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I love horror. When I was young I think I was a bigger pussy about it than the average kid. Everything freaked me out. I lost many hours of sleep after watching The Ghost in Mr. Chicken, which is a mystery/comedy starring Don Knotts and it's dumb as hell, but it still scared the hell out me for some reason when I was like 5 years old. It's one of my earliest memories. Ever since I have almost aggressively sought out horror in movies, books, and games. From sneaking late night episodes of Tales From The Crypt, or going to my latchkey kid friend's houses to watch poo poo like Alien and Pet Cemetery, to sweat palming my controller while playing games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill when I was a little older. I was hooked. It always hosed me up but felt worth it. I'd have trouble sleeping, I'd be scared of dark corners in my house, and even once in a while I'd get so freaked out I'd sleep next to my parents bedroom door on a pile of pillows because it made me feel safer. Deep down I loved it. Then I hit my late teens and either something in my brain broke or I just started to grow up and it was never the same. I've just continued to watch horror for 15+ years, chasing for that white whale that is going to scare the living crap out of me and it never comes. I settle for brief moments of unease or things that give me heebie jeebies in the moment. I don't ever expect to be shopping for night lights again, but I really miss being able to watch stuff that scares the crap out of me. I meet people or read posts from people that cannot do horror because it freaks them out too much, and I wish I could just borrow their brain for a couple of hours to watch some good horror movies or play some video games. This thread is for people who watched too much horror and ruined it for themselves. Feel free to feel bad for yourself itt about losing your ability to get good and scared, but I also want to hear about things that still managed to get through your horror immune facade. Whether it's a movie, or a game or, a book or whatever, maybe just a single scene or image I want to hear about it. I have a few I'll post later. Also, I wanted to say that the last thing that managed to all around scare the absolute crap out of me was the Exorcist theater re-release in the late 90's. It was the first time I saw it and I was probably 17 and well past being scared by movies, but holy moly it was beyond anything I'd watched at that point and I straight up had nightmares about it. Good job Exorcist.
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Mar 14, 2018 06:31
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| # ? May 14, 2024 15:29 |
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People aren't desensitized to horror, there's just no horror now. There's nothing scary about just sitting there watching people get killed in elaborate ways. It's gross but it's never scary.
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Mar 14, 2018 07:46
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Typical bogeyman stuff like slashers stopped being effective for me when I was in high school, sadly (maybe around the same age you). The last thing that really tapped into my (maybe more adult) present day anxieties was “Mother!” last year, with its extreme portrayal of war and religious fanaticism. I’ve seen a good number of people say that the entire thing was absurd to the point of comedy for them, though.
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Mar 14, 2018 09:47
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I feel the atmosphere of The Thing and I get a bit uncomfortable watching the breakdown of society in The Mist. When I watch Signs at night the jumpscares can get to me, still. I’d say getting a real sense of helplessness is a good start for a scary movie.
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Mar 14, 2018 10:36
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I am desensitized to the horror that is life.
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Mar 14, 2018 10:36
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504 posted:People aren't desensitized to horror, there's just no horror now. Look everyone, it's a time traveler from 2006.
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Mar 14, 2018 15:41
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Are you sure it's because you got desensitized and not just because you are no longer 5? There was never going to be a movie that can scare an adult as much as a 5 year old.
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Mar 14, 2018 16:40
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I wouldn’t say im desensitized so much as I recognize the artistry and effort in a horror film first and foremost. My love for the genre has kind of ironically ruined it for me as a pure viewing experience, because instead of watching them reactively, I’m constantly paying attention to the mechanics: cinematography, effects work, the score. And that’s basically how it’s been since I was a little kid running around on the playground as a xenomorph.
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Mar 14, 2018 16:57
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I do experience fear that's pretty similar to when I was a kid, it just only happens maybe once a year or every few years. The last two movies that did it to me were Baskin about two years ago, and then last year I watched Tourist Trap and discovered that I have a phobia of mannequins. My reaction to Baskin had nothing to do with the gorier moments in the second half, but the dread that builds and builds throughout the first half was some of the most effective and intense I can remember experiencing as an adult.
