Well, yes, at that point. That story was important to grasping what was going on later.
Well, my one main phobia is spiders. I can't even bear to stand touching pictures of them in books, watching "Fear Factor" with the tarantulas coating the contestants was terrible for me, and I barely dealt with Harry Potter 2 and the whole "spider chase" scene, which was not even as realistic as the scene in the King Kong remake with all the creepy-crawlies. MMOs all use big spiders as monsters in their games, and my skin crawls anytime one skitters toward me on screen.
If you want to just freak me out, toss a spider in my hair. It doesn't even have to be a big one.
I agree. It's why I didn't post details about Paranormal Activity, although I guess someone else eventually did. It's one of those movies that is best on the first pass, before you know anything. a lot of the action is mundane when described, but in context and with pacing, watched in a dark room, made my skin crawl when I didn't know what was going to happen next.
Quarantine is another of the "fake documentary" spookers, though I don't think quite as good.
I really liked Cloverfield. That's kind of a mix of horror/drama, but it's another "fake documentary" pic, it has a strong human element... and it's full of spookiness because you never really know what the monster is nor can you really see all of it (it's always shrouded by darkness or debris clouds or hidding behind parts of buildings). And then there's the whole "chase in the darkness" in the sewers by the mini's.