The Scariest Movie of ALL TIME!

[Thalassa]

Ooooh....Alice Sweet Alice....anyone like Alice Sweet Alice?

 

[Epiphany]

I was already laughing at the ads, so it didn't bode well for the film.

My whole thing was...if you have to show people in the audience reacting to your film to advertise it....something's wrong....deeply wrong.

But I watch a lot of horror movies, and if you do as well, that may have something to do with it. I just can't believe that movie scared anyone. Ever.

Same for Blair Witch.

That was part of their marketing campaign because originally it wasn't going to be released nationwide in theaters; so they decided to show it exclusively in select cinemas and see what the audience's reaction to it was.

I'm not saying the movie doesn't have flaws. Some of Micah's behavior doesn't make any sense, but I think the acting is good. Considering the entire movie was filmed in one location, mostly in a single room, it did well with what it had to work with IMO.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

But I watch a lot of horror movies, and if you do as well, that may have something to do with it. I just can't believe that movie scared anyone. Ever.

Same for Blair Witch.

I thought they were both scary, even though I didn't think Paranormal Activity was actually a good movie. I don't really like the horror genre in general though, so maybe that has something to do with it. I think horror films have by far the worst hit/miss ratio of any genre. Most of them are just not scary and are poorly plotted and made.

I think what made these films scary for those who liked them was that they were relatable and presented with an atmosphere of realism. I'm not really referring to the "documentary" style they're shot in, but to the fact that the scary things in them are more believable. Most people can envision themselves in the situations those characters are in, because they're so NORMAL. It's much harder to put yourself in the place of a victim of Jigsaw, or a chainsaw-wielding maniac, or a burn victim killing you in your dreams.

 

[Thalassa]

That was part of their marketing campaign because originally it wasn't going to be released nationwide in theaters; so they decided to show it exclusively in select cinemas and see what the audience's reaction to it was.

I'm not saying the movie doesn't have flaws. Some of Micah's behavior doesn't make any sense, but I think the acting is good. Considering the entire movie was filmed in one location, mostly in a single room, it did well with what it had to work with IMO.

Yeah, it just didn't appeal to me. The original T Chainsaw also had a very low budget and I think is much more powerful than either Paranormal Activity or Blair Witch, and also scarier than the more expensive re-makes.

I believe that a certain aesthetic appeals to me, and if a horror film lacks that, I just don't want to watch. I could watch old Dario Argento flicks all day long, but stuff like that leaves me cold.

It's interesting to me, too, what scares some people doesn't frighten others. Like apparently aliens and zombies really scare some people, and it does nothing to me.

Like any art form, it's all so subjective, I suppose...

 

[Epiphany]

I'm not gonna lie. The first time I saw it, I got chills down my spine.

 

[Thalassa]

I thought they were both scary, even though I didn't think Paranormal Activity was actually a good movie. I don't really like the horror genre in general though, so maybe that has something to do with it. I think horror films have by far the worst hit/miss ratio of any genre. Most of them are just not scary and are poorly plotted and made.

I think what made these films scary for those who liked them was that they were relatable and presented with an atmosphere of realism. I'm not really referring to the "documentary" style they're shot in, but to the fact that the scary things in them are more believable. Most people can envision themselves in the situations those characters are in, because they're so NORMAL. It's much harder to put yourself in the place of a victim of Jigsaw, or a chainsaw-wielding maniac, or a burn victim killing you in your dreams.

Yeah, like I said ...different things scare different people. I think as a female it's pretty easy to envision myself in some sort of homicidal maniac scenario...because in most serial killer films/slasher flicks the victims are females, and this lines up quite nicely with reality, what I've read about serial killers and even what I know about domestic violence.

The "real" thing just doesn't appeal to me....it's the spooky, the atmospheric, the artistic that gets me in a horror film...it pulls me more completely in, and allows me to have more of a suspension of disbelief.

To each his or her own.

 

[Epiphany]

Yeah, like I said ...different things scare different people. I think as a female it's pretty easy to envision myself in some sort of homicidal maniac scenario...because in most serial killer films/slasher flicks the victims are females, and this lines up quite nicely with reality, what I've read about serial killers and even what I know about domestic violence.

The "real" thing just doesn't appeal to me....it's the spooky, the atmospheric, the artistic that gets me in a horror film...it pulls me more completely in, and allows me to have more of a suspension of disbelief.

To each his or her own.

I agree with you that the more you can relate to a character, the more suspenseful it will be. That's why the majority of horror movies aren't scary. When the acting and writing are so terrible and the plot is riddled with cliches and over-the-top special effects, it loses it's connection to the characters. Most horror movies fail to create any kind of emotional attachment to their victims beyond a natural empathy for human suffering.

 

[Epiphany]

As popular as the horror genre is, it seem like a lot of people enjoy watching other people die in grotesque ways. Strangely, many of these same people can't bear to watch an animal suffer. I think they should make a movie about a serial animal killer who breaks into peoples' homes and murders helpless pets.

 

[ajblaise]

The Shining > The Exorcist.

 

[Thalassa]

I agree with you that the more you can relate to a character, the more suspenseful it will be. That's why the majority of horror movies aren't scary. When the acting and writing is so terrible and the plot is riddled with cliches and over-the-top special effects, it loses it's connection to the characters. Most horror movies fail to create any kind of emotional attachment to their victims beyond a natural empathy for human suffering.

Well what's interesting to me, though, is that my ex - a man - mostly prefers serial killer and atmospheric ghost films too...he, like me, is not particularly frightened of aliens or zombies...of course, he's a horror collector, so he isn't particularly frightened by anything...but his bent in horror is very similar to mine, except it includes a leaning toward torture porn in some cases, but just as easily to the "beautiful" stuff like Susperia and Italian giallos. I secretly think he also believes in the devil...but that's another story all together...