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Mar 14, 2018 17:00
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i'm the Babadook irl
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Mar 14, 2018 17:02
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I felt like that for a long time but now i find there are movies that can still make me feel kind of creeped or anxious, but they usually aren't the neatly classified "horror" movies. The first half of Annihilation did it for me, and things like Black Swan have some moments. In general though nothing comes close to the fear i would feel as a child from even quite benign movies. Although, if you really want to feel some hosed up anxiety you can try a 4D viewing experience (the two extra d's are for 'doing drugs').
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Mar 14, 2018 17:33
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Moon Atari posted:I felt like that for a long time but now i find there are movies that can still make me feel kind of creeped or anxious, but they usually aren't the neatly classified "horror" movies. The first half of Annihilation did it for me, and things like Black Swan have some moments. I think the key thing for scaring adults is tapping into a deeper fear than just "man wearing a mask will murder me" or "space monster will eat me". Stuff like mother!, where the horror(to simplify a bit) is having your agency taken away from you, or Don't Look Now, which is about dealing with the loss of a child.
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Mar 14, 2018 17:39
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*obligatory if you want true horror, read the news joke*
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Mar 14, 2018 17:49
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I get where you're coming from, OP. I like horror but it's getting harder and harder to be affected by one. However I have found that, as I get older, there are different things that affect me. Like it's getting harder and harder to watch something with young kids in peril. Watching the 2013 movie Prisoners was harrowing for me (it involves two young girls getting kidnapped). Still a strong feeling of helplessness, but a little different than if a monster was chasing someone on screen.
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Mar 14, 2018 18:33
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Basebf555 posted:I think the key thing for scaring adults is tapping into a deeper fear than just "man wearing a mask will murder me" or "space monster will eat me". If that is the case my deeper fear must be loss of sanity. Not in the style of The Shining though where it is more fear of someone else who has lost sanity, but movies that depict it from the perspective of the person losing it. For instance, the end of Mulholland Drive had me feeling tense as hell.
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Mar 14, 2018 18:50
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Drunkboxer posted:Look everyone, it's a time traveler from 2006. So you're saying there have been movies that the general populace has said is scary? As opposed to the utterly uninteresting drek that appears to have been around?
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Mar 14, 2018 23:04
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I'd say we are actually in a pretty good time for horror. There's a lot of good indie/foreign stuff that has come out over the last 5-6 years and mainstream horror is bad, but not nearly as much as it was in the early 00's and some good stuff even slips through the cracks.
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Mar 14, 2018 23:12
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504 posted:So you're saying there have been movies that the general populace has said is scary? As opposed to the utterly uninteresting drek that appears to have been around? All that is going to happen is people are going to list movies generally seen as scary them you tell us your penis is huge because you were so brave while watching a movie
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Mar 14, 2018 23:35
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Owlofcreamcheese posted:All that is going to happen is people are going to list movies generally seen as scary them you tell us your penis is huge because you were so brave while watching a movie Or we'll get into a debate about what "general populace" means.
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Mar 14, 2018 23:36
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The constructive way to do this is you list some past horror movies that you thought were scary/good and we list some contemporary ones based on your taste. As for the question, the only thing that has always and will always viscerally scare me is jump scares or the expectation of jump scares, because they are the only thing real in a movie. I watch horror movies for the entertainment, not to be scared.
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Mar 15, 2018 02:01
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504 posted:So you're saying there have been movies that the general populace has said is scary? As opposed to the utterly uninteresting drek that appears to have been around? Yeah. It's mainly about people getting killed in elaborate ways. When that happens, I get some terror
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Mar 15, 2018 02:10
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It's not a really good horror movie unless I feel traumatized by it.
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Mar 15, 2018 02:38
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Like no movie is going to be as scary as a movie you watch at 5 years old could be but movies are also just movies, they are stories on a flat screen that presents no danger to you. A movie can never force you to feel anything, if you decide no movie could make you feel sad you can watch the saddest movie on earth and just play on your phone and make fart noises during the sad parts and the movie won't be sad. No horror movie can force you to be scared and if you preemptively decide that no movie can scare you and that you will view it as some sort of test of strength where the movie tries to scare you and you try to resist you will always win 100% of the time. Stories only work to provoke emotion in humans if they engage actively in the story. A healthy adult mind can separate reality and fiction too well for horror to be scary ever unless you decide to engage the movie in good faith. If you decide no movie can scare you, you are right, it can't, that isn't tough or impressive. That is how fiction works. It can't force things on you.
