Flynn
Sophomore
@flynn
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Post by Flynn on Sept 7, 2017 22:17:07 GMT
Whether or not one finds a movie scary depends on one's ability to empathize. If someone has a high ability to empathize, then yes, they do get scared when watching movies because they are seeing the events of the movies from the perspective of the victims. It's not the same form of fear the victims feel because the experiencer ultimately isn't in danger, but it is a form of that same feeling. On the other hand, if the person watching the film isn't one who has an ability to empathize, then focus is often on things that disturb and disgust. It sounds like you fall in the latter camp, whereas I fall somewhere in between. I rarely get scared, but I do get scared sometimes. I could try to find the study where I got this information, but it's been a while since I read it, and I'm not sure what it's title was or where I found it. I don't think it's that simple. I have no problem empathizing with film characters in general. For example, films, though not usually horror films, can make me cry at the drop of a hat. Most horror films I see as "dark fantasy." I expect most characters in them to be killed (that doesn't always happen, of course, but I see it as the default, so I'm not surprised when it does happen). And I tend to see horror villains more as anti-heroes. Horror villains are basically Batman with more twisted moral views. Villains often have many characteristics that make them allegories for social outsiders. A lot of my attraction to horror films is simply the mood. They're dark, macabre, melancholy, creepy, weird, etc. I like those aesthetic qualities. I like fantasy, too. So when watching horror films, I tend to be "rooting" for the villains, the darkness, the creepiness, etc. at least as much as I'm rooting for the "normals." I don't want the mood to end. I don't want Dracula to be killed. I want him to slink off into the darkness to return again (and provide another film for us). I agree with what you are saying, at least most of it. What attracts me to horror is also the atmosphere. I love the settings and iconography that goes along with horror. I think that's probably why I dislike so many recent horror films: that atmosphere has changed to the point that I no longer respond to it. But I thought the point of the original question was about what films didn't frighten us (with the implication that it was trying to in the first place--as certainly not all horror films try to frighten), not why we are attracted to horror. If a film is trying to scare us, and if we are not frightened, I was just saying that lack of empathy could be why we didn't respond as intended.
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Post by novastar6 on Sept 9, 2017 16:37:38 GMT
The Last House on the Left. It's definitely a parent's worst nightmare, but it's not actually scary otherwise.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Sept 15, 2017 14:09:18 GMT
I want to be scared by horror movies but very few can do that to me now, I've seen so many now. The list of movies that weren't scary would be too long, but that's not a jab at the genre, I still love watching horror for the stories and hoping to find something original and unique and a little bit freaky.
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Flynn
Sophomore
@flynn
Posts: 515
Likes: 270
|
Post by Flynn on Sept 17, 2017 3:13:38 GMT
I want to be scared by horror movies but very few can do that to me now, I've seen so many now. The list of movies that weren't scary would be too long, but that's not a jab at the genre, I still love watching horror for the stories and hoping to find something original and unique and a little bit freaky. I think all horror fans go through a period where movies no longer scare us. That age would be around 25-30. I think this is due to several things: 1. As you said, we've seen the bag of tricks many times. 2. The emotional part of the brain finally develops by age 25, so we are less prone to be swayed by our emotions and imagination. 3. As adults, we are more scared by losing our house than falling prey to the bogeyman. As I see it, our love for horror mirrors the stages of adult relationships. Around age 30, we develop a more meaningful relationship with horror. When we were young, it was all about emotion and how we felt, but as we continue watching, those emotional feelings are fewer, and what replaces it is something less exciting but ultimately more personal and rewarding. At first, we struggle to stay interested because our love is no longer fresh. We feel that horror movies aren't as good as they used to be, but the more we watch the more we come to appreciate the genre as a whole for all that it offers and not just the thrills it can give us.
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