It’s the first day of Fall, my favorite season! The leaves are turning, the weather is getting cooler, and the best holiday ever is right around the corner, followed shortly by the food fest that is Thanksgiving.
I’m in the mood for fall all year long, so when it hits, I’m ready. But some of you might be in warmer climates, or maybe you’re just not feeling it. Well, why don’t you watch some horror movies to improve your mood?
Children of the Corn (1984): Stephen King’s tale of some youngsters leading a religious cult in the midst of corn fields in the Midwest, backed by “He Who Walks Behind The Rows,” is a great movie to start with in your quest to get in the fall spirit. Corn mazes are a symbol of the season, and a supernaturally charged one is just a no-brainer.
Halloween (1978): This one is obvious. Of course you should watch Halloween to get in the mood. No discussion needed.
Trick ‘r Treat (2007): I love this movie so very much. If you haven’t seen it, I sincerely hope you add it to your normal rotation of horror movies. It’s an anthology of Halloween stories, and it’s got a lot of great moments. And a cool soundtrack. If you’ve seen it, you know the best scene has a little Manson playing in the background. Not a huge fan of his, but the song fits so well, and – well, you just need to watch it.
Sleepy Hollow (1999): Tim Burton and Johnny Depp team up in this retelling of the classic story by Washington Irving, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” This has always been one of my faves. The spooky tone Burton sets really makes you think of chilly weather, jack o’ lanterns, and apple cider.
You’re Next (2011): Yeah, technically this one takes place during a wedding anniversary, but it just really gives off a Thanksgiving vibe to me. Just watch the mayhem, and hope that your Thanksgiving celebration doesn’t turn out that way. A drunk uncle or two? Whatevs. Multiple masked killers? Maybe not.
That’s definitely just the tip of the iceberg for fall-themed horror movies, so if you’re still not feeling it, I recommend you get into some sequels. Seriously, I’m pretty sure there are at least 34 sequels to Children of the Corn. And we all know you’ve got additional options with Halloween.
What are your favorite fall horror movies? What gets you in the mood for the season? Let me know in the comments!
I just got back from one of the early showings of ‘IT Chapter 2’, and the movie was so fun. If you’ve read some of my other posts, you probably know that the 1990 It miniseries holds a very special place in my heart. It was one of the first real horror movies I got to watch (being only 5, I wasn’t too wordly yet). And I loved the first installment of the remake (Check out my review here).
For fans of the book, I really think this movie will hit a lot of high notes. I was very happy that it tackled some of the scenes left out of the miniseries (Paul Bunyan, anyone?). And I enjoyed all of the cameos and references sprinkled in here and there. Yes, it was almost 3 hours long, but I thought the runtime was justified. There was a lot of ground to cover.
Let’s get into it.
WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS
The Adults
This cast was a home run for me. I think every actor did a wonderful job playing off the characters started by the children from the first chapter. I love James McAvoy, Bill Hader, and Jessica Chastain, so when they were cast, I did a little happy dance. I know the actors from the miniseries were big in their time, but I never expected some of my favorite people to be in the remake. So happy.
Then you have the Old Spice Guy (Isaiah Mustafa) playing Mike, the Deputy from the Sinister series (James Ransone) playing Eddie, and the Beast from the Beauty and the Beast tv series (Jay Ryan) playing Ben. Great jobs by everyone.
I especially loved Hader and Ransone’s barbs at each other throughout. So many laughs. I really think Hader was a wonderful choice for Richie.
The Children
So it took a while to get this movie made, and in the time that passed, the young Losers Club had kind of aged too much. I mean, I’m going to assume youve seen season 3 of Stranger Things. Finn Wolfhard definitely is looking older. So to mitigate this, the filmmakers used the new de-aging tech to make them young again.
