Thursday, October 28, 2010

What scares you?

With Halloween close, the television shows take a decidedly darker tone and then tend to feature 'Scary Movie marathons'.  I don't like horror movies.  I don't like being scared, because I scare easily.  And I have nightmares.  Seriously?  I still fear the hand reaching out from under the bed to touch me.  Just touch me.  I would die.  Of fear.

Movies like Silence of the Lambs scarred me.  I didn't even watch it in the theater; I saw it on TV, which means the really bad stuff was cut out.  But I can't erase the image of that girl in the pit, and that freakin' fingernail!  And don't even mention that sludgy slime in the bathtub.  (I'm going to have a nightmare tonight just for mentioning it.)

The Alien movie was another that scarred me, and I saw it when I was about 12 or 13.  Those slimy pods opening up.  That alien bursting out of the man's chest?  Aggh!
A lego rendering of the awful moment.

But my worst movie fear?  Anything that features an exorcism.  It seriously damages my tender little brain.  And one of my favorite movies is Constantine, which features an exorcism within the first ten minutes!  I watch it a lot, but not unless I forward past the exorcism scene.  I don't even believe in demonic possession, but something about watching the act of casting a demon out of a human freaks me.

Now I want to know: What scares you at the movies?  Do you like horror shows?  What's your all-time scariest movie recommendation?  Do you get nightmares from watching scary stuff?  Will somebody please hold me so the boogie man doesn't get me?

Michele




14 comments:

Unknown said...

I am a newly converted horror movie fan. Never used to like being scared, but now it's kinda fun. Still not big on the slasher films where a dozen or so college or high school kids get cut up in inventive ways. But I do love "critter" movies, where something alien or overgrown or lab-created runs amuck.

And talk about being "formulaic"-- most of the time I can pick out which characters will die andsometimes even how. Is that because I'm thinking like a writer or because the writing/script is just simplistic or really transparent?

Michele, I'm a big fan of Constantine myself. It gets even better with third and fourth viewings! Movies with religious background and exorcisms have always scared me-- except a few of the cheesy ones. The ones with little kids (Omen, anyone?) tend to freak me out. But they have to be GOOD. Some of the recent releases ("Orphan, anyone?)just don't make the grade.

"Aliens" (#2) is still one of my all-time favorite movies, as is "Predator." And yes, I went to see and LOVED the "Alien vs Predator" flick with kick-butt actress Shana Latham. I am really thrilled that "Predators" is coming out soon and will be there on opening night!

Keri Ford said...

na-uh, no way, no how.

I do not like being scared. I have accidently punched/slapped/elbowed the husband a many of times because he walked up behind me (not planning to scare me, but did anyway). His reflexes have gotten better now that when I jump, he hikes it back a couple of feet.

I don't do horror flicks or kooky things or haunted houses. I can occasionally tolerate a creepy tale, but I follow it up with an hour of beloved cartoons so I can sleep.

LizbethSelvig said...

Too funny, Michele, I am so with you. I am a total wimp when it comes to my movies. No scary, no uber-violence. I miss a lot of "good" movies because I can't stand terror or a lot of people punching, slicing and shooting. Give me a fairy tale or a great action movie (where the bad guy dies only once -- anyone remember how many times Gary Bussey got up and needed the crap beat out of him in Lethal Weapon? Sheesh)
Yup -- I'm a wimp. So enjoy all the scary movies for me everyone!

Michele Hauf said...

Betina, you and my daughter, both Aliens/Predators fans. I bought her the boxed set of those movies last year. And yes, anything with creepy children. shudder.

Keri, I suppose you're hubby would come home bruised and banged if he took you to a horror movie? :-)

Leanne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Leanne said...

Betina's post horrified me. Just the PROSPECT of watching those movies makes me shudder! Constantine...third and fourth viewing! (Loud Screaming!) How about not even ONE viewing?

Keri, I'll have to try that. Maybe if I INJURE my husband, he'll stop SCARING ME! lol

Lizbeth, I'm totally with you. If I mistakenly get involved in watching a scary movie, it MUST be followed up by a comfort show -- cartoons, Love Boat, The Sound Of Music...:)

Great blog. Can we please now change the subject to puppies, kitty cats and daffodils?:) (So I won't go upstairs and look under my bed.)

Keri Ford said...

LOL--Michele. luckily for me, he isn't a fan of horror either. He did take me to a haunted house once and the whole time I walked with my face buried in his back.


Go for it Leanne. especially if he's doing it on purpose!

Unknown said...

So with you, Hauf. Cannot stand being scared. But I liked Constantine too. Hmmmm. Hey, saw Red last night. How great was that.

Helen Brenna said...

LOL. Oh, this is so funny!

Betina! I never would've guessed it. Aliens is one of my all-time favorite movies, too. There are so many excellent lines. "Whatever you're going to do, do it fast." Kick butt heroines. Love it. I liked Constantine, too, but have only seen it once. will have to check it out again.

There's not much that scares me in movies. Don't like the slasher-let's-see-how-much-blood-we-can-splatter type flicks, but I love the suspense of a honest to goodness scary movie.

Bring it!

catslady said...

I love scary. Horror, scify - anything. There is only one movie that has really scared me. Fire in the Sky - it's supposedly a true story about alient abduction and they aren't nice like ET. I even like the badly made ones for their humor lol.

Michele Hauf said...

RED rocked, Lois. Love seeing those older actors getting roles like that. And take note: never go to a movie with Helen; she likes the scary stuff. :-)

Oh, Catslady! Fire in the Sky freaked me out. Because yes, was it true? And how freaky if it was. Acted really well, too.

KylieBrant said...

Horror movies don't bother me, because I don't take them seriously. Loved loved loved Silence of the Lambs, Sixth Sense...I really like the psychological thrillers. The scariest movie I ever saw was the Exorcist, because it's a lot easier to believe in the devil than it is to worry about a chain saw massacre...!

Christie Ridgway said...

Oh, man, I so don't like to be scared. Jaws. The Omen! Eek! The Exorcist. Yeah, those one with religious overtones creep me out. I remember my first really scary move. My mom let me watch an old black & white movie one afternoon while she was ironing...The Bad Seed.

What's Constantine? I will go to imdb.com.

Unknown said...

I used to like going to horror movies. Halloween. Nightmare on Elm Street. Jeepers Creepers just about did me in. I remember movie called The Changling (c.1980). Ghost story. George C. Scott plays a guy who moves into an abandoned house, starts hearing things. A ball that he'd thrown outside in the rain bounces itself down the stairs all soaking wet. Great stuff.

Don't like the horror stuff anymore. Maybe 'cuz the day job is scary enough???