WWGD said:
Not that I think they set out to do this, but this is the effect some of their work has. And of course, there is the personal responsibility of the adults who choose to watch those movies. OTOH, some comedians, by their own admission, vent out their pain, trauma, but they do so in a way less likely to hurt others. I never understood those who go watch horror movies. Isnt your life stressful enough as it is? You can't avoid some of the stressors in your life, but you can avoid stress-inducing movies. There is an argument for the cathartic effect, but I does not come off as being very convincing.
I can't speak for other people, but I absolutely love horror movies. My favorite types are the creepy, supernatural horror movies involving demons, possessions and whatnot.
I don't believe in the supernatural any more than I believe in Vulcan mind melds, light sabers or Death Stars. The fictional stories are no less interesting. And it's fascinating how the production designers manage to pull off the sets when no such things actually exist. It's the story that's exciting. That, and the way the crew manages to portray that story, which includes acting, directing, cinematography, set design, Foley work, editing, etc.
Even for awful things that do exist in real life, such as brutal murders, it doesn't make me shy away from a good murder mystery in Columbo or Matlock.
And let's not forget that
Peter Jackson, most notable now for his Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies, had a start in over-the-top gore-fests such as
Bad Taste.
Fun Activity:
I highly recommend this as a way to pass time, if the opportunity presents itself. If you are sitting around with friends and family and have several hours to spare, and are somewhat apprehensive about playing another game of Monopoly (same thing you did last year), and you happen to have a video recording device such as a camcorder or a even a smart phone these days, and a laptop. It will create fun memories that last a lifetime:
Make a 5 or 10 minute horror movie short with your friends and relatives.
[Edit: a ~5 minute movie short might be better given the times I've outlined below.]
Optional: If you have any time to plan ahead and a little extra cash, get yourself a steady-hands grip (they even make these for cell phones) and an external microphone and boom (drastically improves sound quality). Download some free video editing software. Microsoft MovieMaker is one such free program, but there are others out there too with varying capabilities.
Process:
- Look around the house where you happen to be staying, for some sort of creepy figurine, toy or decoration. If you happen to be staying at "Grandma's" house, this is easy: I guarantee you that "Grandma" has some creepy sh*t lying around in plain sight: it's a fact (this is true even if you happen to be "Grandma" yourself [admit it]). If you're not at grandma's just find some unique looking object lying around. [time: 15 minutes]
- Sit down with your friends and family with the object and make up a special power that the object has. Is it possessed by an evil spirit? Does it grant its owner a special power? Is it an alien artifact? [time: 5 minutes]
- Make up a quick plot for the movie. Generally it should involve the protagonist creatively defeating the antagonist in the end, but the antagonist gets the upper hand at the beginning and middle parts. [time: 10-20 minutes]
- Assign roles to your fiends and family. If there are children involved, don't be afraid to assign them to be possessed or a murder victim etc. Kids play this stuff all the time: from playing cowboys and Indians, to Star Wars, to Transformers or whatever it is kids play these days. Asking a kid to feign super-power abilities or even feign death for theatrical purposes is easy; it's something that comes naturally to them. They play good villains too. [time 5 minutes]
- If there are special effects necessary, don't let that get in the way. Discuss how you might pull that off (examples: Chairs moving on their own with hidden string. Stop motion animation [this one greatly adds to the editing step that comes later, but it's definitely doable]. Careful choice of camera angles [great for punching; fight scenes], etc.). [time 20 minutes (might have to look in the back shed for fishing wire, etc).]
- Write the lines (again, you only need 5 or 10 minutes worth.) [time: 15-20 minutes (This assumes that most of the dialog is to be improvised)]
- Shoot the movie. [time: 60 minutes] [Edit: If you want to get detailed, conversations usually need to be shot at least twice, each time with the camera/mic focused on a particular actor, and certain dialog a third time with both actors. Amount of such detail is flexible here.]
- Edit the movie. This step is probably the most time consuming part, and doesn't lend itself quite as well to a group activity. But to keep others involved, recall that you might need additional sound effects/voiceovers that need to be recorded here and there. Do that on the fly. Feel free to invite friends and family members to look over your shoulder as you edit. [time: 90-120 minutes] [Edit: This process might take longer if you really want to get detailed; the 90-120 minute figure is good for a nice, simple, rough cut.]
- Throughout the whole process, always remember not to let your professional artistic opinions get in the way. Keep it fun. This is more about making a movie with your friends and family, and having a fun time doing it, than it is about the actual movie.
- Total time: Around 2 to 2 1/2 hours as a group activity, plus another 1 1/2 to 2 hours while you do post on your laptop siting around with everybody else, drinking beer.
And after doing it, I can almost guarantee you that you won't look at watching a horror movie as being a stressful event ever again.
How tolerant is tolerant enough and can the tolerant tolerate ? 