I already knew they had used it, so I was looking for the signs. If you’re looking for it, you’ll see that there were some weird things going on with the faces of pretty much everyone. It stood out the most to me in young Richie and young Ben. If you’re not looking for it, you will probably still notice something seems off, but it’s good enough that it didn’t really bother me.
And with this new tech came the ability to do a few more scenes with the children that really added to the story. I loved that they were able to give us a little more scary moments the Losers Club experienced as children. I was hoping that the Paul Bunyan statue would come into play since it was shown in one of the trailers, and I wasn’t disappointed. Richie’s tangle with the murderous statue in the book was one of my favorite scenes, and I really liked how they did it here.
The Clown
Bill Skarsgard killed it again. His portrayal of Pennywise is so different from Curry’s version, but I love it almost just as much. He’s different. A little less comical, but a little more conniving. And they show him actually murderous and bloody, which I enjoy.
The Cameos & References
The man of the hour, Stephen King, made an appearance! I was so happy. He might not be on the Stan Lee level of cameos, but I was still expecting to see him. Loved that they were able to include him.
Another cameo I was happy to see was Brandon Crane. Crane played young Ben in the original miniseries, and here he plays an employee at new Ben’s architecture firm. It was a surprise to see him, but a good one.
There were multiple references to King’s work. The Shining stands out the most with Bower’s “Here’s Johnny” line. Chastain’s blood-drenched scene seemed to link to Carrie, and there were various references to the It book. The turtle model in the school, the theater, and the Ritual of Chud all made an appearance.
There was also a reference to one of my favorite horror movies of all time, The Thing. Young Stan’s head rolls out of the fridge in the house on Neibolt Street and sprouts spider legs. Richie says, “You’ve got to be f*cking kidding me,” immediately after. Cracked. Me. Up. But I was the only one in my theater that got it, it seemed. Sadness.
——————————————————————
So would I recommend ‘It Chapter Two?’ Of course, I would. If you loved the book, you’re going to get a lot more out of it, but even if you haven’t, I still think it’s pretty enjoyable.
Just make sure you run to the restroom beforehand. Three hours is a long time.
The first official teaser trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is finally here, and if you know me, you know I’m excited! Seriously, I’m a 35-year-old woman, and this is currently the lock screen on my phone:
Such a sweet face.
So, yeah. I’m kind of a big fan.
It looks like we’ve got quite a few of the classic stories to look forward to with the flair or Stephen Gammell’s illustrations come to life. I’m geeking out so hard right now. If you haven’t watched it, please go to the link below and let me know what you think in the comments.
Happy Friday the 13th! Remember to follow your horror rules to stay safe on this murderous of days.
So I’ve been MIA for a little while. From my last post, you can see that I expected to be posting a little more often, but with a new baby, plans don’t always work out. You’ll have to forgive me.
But I can’t just not post anything on Friday the 13th…especially when a momentous event is about to happen!!!
JOE BOB IS BACK!
Joe Bob Briggs was a staple of my childhood. His Saturday night Monster Vision horror movie marathons were the highlight of my week, and I got introduced to so many cheesy fun horror movies that I normally would have skipped. Motel Hell, anyone?
So when I heard that Joe Bob would be hosting another horror movie marathon, I was ecstatic. Yes, Joe Bob returns for a 24-hour-ish horror marathon titled, The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs at 8 PM CST tonight only on Shudder!!!
I. Am. Thrilled.
Only 3 movies have been announced out of the approximately 13 movies that will be shown: Basket Case, Tourist Trap, and Sleepaway Camp (always a classic). You can expect Joe Bob to bring his flavorful comments and drive-in totals just like he used to, and I can’t wait. Nostalgia is calling me.
Shudder, of course, requires a subscription, but for only $5 for the whole month, you can delight in this marathon as well as all of the horror goodies the rest of the service provides. I highly recommend.
That’s it for me today. I have some posts planned for the upcoming months because I think there might be an important holiday coming up. (*wink wink*)
Halloween planning is in full swing, so I hope to bring a few new monster tutorials and other fun DIYs along with my usual Halloween merchandise reviews. See you soon! And enjoy the marathon!
