Comments on: Scary cinema and the nature of fear http://blog.spout.com/2006/10/27/scary-cinema-and-the-nature-of-fear/ Daily coverage of what is truly interesting in the film world Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:15:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Michele Chartier http://blog.spout.com/2006/10/27/scary-cinema-and-the-nature-of-fear/#comment-165 Michele Chartier Tue, 31 Oct 2006 16:37:24 +0000 http://blog.spoutblog.com/2006/10/27/scary-cinema-and-the-nature-of-fear/#comment-165 Mine was Poltergeist, too. I shared Carol Ann's towhead hair and lived in the 'safety' of the suburbs. If it could happen to her, maybe it could happen to me?! And didn't she die in real life shortly after making that movie? I used to get a running start when I got into bed so I could jump in and under the covers in hopes of escaping whatever it was under that bed that grabbed her. Mine was Poltergeist, too. I shared Carol Ann’s towhead hair and lived in the ’safety’ of the suburbs. If it could happen to her, maybe it could happen to me?! And didn’t she die in real life shortly after making that movie?

I used to get a running start when I got into bed so I could jump in and under the covers in hopes of escaping whatever it was under that bed that grabbed her.

]]> By: Jaybriel http://blog.spout.com/2006/10/27/scary-cinema-and-the-nature-of-fear/#comment-164 Jaybriel Tue, 31 Oct 2006 00:08:28 +0000 http://blog.spoutblog.com/2006/10/27/scary-cinema-and-the-nature-of-fear/#comment-164 As I've posted elsewhere--my spout blog, specifically--I watched a lot of horror films at one time, and allowed them to freak me _way_ out. To the point that for a period of time dating roughly from 1984 to, well, the present, I have been really uncomfortable taking out the garbage after dark. I can do it now, but as I kid I really couldn't. The long walk through our dark, orchard-like yard to the curb was too much for me. I thought I would have a coronary. Even now if I think about it I can make myself fully terrified taking out the trash at night (pounding heart, adrenaline rush, alkaline taste on the tongue, the whole nine yards). And I'm in my mid-30s. In fact, it was a single flick that did it: "Nightmare on Elm St." Yes, it was partly the visuals, the dream-inspired surrealism, the gruesome claw, Freddie's wierdly wrinkled post-burn-victim face that did it; bu there is a deeper level to the horror in that film for me. Freddie is the ultimate child abuser. Killed in real life for having visited his nightmares on neighborhood kids, he is not stripped of his powers, but in fact becomes even more dangerous. This struck directly into the heart of all darkness for me and stayed there. I still love to be frightnened by a film, though now I satisfy this more with war films and mysteries than outright horror, but I wonder if I might have been better off not seeing that one. I really like a lot of the films on this list (or did years ago when I saw them), but I also wonder would I want my kids to see them? How, i think to myself, will I steer my own children towards better thnings and away from worse as they get older and more able to make their own film choices. J As I’ve posted elsewhere–my spout blog, specifically–I watched a lot of horror films at one time, and allowed them to freak me _way_ out. To the point that for a period of time dating roughly from 1984 to, well, the present, I have been really uncomfortable taking out the garbage after dark. I can do it now, but as I kid I really couldn’t. The long walk through our dark, orchard-like yard to the curb was too much for me. I thought I would have a coronary. Even now if I think about it I can make myself fully terrified taking out the trash at night (pounding heart, adrenaline rush, alkaline taste on the tongue, the whole nine yards). And I’m in my mid-30s.

In fact, it was a single flick that did it: “Nightmare on Elm St.” Yes, it was partly the visuals, the dream-inspired surrealism, the gruesome claw, Freddie’s wierdly wrinkled post-burn-victim face that did it; bu there is a deeper level to the horror in that film for me. Freddie is the ultimate child abuser. Killed in real life for having visited his nightmares on neighborhood kids, he is not stripped of his powers, but in fact becomes even more dangerous. This struck directly into the heart of all darkness for me and stayed there.

I still love to be frightnened by a film, though now I satisfy this more with war films and mysteries than outright horror, but I wonder if I might have been better off not seeing that one. I really like a lot of the films on this list (or did years ago when I saw them), but I also wonder would I want my kids to see them? How, i think to myself, will I steer my own children towards better thnings and away from worse as they get older and more able to make their own film choices.

J

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