dragging.

I love the part when he slowly lowers himself down from a ceiling beam with one arm. AWESOME!

Ha ha yes, that is such a fucking classic, as well as the skate in the face! XD

Myers has many memorable kills though, such as the washing machine in VI, the hot tub in II or again, the riffle impalement from IV. When I first saw it I was like, come now, do not make him bloody SHOOT someone! But no! He impales the women with the riffle I was like, RIGHT ON HA HA!

Wasn't there one of the films that took place in outer space or something. LOL Or was that Jason?

Aye aye, this was Jason X, quite a disappointment indeed.

One would think that after fifty years of terror, they would learn to leave Camp Crystal Lake alone...but nooo...which brings me back to the part where you speak of environment like the darkness.

Not only that, but Myers is in a small city. That he is not lost in the middle of nowhere killing anyone who comes by makes him all the more frightening. HE is in town, and LOOKING for certain people...he seems so much more aggressive, and with style.

I really hate his later masks though, all those shiny white ones...the mask from I and II look dirty and roughed up, so much more creepy than those others.

Whew...stay tuned for the Sam loomis part, next! XD

[MidgarFanatic]

Well for me, horror movies are exactly like a drug. When you first start experiencing them it is both thrilling and scary at the same time. And once you get a taste for them you simply cannot stop. The metaphor is all the more clear when you eventually become numb to them (at least in my case) and then you burn-out from them. At least until you eventually crave that fix again. XD

It took a while for me to get desensitized to the genre at first, and took many many films and sequels of Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Critters before I could watch a horror movie without having nightmares.

My brother and I did crave then and we watched them often; a week didn’t go by when we didn’t run to the horror section in the video store whenever our parents took us there. Much to my mom’s disappointment. (No mom, we do not want to see The Care Bears Movie, we want to see Night of the Living Dead :P) I think there was a period when she was truly worried about us kids, haha. But meh, we loved them so.

Once we got older, we experienced the movies differently, because once we were no longer surprised by the familiar elements of the genre we began to critique the films much differently. Some of our favorites were the Child’s Play films. Mostly because, they were just so damn FUNNY. Freaky yes, but not really terrifying in any way. There is just something absolutely amusing about seeing a killer doll come to life and threaten the lives of those around him… especially when it’s a freakin’ doll, and any seriousness and realism goes out the window when you could easily just push the thing over, or pick it up and throw it across the room. IT’S A FREAKING DOLL. But still, we did love Chucky so.

These days I look for more suspense in my horror films, as traditional tactics like blood, gore, and surprises just don’t cut it. I look for good writing, better acting, and fantastic settings. They are rare, but they do come along every now and again.

PS: It is also funny that movies perceived as scary are all relative. When I was young I was terrified of The Dark Crystal because of the character Augra (not the Skeksis like you would think … Augra!!! LOL XD huh?). Even though it is not a horror movie, it kinda was to me for a brief period of my life as a kid. Although that movie is now truly amongst the top five of my favorite movies of all time, and I have absolutely no idea what I was scared of.

[MidgarFanatic]

Meh, I’m double posting… so sue me:

Originally Posted by Terminal Est

By today's standards it may be laughable, after nearly thirty years, the genre has been refined, exaggerated, milked and everything you will, however it remains that next to Psycho, which pretty much invented the slasher genre, Halloween established it.

I am so pleased that you mentioned Psycho, as it is an absolute treat. Hitchcock’s films were always a little strange, they were scary films but not really horror. They are almost a genre in themselves, which I guess would be a sub-genre of Suspence/Thriller. It is one of the most overused lines in film review history, but I am going to say it anyways: after seeing Psycho, I was absolutely terrified to take a shower. At least, I was afraid to close my eyes in the shower lest someone with a knife snuck up on me through the shower curtain. And even though the blood runs black in this non-colour classic, it still gives me goosebumps to see those oozing wounds.
Psycho, in Hitchcock fashion, also had the now over-used twist ending which although did not add to any fright element, certainly did get the cogs turning in the brains of the viewers. I have not seen Psycho in quite a few years, I should pick it up again, especially since it is available for a nominal price in DVD bargain bins, as a classic horror film it is worth quadruple that.