I just came from the 7 o’clock showing of IT, and I almost don’t know where to start. I’ve been waiting for this movie since they announced it way back before even Cary Fukunaga was attached to direct. If you’ve read any of my blog, you might already know I’ve been a fan of Stephen King’s It (1990) since it came out when I was 5. Tim Curry’s Pennywise has forever earned a place in my heart.
So what did I think about the reboot?
I.
Freaking.
Loved it.
This. This is my face right now.
There were so many ways to go about this movie that, while I was excited, I was also worried that someone would butcher it. Yes, the 1990 TV miniseries was a little cheesy with it’s extremely era-specific thumping horror beat and somewhat off-putting acting (IMHO) from the adult “Losers,” but I still loved it for what it was and for bringing so many of the scenes from the book straight to the screen.
This movie took a different path, keeping the spirit of the book while updating it for a new audience. It might not have been scene-for-scene from the book or even close to that, but the changes they made were actually things that made since.
WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS
The Setting: This adaptation set the young losers in 1989 instead of 1958. I really enjoyed this aspect of it because as someone born in the 80s, this helped me relate more to the characters and time. It also kept it interesting for the original TV miniseries audience because it gave us a different spin. The book itself came out in 1986, so the 50s to 80s settings made perfect sense when the TV movie was first made. If they did that here, it would have felt stale.
The Monsters: Everyone who knows It, whether from reading the book or just seeing the 1990 movie, knows the titular character turns into whatever scares you to get the most fear for its feast. That being said, the monsters used to scare the kids were much different from the source material to capture the tone of the time. After all, how many kids are just straight-up scared of teen werewolves and mummies in this day and age? Instead, we were given zombies, headless ghosts, and a sorta cameo from another Andres Muschietti movie (cough*spoiler*cough*Mama*). I thought this was a smart choice because they were definitely scarier than any werewolf in a letterman jacket could ever be.
The Characters: Although essentially the same, some of the characters themselves got a bit of an update in terms of their origins, which were a little different but for good reasons that made sense within the scope of the movie. I didn’t care that Mike was being raised by his grandfather instead of his parents on a vegetable farm or that Bev’s mom was missing from the picture. It worked in the story and gave us a little fodder for some of the creepier/unsettling moments.
The Interactions: Since the time period was updated, the interactions between the characters were updated to match. I really enjoyed all the snarky jokes between friends and less wholesome overtones than that of the original. I did not expect to laugh as much as I did, but all the mom jokes and name-calling really cracked me up.
The Rating: Being a made-for-tv movie in 1990, there wasn’t a lot of gore and swearing they could get away with back then. Well, with it’s R rating, we’re treated to a whole different ball game with this movie. The kids cussed like sailors through the whole thing (which I very much enjoyed), and they were actually able to bring some of Pennywise’s nastier kills to the big screen. My favorite addition because of this: THEY SHOWED GEORGIE’S ARM GETTING RIPPED OFF. That made my day, not because I enjoy seeing children getting eaten (for the record, I totes don’t), but because it was just how I imagined it should be and made me realize the direction the rest of the movie would take in terms of gore. Talk about a good set-up.
Those are the major differences between the book/1990 movie and this new adaptation, and I think they really were thoughtfully done and made so much sense with what they did with the movie. In addition to these differences, another way this movie separates itself from the 1990 version was by actually bringing things in from the book that were skipped over in the tv movie: the house on Neibolt Street, the leper, and the Paul Bunyan statue to name a few.
And, speaking of that last thing, I’m really interested to see if they tackle adult Richie’s Paul Bunyan scene in Part 2.
