Okay, you did good on books. how about scary movies?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around recommendations and personal experiences with scary movies. Participants share their thoughts on various horror films, exploring their emotional responses and preferences regarding the genre.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a desire for suggestions for really scary movies, mentioning they are watching Poltergeist.
  • Another participant shares a personal experience of being petrified while watching Alien in a theater, stating it was a unique horror experience.
  • Several participants discuss the Blair Witch Project, with mixed reactions about its effectiveness, particularly the last scene, which some found terrifying while others were underwhelmed.
  • Multiple participants recommend Alien, Psycho, and The Shining as particularly scary films.
  • Some participants mention their aversion to scary movies, with one stating they hate them but have heard Poltergeist is scary.
  • There is a suggestion that the enjoyment of horror films may stem from a fascination with fear, referred to as "phobiaphilia."
  • One participant mentions the impact of The Ring on their ability to watch television normally afterward, while another shares a humorous anecdote about being scared of their reflection after watching it.
  • Event Horizon is cited by multiple participants as one of the scariest movies, although opinions on its quality vary.
  • Discussions about the subjective nature of horror films arise, with some participants noting that what is scary to one person may be ridiculous to another.
  • Rob Zombie's House of 1000 Corpses and Paranormal Activity are mentioned as disturbing films that have elicited suspense or shock in some viewers.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on various horror films, with no clear consensus on which movies are universally regarded as the scariest. Some participants find certain films terrifying, while others are disappointed or find them unscary.

Contextual Notes

Participants' reactions to horror films are highly subjective, influenced by personal experiences and preferences. There are references to prior discussions on the topic, indicating a broader conversation about horror films within the community.

tribdog
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Im in the mood for a scary movie. so far it looks like I am watching poltergeist. Any suggestions? I want really scary
 
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The first time I saw Alien was in a theater.

I was so petrified, my heart was pounding.
I wanted to walk out but could not move.

Nothing I have seen before or since equaled
that horrific experience.


.
 
Blair Witch Project was just moderately scary, up until the last scene - it was terrifying! But to understand that scene, you have to carefully watch the whole movie.
 
Yeah. Alien.

And John Carpenter's The Thing.
 
lisab said:
Blair Witch Project was just moderately scary, up until the last scene - it was terrifying! But to understand that scene, you have to carefully watch the whole movie.

Really? There was something to understand? I'm all ears.

Seriously. It was quite disturbing, but I didn't get it.
 
DaveC426913 said:
Really? There was something to understand? I'm all ears.

Seriously. It was quite disturbing, but I didn't get it.

In one of the earliest scenes, they were interviewing the townspeople. One of them said the witch always killed in twos. But he made one stand facing the wall as he killed the other one "because he didn't like to be watched as he worked" (or something like that). In the last scene, she was looking for her friend, and she came upon him in the basement facing the wall and that's when her camera fell : !11
 
I hate Hate HATE scary movies. I heard the Poltergest was scary, though.
 
Interesting that people love to be scared, phobiaphilia?
 
The Shining is fricking scary! I have heard that Shutter (2004 version) is also scary but am too scared to check it out myself. If you are looking for gross-out/disturbing then Ichi the killer is right for you.
 
  • #10
There already was a thread on this subject, but it is locked.
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=234569"
Here is my post in that thread:
Jimmy Snyder said:
Psycho. My father took me to see it when I was ten. I was scarred for life. What was he thinking? The shower scene gets a lot of play, but the one that scared me most was when the guy got stabbed at the top of the stairs.

Here's a bit of family history that gets retold from time to time. We went to to see a movie and my 4 year old sister was so scared that she hid under the seat. It was Bambi.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #11
paranormal activity. if you've had demons toss you around the effect is multiplied.
 
  • #12
Alien, Psycho, the original version of The Haunting.
 
  • #13
Alien. Definitely.

Perfect example you can be scared to death without even seeing what is so scary.
 
  • #14
A movie is just a movie, entertainment, shouldn't get you scared at all. TBH, half of the fun watching a good horror movie is watching it with others and looking at their faces.
 
  • #15
The ring was a very scary movie. I could never watch television normally after that...
 
  • #16
micromass said:
The ring was a very scary movie. I could never watch television normally after that...

yeah some times i get freaked out when i wash my hair and touch my other hand.
 
  • #17
Darken-Sol said:
yeah some times i get freaked out when i wash my hair and touch my other hand.

The follow my advice, don't ever look in a mirror :wink:
 
  • #18
micromass said:
The ring was a very scary movie. I could never watch television normally after that...

Go to bathroom, look in the mirror and say "Candyman" 3 times. He will so come ...
 
  • #19
lol I am too scared to watch the ring and the grudge- I watched scary movie 4 and got so freaked out I screamed in the cinema! I get scared of myself when I have my hair wet in front of my face...
 
  • #20
  • #21
  • #22
lisab said:
Blair Witch Project was just moderately scary, up until the last scene - it was terrifying! But to understand that scene, you have to carefully watch the whole movie.
I hated that movie. When it came out, my friend thought it would be cool to tell me that the story behind the film was true, in other words, it really was footage found in the woods, which sounded awesome. When I went to see it, not being a moron, i realized this was obviously not true (amongst other things, no one would hold a camera like they did if they were running in terror.) I was completely underwhelmed and disappointed. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more if my friend hadn't spent the night talking about how awesome it was.
 
  • #23
DaveC426913 said:
Thought it was dreadful.

Horror movies are like that. What some people find scary and cool others find ridiculous and stupid.

The closest thing I can think of to a "universally respected" horror movie is probably The Shining.
 
  • #24
Galteeth said:
Horror movies are like that. What some people find scary and cool others find ridiculous and stupid.
Well, not a lot of people found Alien ridiculous or stupid.

However, I concur with your statement. Usually, it's a razor's edge. If it doesn't work for you then the house of cards falls apart and all you see are the flaws.
 
  • #25
DaveC426913 said:
Well, not a lot of people found Alien ridiculous or stupid.

However, I concur with your statement. Usually, it's a razor's edge. If it doesn't work for you then the house of cards falls apart and all you see are the flaws.

Even though Alien is about an alien, it is a type of the "stalker killer" horror genre. These are the kinds of movies where there is a specific killer (usually human) and the suspense and scares come from when the killer is going to strike. For some reason, these types of movies don't scare me or do anything for me. Other people love them, and get bored by "creepy atmosphere" types of horror which depend more on being disturbing by showing the uncanny.
 
  • #27
Paranormal Activity and Blair Witch so far are some of the few films that gave me any suspense or shock. I'm a bit too desensitized to gore to be affected much.

The Saw series seem to be good though, I haven't seen all of them, but the ones I have were good.

The Collector comes to mind as well.
 
  • #28
  • #29
"Ghost Story" staring Fred Astaire, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, John Houseman and Melvyn Douglas...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6oy7Pfh-gY&feature
 
  • #30
FrancisZ said:
"Ghost Story" staring Fred Astaire, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, John Houseman and Melvyn Douglas...
Yeah, that was good. But I was younger.
 

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