Originally Posted by Terminal Est

What frightened me the most was his robotic movements, and his complete lack of emotion. Not merely his mask which burned itself in my brain forever, but his...motive. Jason is angry, but we do not know what Myers feels, if anything...but he IS coming.

Oh god it gives me goosebumps just thinking of it. It plays to the traditional fears that you have in your dreams… that it does not matter how fast you are, or how far you run, or how slow he is… he WILL get you. I used to have dreams where I was running away from monsters, but for whatever reason, I could never seem to move quite as fast as I can in real life. Or I would almost always encounter a swamp or muddy field, which slowed my feet down. The monster would get closer and closer and closer… until I would eventually wake up, just before it got me.

This is exactly how I felt about Myers, although, it did not help that the girls usually followed the traditional horror clichés of running up stairs instead of out front doors. Dumb girls. XD

Originally Posted by Terminal Est

I really hate his later masks though, all those shiny white ones...the mask from I and II look dirty and roughed up, so much more creepy than those others.

I agree with this, the first mask looked almost like skin, as if it had been peeled off of a dead body. In fact, that is what I thought it was when I had first seen it. Preying off another gore element which added to my pleasant disgust.

I am so pleased that you love these films so much, even if they are not on any critic’s list of the top 100 movies of all time, very few can doubt that they have still been very important films. Influential and artsy in their own way. Films are forms of art, which evoke emotions. If painters, sculptures, and musicians can evoke powerful emotions in those who experience them, who is to say that creators of horror films are not having the same successes.

[Firesnake]

How often do you watch horror films? How much do you enjoy them?

ehm I watch at least 4 horror movies every month ^^
and I love them

What DO you think of horror films in general?

It scares me in a very positive way ^^
I watch them for my healthy dose of fear

Which horror film, or films, do you love the best?

Ones with death and unnatural stuff in it ^^

Which horror film has completely and utterly frightened you?

I don't recall the name but I was affraid to sleep for five days :P

What do you think the future of the horror genre will be?

More aritificial intelligence and computer oriented horror

What IS your favourite horror genre? Any opinion or thoughts on the differences between horror of yesterday, and that of today?

...nope

And finally...what do you like best about a horror film? Gore, suspense, a good story, characters, shock value, other? What do you believe to be the most important in making a horror film successful? Fear, or having fun?

Gore, suspense, a good story, characters, shock value, other
hehehehehe
that makes horror horror
Fear and fun are both needed for good horror

[JET73L]

How often do you watch horror films? How much do you enjoy them?
Not often. How much I enjoy them really depends on the film, and what you mean by enjoy. A horror movie can be awesome, like, from the adrenaline rush, or it can be terrible, if the awfulness of the movie or the disgustingness overrides the coolness of the terror.

What DO you think of horror films in general?
In general? I like 'em.

Which horror film, or films, do you love the best?
I don;t know. I prefer monster movies and ghost flicks to slasher films. I prefer watching ghost flicks to monster movies, but don't like the ambiguous ending most ghost flicks have. And I hate shocker/suspense films, but I love them. Not as contradictory as you mioght think. I do like zombie movies the most, but I just thought of them because I think of them more as action than as horror.

Which horror film has completely and utterly frightened you?
I don;t know. Lots of them. Couldn;t tell which one without thinking about it.

What do you think the future of the horror genre will be?
Shocker films. You've got to give your audience enough of a ruch to mask the mind-numbing terror, and audiences are just becoming desensitized to gore.

What IS your favourite horror genre? Any opinion or thoughts on the differences between horror of yesterday, and that of today?
More recent zombie movies. I find that there were really three steps in the history of horror: old scary movies, which were more like a novel, slasher films, which influenced much of the horror from Halloween to the... early 90s? then, from the late 90s onward, films that use special effects to scare or disgust people.

And finally...what do you like best about a horror film? Gore, suspense, a good story, characters, shock value, other? What do you believe to be the most important in making a horror film successful? Fear, or having fun?
In order: good story, suspense, good characters, shock value, suspense. For horror movies, fear and fun are most important. If there's too much fear, the audience on;t like it, and if there's too much fun, it;ll end up an unintentional Scary Movie/Plan 9 From Outer Space.