Now, let’s talk acting. I’d heard than Finn Wolfhard stole the show, and let me tell you: he got skills, son. His delivery of Richie Tozier’s motor mouth was fantastic and hilarious. Jaeden Lieberher as young Bill Denbrough was so engaging in dealing with the loss of his brother and his desire to bring down It, and Jack Dylan Grazer’s portrayal as hypochondriac and chronic worrier Eddie Kaspbrak was both funny and realistic. Really, everyone in the ‘Loser’s Club’ did a great job in this movie.
As for Pennywise…?
Bill Skarsgard killed it. No pun intended.
It’s hard for me to say he even got close to being as good as Tim Curry, but *ahem* he got pretty close. His goofy voice, creepy laugh, and dead eyes just brought the character to life in a very different way. I was really happy he made Pennywise his own instead of trying to copy Curry’s performance because I think that would have fallen a little flat. And I’ve got to give some credit to Muschietti for this, too, because he really made Pennywise a more dynamic character on screen. He definitely drove the more terror-filled moments on screen.
I could go on and on, but I’m going to stop here. If you couldn’t tell, I totally recommend this movie. Go see it tomorrow night or this weekend. Or both. I might.
So the universe created in The Conjuring continues to expand, this time with a spine-tingling origin story of the wonderfully creepy porcelain doll, Annabelle. If you’ve seen every installment in The Conjuring “series,” you should already be well-prepared for this movie.
The Annabelle doll, first introduced in The Conjuring and further expanded on in 2014’s Annabelle, finally gets her own horror movie worth a few screams. I wasn’t too impressed with the first movie. It just was a little too predictable and boring, but this one – oh man, this one.
Warning: Here Be Spoilers
We start with the actual making of the doll by Mr. Mullins, played by Anthony LaPaglia, and a too-cute version of hide and seek with his daughter, affectionately called Bee and played by up-and-coming child actress, Samara Lee.
Side note: If her parents aren’t fans of The Ring, I’ll eat my keyboard.
Ms. Mullins, played by Miranda Otto, joins in on the fun, and we’re shown how happy life is in the Mullins household. This being a horror movie, we know this little love fest won’t last long. Sorry to break it to you, but Bee (whose full name we later learn is – you guessed it – Annabelle) ends up getting killed.
Flash forward 12 years later, and 6 orphaned girls are on their way to stay at the Mullins’s home until they’re able to be adopted. They’re given almost full run of the house except for the Mullins’s bedroom and the locked bedroom of little Bee.
One of the girls is enticed to come inside Bee’s room by an unseen entity. Of course, this is where the doll lurks, locked in a secret room lined with pages from the Holy Bible. The girl opens Annabelle’s chamber, and that’s all she wrote. The evil is released, and terror befalls the house.
We learn from Ms. Mullins that she and her husband had bargained with whatever force would allow them to have their daughter back in any way. They invited what they thought was their daughter’s spirit into the doll, but what entered was actually a demonic presence. Ms. Mullins ended up getting half her face along with one eye carved up and charred.
Don’t mess with a demon, people.
Who? Me?
We’re treated to several jump scares, some gruesome injuries/deaths, multiple appearances by THE demonic presence, and the lurking shadow of Annabelle throughout the movie. And yes, I said treated to jump scares. I know a lot of horror fans hate when movies rely on these, but I have to say they’re very well-balanced with actual horror in Annabelle: Creation. It’s just enough to keep us jumpy and invested in what’s going on.
I was very impressed with the effects and very happy with how they tied the movie to the 2014 version. I don’t even want to go into details on it. You should just see for yourself. I love a good tie-in/movie connection. It’s probably why I love the Saw franchise so much with all its interconnected craziness, and I love that this movie ties into not only 2014’s Annabelle, but The Conjuring and The Conjuring 2.