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Mar 15, 2018 02:48
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Mar 15, 2018 02:57
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Mar 15, 2018 03:09
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I don't really watch enough horror to consider myself 'desensitized' - I can't stand torture-porn stuff, and most horror gives me at least some heebies and a few jeebies if it isn't hot garbage. What I do find odd is that The Exorcist, so often touted as a great (or even the greatest) horror film, really didn't do it for me. I just didn't find it scary in the slightest. I still feel that it's strange that it left virtually no impression on me. If you're looking for recommendations: my favorite horror film (which isn't to say necesarily the scariest) is the original japanese Dark Water, though a lot of what it did is pretty overplayed now. But more to the point, I don't think it's necessarily possible to give good horror recommendations because, as my above example shows, it seems to be something extremely personal as to what 'works' for someone and what doesn't.
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Mar 15, 2018 06:19
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No OP.
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Mar 15, 2018 06:20
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Soul Reaver posted:If you're looking for recommendations: my favorite horror film (which isn't to say necesarily the scariest) is the original japanese Dark Water, though a lot of what it did is pretty overplayed now. But more to the point, I don't think it's necessarily possible to give good horror recommendations because, as my above example shows, it seems to be something extremely personal as to what 'works' for someone and what doesn't. Actually yeah the Japanese horror stuff spooked me pretty good when it first started making it's way around. Dark Water, Uzumaki, and especially the Grudge. The Grudge especially scared the crap out of me. It all got so run into the ground a few years later it almost feels ruined though, but for that brief time it felt totally fresh and new and scary as hell.
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Mar 15, 2018 06:39
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Drunkboxer posted:Look everyone, it's a time traveler from 2006. what happened in 2007 that suddenly made it scary again to see people be killed in elaborate ways? the global economy melting down? Obama running for president? Owlofcreamcheese posted:Like no movie is going to be as scary as a movie you watch at 5 years old could be but movies are also just movies, they are stories on a flat screen that presents no danger to you. A movie can never force you to feel anything, if you decide no movie could make you feel sad you can watch the saddest movie on earth and just play on your phone and make fart noises during the sad parts and the movie won't be sad. No horror movie can force you to be scared and if you preemptively decide that no movie can scare you and that you will view it as some sort of test of strength where the movie tries to scare you and you try to resist you will always win 100% of the time. Stories only work to provoke emotion in humans if they engage actively in the story. A healthy adult mind can separate reality and fiction too well for horror to be scary ever unless you decide to engage the movie in good faith. If you decide no movie can scare you, you are right, it can't, that isn't tough or impressive. That is how fiction works. It can't force things on you.
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Mar 15, 2018 06:49
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That owlofcreamcheese post is the most autistic thing I have read in a good long time. Like, I don't think he could have missed the point more and I'm not sure why it resonated with you enough to emptyquote it but whatever. Also  at the idea of "I wish horror still scared me like it did when I was a kid" being some sort of brag 
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Mar 15, 2018 07:02
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veni veni veni posted:That owlofcreamcheese post is the most autistic thing I have read in a good long time. Like, I don't think he could have missed the point more and I'm not sure why it resonated with you enough to emptyquote it but whatever. Like if you decide you are too strong to be scared by a movie (too desensitized) you are gonna be right, you are never going to be forced to feel anything by any movie. It's very easy to not be scared by fiction if you decide to not be. or if you go at it in some adversarial way where you try to be tough and ask the movie to defeat it, the movie is just a movie and isn't gonna win unless you let it win. (again, unless you are 5 and do not have a strong understanding of fiction vs real, like the last time you were afraid of movies and weren't declaring yourself desensitized)
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Mar 15, 2018 12:37
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I'm honestly not sure where you inferred that I "decided I was too strong for scary movies" or that was the point of the post. It's supposed to be a fun thread for people who have watched too much horror and your trying to project intent on to it that I never had, and I think it's weird as hell that you took it as bragging.
