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.