Oh? How does it tie into The Conjuring 2, you ask? Well, the demon nun makes not one, but two appearances. Two! One in passing in a photograph and then with an after credits scene. I was wriggling in my seat, I was so happy. If you’re not already aware, the demon nun is another expansion of this universe with the release of her own movie, The Nun, coming in 2018. I know. Exciting stuff.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t point out the acting in this film. Everyone does a great job. Talitha Bateman plays Janice, and she’s the lucky girl that both releases Annabelle and gets possessed by the demonic presence later in the movie. Bateman gets a huge point for the sinister portrayal of her character’s possessed self. She’s supposed to be creepy, and is she ever.
Lulu Wilson, playing Linda, Janice’s best friend, also does a wonderful job, and I wasn’t surprised. She was great in Ouija: Origin of Evil, so I knew I’d like her in this. And this time, she got to be the one on the other side of the possession, so that’s nice. I say she’s 2 for 2 in her horror movie origin story run. I thought it was pretty funny that she was in both this prequel and the prequel to Ouija, which both far surpass their originals. Keep ’em coming, Lulu.
So should you go see this one? If you enjoyed The Conjuring 1 and 2, I say go for it. Hell, if you enjoyed the 2014 Annabelle, I say definitely go for it because you won’t be disappointed after that train wreck.
Oh! And bonus, they put in a little Easter egg concerning the REAL Annabelle doll. You’ll like it. Trust me.
It’s still damn hot outside, and I don’t know about you, but unless I’m in a pool, the outdoors are a no-go for me right now. I hope everyone took my advice and watched The Thing last week to cool down. Ice and snow are just very appealing to me right now.
So this week’s Summer Chillout is kind of a no-brainer: The Shining.
And I’m talking about the 1980 classic, not the poorly-received 1997 miniseries. It might have been more true to the book, but it just didn’t translate as well as the Kubrick version on screen.
Kubrick’s version is dark and depressing. The snowy setting is beautiful but bleak, and it’s such a great movie that even Toy Story paid homage to it. Check out these huge pros for watching this one again.
The Direction: I mean, how many great scenes come to mind when you see this movie? Danny’s run-ins with the hallway twins and Room 237. Jack’s makeout session with a ghost. His conversations with good ole’ Lloyd and Grady. Red rum. Wendy finding Jack’s repetitive manuscript. Jack walking menacingly up the stairs toward a baseball bat-armed Wendy. An axe-wielding Jack tearing into the bathroom. The death of poor Hallorann. The maze chase. I can’t even right now.
The Performances: Shelley Duvall’s performance gets me every time. She was basically tortured by Kubrick to get the right shot, but you can definitely feel her frantic panicky terror while her husband follows her up the stairs threatening to bash her brains in. Jack Nicholson is always awesome, and his iconic performance as Jack Torrance is so hard to top. His descent into madness was conveyed perfectly by Nicholson.
Three words: Elevator. Blood. Waterfall. Just classic.
And the cons are…nothing. I can’t think of any.
I really hope you’ve seen this one already because if you haven’t, I don’t know what to do with you. Just get it, watch it, and cool off. Simple as that. Fin.
Well, summer is officially here, and I couldn’t be sweatier.
Seriously. It’s frickin hot around here.
There are many ways to cool down in the summer time – crank up the AC crazy high, swim, cover yourself in ice – but each of these is either expensive, requires you to be in the sun and/or around sharks, or might result in some light hypothermia. So my favorite way to cool down is with a horror movie that reminds me of nicer (i.e., colder) times.
And my favorite movie to do this? John Carpenter’s The Thing.
The Thing (1982) is not only my favorite movie for a summer chill session; it’s also one of my favorite horror movies period. It’s even on my Top 20 list.
Although the movie was initially met with criticism, both it and its score are now considered classics in the movie world. It’s even watched at British Research stations in Antarctica as part of their Midwinter celebration held on June 21. There are so many great things going for it.
The cast is awesome. Ultra-80’s coiffed Kurt Russell, always cool Keith David, Wilford “I have diabeetus” Brimley, and the rest of the ill-fated group of research scientists struggle to survive an attack from an other worldly being and their own paranoia, and they just make it all so believable.