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Mar 15, 2018 14:36
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veni veni veni posted:I'm honestly not sure where you inferred that I "decided I was too strong for scary movies" or that was the point of the post. It's supposed to be a fun thread for people who have watched too much horror and your trying to project intent on to it that I never had, and I think it's weird as hell that you took it as bragging. To be fair, you came out swinging right away with a pretty offensive autism comment, so you set the tone there. Luckily we're in a separate thread so it can't infect the actual horror thread, which should be protected from this kind of crap.
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Mar 15, 2018 15:11
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Gone Fission posted:what happened in 2007 that suddenly made it scary again to see people be killed in elaborate ways? the global economy melting down? Obama running for president? People who complain that all new horror movies are "torture porn" are clearly ignorant of the genre, and if what they think was ever true it would have been in the mid-aughts (but it wasn't ever true). hth
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Mar 15, 2018 15:38
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Gone Fission posted:what happened in 2007 that suddenly made it scary again to see people be killed in elaborate ways? the global economy melting down? Obama running for president? The Mist.
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Mar 15, 2018 15:41
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veni veni veni posted:I'm honestly not sure where you inferred that I "decided I was too strong for scary movies" or that was the point of the post. It's supposed to be a fun thread for people who have watched too much horror and your trying to project intent on to it that I never had, and I think it's weird as hell that you took it as bragging. That it though, that is the answer, there is nothing special about you that makes you the unique snowflake that has found the secret to not being afraid of fictional movies due to some sort of rigorous training to desensitize you. Anyone can just resist fiction. It's very very easy. The second you decide you are too strong/desensitized/brave/whatever you are, just don't engage in the movie well and it'll have no power over you, it's not a unique talent or special or anything. To be scared by a movie you have to engage in the movie to the level that you picked to let something affect you.
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Mar 15, 2018 15:41
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Yeah, I consider myself a ~horror aficionado~ or whatever, so I've noticed that I watch horror for the aesthetic or themes more than to get scared. I think part of it is growing up and part of it is that when you love something, you learn all about it and horror tends to thrive in the Unknown. That said, a few recent(ish) films have given me some spook-em-ups lately: Baskin is exactly like nightmares I used to have as a kid, so it filled me with mega dread. We Need To Talk About Kevin is terrifying because I'm trying to have a kid now and the idea of having a killer kid is... woof. I found A Dark Song to be really unnerving even though not much happens. Kill List and A Field in England also gave me similar vibes for reasons I can't quite articulate. Something about the way the stories unfold just stayed with me for days. mother! was one of the most harrowing film experiences I've ever had but YMMV And there was a lot in Twin Peaks Season 3 that felt really unsettling. Obviously it's not a two hour film, but it was full of really bizarre and off-putting scenes that I really appreciated. I think my capacity to get scared by films is diminished, but my capacity to be really unnerved is still high.
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Mar 15, 2018 15:47
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Literally still find shakycam scary
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Mar 15, 2018 16:03
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Owlofcreamcheese posted:That it though, that is the answer, there is nothing special about you that makes you the unique snowflake that has found the secret to not being afraid of fictional movies due to some sort of rigorous training to desensitize you. Anyone can just resist fiction. It's very very easy. The second you decide you are too strong/desensitized/brave/whatever you are, just don't engage in the movie well and it'll have no power over you, it's not a unique talent or special or anything. To be scared by a movie you have to engage in the movie to the level that you picked to let something affect you. Oh my god nobody cares. Post some stuff in movies you found scary.
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Mar 15, 2018 16:38
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I'd definitely rather be deeply unsettled by a horror film that merely startled, though a lifetime of jump scares has given me occasionally persistent low-level anxiety around dark windows and shadowy corners when I'm alone. The parts that spooked me most in Annihilation were the guy's body smeared across the wall like a mycological Louis Wain piece and the concept of the only piece of a person's consciousness being absorbed by the skull bear being the one that is experiencing grotesque agony. Both intimate a much scarier truth via suggestion and the necessity of your brain filling in the gaps with its own worst fears than just having something ugly go "boo!" at the characters.
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Mar 15, 2018 16:58
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