I think there's a sort of person who watches horror for the aesthetic, and those people are going to be very different from people who watch horror just to be entertained or frightened, despite what sub-genre of horror actually frightens them.

 

[Thalassa]

As popular as the horror genre is, it seem like a lot of people enjoy watching other people die in grotesque ways. Strangely, many of these same people can't bear to watch an animal suffer. I think they should make a movie about a serial animal killer, who breaks into peoples' homes and murders their helpless pets.

Ha ha...yeah...I'd much rather watch a person suffer than a helpless animal...I'd just say no to the animal torture flicks...

 

[Serge]

Well what's interesting to me, though, is that my ex - a man - mostly prefers serial killer and atmospheric ghost films too...he, like me, is not particularly frightened of aliens or zombies...of course, he's a horror collector, so he isn't particularly frightened by anything...but his bent in horror is very similar to mine, except it includes a leaning toward torture porn in some cases, but just as easily to the "beautiful" stuff like Susperia and Italian giallos. I secretly think he also believes in the devil...but that's another story all together...

I think there's a sort of person who watches horror for the aesthetic, and those people are going to be very different from people who watch horror just to be entertained or frightened, despite what sub-genre of horror actually frightens them.

I agree, there's a certain beauty in horror. I tend to shy away from having a huge collection of pure torture tales. Gets my mind running, lol. It might sound awkward but I like the 'pure' emotion in good horror films. They never cease to make me feel sheer agony as someone painfully, with all their exertions, tries to escape. This type of ultimate and untampered with emotion is quite the thing to behold. A horror movie can also include nearly any genre in itself, as well, leading it to be a quite diverse selection of movies, actors, and people behind the scenes.

Alas, I don't like animal torture. That just seems...wrong to me. The only horror movie that I can recall that hard torture that I wasn't immediately turned off by is hard candy, but that's probably because the guy being tortured was a rapist.

 

[neptunesnet]

Most horror flicks don't frighten me. I had a pretty unconventional family situation growing up, which ultimately left me being babysat by high school aged cousins. All we'd ever do was watch slasher movie after slasher movie. So now, when it comes to gore-fests, I'm pretty desensitized and can take seeing just about anything.

That being said, the few horror movies that have actually scared me have stayed with me. For instance, Freaks and Nosferatu though I've seen them countless times scare me every time I do, without fail. Also, Eraserhead the first time I saw it creeped me out so badly I had to stop watching and then continue later on in segments. Those I anticipated would be scary, but one movie that surprised me was Donnie Darko. I'd half-heartedly watched it before with friends and had seen bits and pieces of it on my own, but when I finally decided to sit down and watch the whole movie all the way through, it scared the pants off of me! Was a good movie though.


EDIT: Oh, and American Psycho made me a' scaredy, too!

 

[Thalassa]

I agree, there's a certain beauty in horror.

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It might sound awkward but I like the 'pure' emotion in good horror films. .. This type of ultimate and untampered with emotion is quite the thing to behold.

YES.

The only horror movie that I can recall that hard torture that I wasn't immediately turned off by is hard candy, but that's probably because the guy being tortured was a rapist.

I'm a fan of vengeance. I like it when "bad" people suffer i.e. hard candy or sympathy for lady vengeance...

 

[Epiphany]

Ha ha...yeah...I'd much rather watch a person suffer than a helpless animal...I'd just say no to the animal torture flicks...

I agree, there's a certain beauty in horror.

Alas, I don't like animal torture. That just seems...wrong to me.

I can't fathom this contradiction. I guess that's why I don't enjoy most horror movies or violent action flicks.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I can't fathom this contradiction. I guess that's why I don't enjoy most horror movies or violent action flicks.

I find it odd as well, but I suppose the reasoning is that animals are innocents, but that a human victim must have had it coming to a certain extent. A variation on original sin.

 

[Thalassa]

I find it odd as well, but I suppose the reasoning is that animals are innocents, but that a human victim must have had it coming to a certain extent. A variation on original sin.

I don't like anything that involves children being tortured or molested or drugged or abused either, so I don't necessarily believe in original sin.

However, the fact that it only minimally bothers me to watch teenagers or adults suffer (hmm...with regards to what the person has done, of course, I don't "enjoy" watching innocent victims suffer which is why I don't subscribe to torture porn) tells you a lot about my view of people, I guess.

 

[Epiphany]

I find it odd as well, but I suppose the reasoning is that animals are innocents, but that a human victim must have had it coming to a certain extent. A variation on original sin.

I could possibly see a religious person holding this view despite that Abrahamic religions regard human life more importantly than animals. I'm curious how atheists approach this subject, considering they view human beings as a highly evolved species of animal. Nonetheless, I think I'm derailing my own thread.

 

[Serge]

I can't fathom this contradiction. I guess that's why I don't enjoy most horror movies or violent action flicks.

I don't like 'real' torture in any extent. I find torture as displayed through movies as something that can get an emotion out of me (I view everything I watch through a t.v. screen or a monitor as fake generally) but even still, I guess it's just a line for me. I don't like watching the torture of generally defenseless animals, children, the elderly, and such. Nor do I particularly like the torture of the completely innocent/by standers. It's just a line I can't cross. And the beauty in horror movies, to me, is the pure emotion. I think.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I could possibly see a religious person holding this view despite that Abrahamic religions regard human life more importantly than animals. I'm curious how atheists approach this subject, considering they view human beings as a highly evolved species of animal. Nonetheless, I think I'm derailing my own thread.

Not to derail further, but I didn't mean any religious implication by the use of "original sin". Just pointing out that all humans have done dickish things while animals are normally seen as incapable of malice, thus making their suffering more of an injustice.