The score is haunting and identifiable. Although movies like Halloween and Friday the 13th have very recognizable themes (and good ones, too), the theme and score for this movie is probably one of my favorites. It just sets the bleak and hopeless tone of the movie perfectly.
THE EFFECTS! Sorry for screaming, but I freakin love the effects in this film. I’m not totally against CGI, but practical effects are my jam. They just look so much cooler, and the monsters in this movie, crafted by the so-talented Rob Bottin and crew, are so creepy and unique that I just can’t get over it.
I just don’t have any bad things to say about this movie. And for a bonus, try watching the prequel released in 2011, which is definitely not a perfect movie, but has its moments. CGI is used pretty heavily, but I really appreciated how they tied everything together. Watch it immediately after the 1982 movie, and you’ll see what I mean.
If you haven’t seen this movie, do yourself a huge favor and introduce yourself to it today. Turn down the lights, set the AC to an acceptable temp, and just imagine yourself in the snow and ice.
It’s only a few short months away from fall and cooler temps, so keep checking back with me each week for another chillout session.
It Comes at Night, a film by up-and-coming director/writer Trey Edward Shults, was released on Friday, and the critical reception made this one a must watch for me. It currently has a 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, which – for a horror movie – is rare.
I finally got to see it last night with a friend, and we both went in without any real knowledge of the plot. I knew it was a post-apocalyptic thriller, but other than the brief (and uninformative) trailer I saw before Get Out, I had very limited exposure to anything prior to showtime.
Usually, this is a good thing. Horror movie trailers (and most trailers, really) just give away too damn much.
I really wish I’d learned a little more about this one beforehand.
Warning: Here Be Spoilers.
The movie stars Joel Edgerton (as Paul), Carmen Ejogo (as Sarah), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (as Travis), Christopher Abbott (as Will), and Riley Keough (as Kim) as survivors of a seemingly worldwide plague that has wiped out much of mankind. Will breaks into the home of Paul, Sarah, and Travis, and after he’s knocked out and tied to a tree for the night, he’s interrogated before Paul agrees to take him back to his wife and son and bring them back to live at the house.
There are rules for living at the house. Everyone must go everywhere in pairs. No one goes out at night. And the red door stays locked all night long.
Seems easy, right?
After bringing them in, all seems to be going well until the family dog, Stanley, sees something in the forest and runs away. The dog shows up at the house later that night, bloody and sick, and has to be put down. Both families agree to be isolated from one another after realizing the red door had been unlocked. By whom? We don’t know. Neither do they. All they know is there might be a risk for sickness.
Paranoia increases as Will’s family discusses leaving, and Paul’s family, afraid that someone would now know where to find them, decide not to allow that. Fearing that Will’s child is sick, Paul and Sarah mask and arm themselves to confront the other family, and all hell breaks loose, ending in the deaths of Will, Kim and their toddler son.
At the end, all is hopeless. Paul and Sarah try to cope with what they have just done, and although the point of the isolation was to prevent any illness, Travis still comes down with it anyway and dies. The movie ends with Paul and Sarah staring at each other across the dining room table.
Roll credits.
I understand that this is a film about hopelessness and paranoia. It did a great job at conveying that. I was tense. I felt sad for the characters, especially the dog (always the dog). I just didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I wanted to.
Throughout the whole movie, Travis has nightmares about his dead grandfather, the door, and the forest. The forest seems to hold a lot of dread for him, as he frequently dreams about seeing something terrifying in the trees. He even draws a picture of scary things in the forest. Stanley chases after something in the woods, and his barking is abruptly cut off when he’s out of sight. It just seemed like it was leading up to some big reveal about what was in the woods.
Nothing.
And then the unlocked door. Who unlocked it? What happened there?
Nothing.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad movie, and if I had gone into it knowing the plot, I might have been fine. But IMDb says in its description of the movie that “an unnatural threat terrorizes the world.” To me that doesn’t say sickness, so that threw me off, too.
Should you see it? If you go into it knowing that what comes at night is actually paranoia and there are no creepy creatures in the forest, you’ll probably enjoy it.
But maybe go to a matinee. Save your big bucks for something else.
If you don’t like horror movies, I don’t understand you. I just don’t. Are you scared? Squeamish? Do you just think they’re stupid? What’s your problem?
I have always – ALWAYS – loved horror movies, so not enjoying/watching them has never occurred to me. They’ve just been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.
Maybe you have a significant other that really loves them, or maybe you’ve been called a wuss for whatever reason. The point is, now you want to try them out.
Well, let me help you.
I recently watched The Bye Bye Man, a fairly new horror movie that was universally not-so-loved by people who watched it. Just check out the reviews. Rotten Tomatoes currently scores it as 19% rotten. It’s got a 37% on Metacritic, 0.5 stars out of 4 from Roger Ebert, and a 4.3 on Imdb.
So yeah. Not a great movie.
But guess what? I enjoyed it. I’m not saying it’s a good movie by any means. I just know how to enjoy a horror movie, so that’s what I did.
So how do you do it even if it’s terrible?
1. Know thyself and pick accordingly.
Not every movie is meant for every person, and that can definitely be said for the many variations in the horror genre. If you can’t stand gore, it’s probably not a good idea to jump right in to Saw. If ghosts are too much for you, stay away from The Conjuring. Oh, you run screaming and hyperventilate at the thought of possession? How about you avoid The Exorcist?
Maybe you want a little comedy in your horror. Maybe you want something critically acclaimed (few and far between for horror movies). The point is this: pick something that you might like, not something you know you’re going to hate.
I don’t watch sappy romance movies for exactly that reason.
2. Know the rules.
If you’ve seen Scream or just have a working knowledge of pop culture, you know that horror movies have rules. Don’t have sex. Don’t drink and/or do drugs. Don’t say “I’ll be right back.” And so on, and so on, and so on. These rules don’t apply to real life, but there is a formula to a lot of scary movies, especially slashers.
And if you know the rules, you can probably catch when something’s about to happen. That’s part of the fun. It doesn’t work for every horror movie, of course, but you can have a pretty good time catching these little clues as they come.
3. Turn off your brain.
Yes, Karen. I know they should be going down the stairs and out the door instead of straight into the killer’s loving arms, but this is a horror movie. People make dumb decisions in a horror movie. It’s okay. You don’t have to make these same mistakes when you have a homicidal masked crazy person slowly following you. These are not instructional videos, and on that note…
4. Don’t be “that guy.”
Everybody loves to hear a know-it-all, right? WRONG. Trust me. Absolutely no one cares that you could have totally gotten out of whatever horror movie situation you’re currently watching. It doesn’t make you cool; it makes you annoying.
Also, if you just plain don’t like the movie, don’t be an ass about it. Not scary to you? Don’t bitch about it. Everyone is scared of different things. I, for instance, have never been actually scared by a movie, but I still love them.
5. Don’t give up.
There are as many different types of horror movies as there are stars in the sky. Well, not really, but you get the point. If you pick a movie you’re not really pleased with, try something new. If you decide ghosts aren’t for you, try a slasher. Slashers out? Try a zombie movie. There’s also psychological horror, possession, splatter, survival, found footage, paranormal, and various types of monster movies to try out. There’s bound to be one you’ll like somewhere in the mix.
So that’s it. It’s not rocket science by any means, but like anything worth doing, it takes a little effort sometimes. I hope these tips help you and start you on your horror movie enjoyment journey.
And for those of you that already love horror movies and are just reading this because it’s just so entertaining or something (maybe you’re just bored?), I’d love to hear your tips for enjoying some scary movies. Did I miss anything? I’d love for you to leave a comment.
