Sunday, April 3, 2011
My Reactions to the Horror Genre
In our introduction posts, I mentioned that I didn't like scary movies because I had such a low tolerance for being scared. I was terrified watching Scary Movie 3, and yes, I do in fact know that it was supposed to be a comedy. It isn't necessarily during the movie that I am scared; it is after the movie finished when I become extremely paranoid and jumpy. I have never been scared of violence in horror movies and I can appreciate slasher movies; I think they're immaturely entertaining. However, I have not been able to tolerate movies with high levels of the supernatural or demonic elements. Now watching horror film in class I am able to watch the films more unbiasedly and I can now watch them and understand that they are a formulized work of art as opposed to depictions of possible real-life situations. For example, knowing that the long black hair that we see in many Japanese or Japanese-inspired films has cultural roots instead of supernatural ones makes my viewing experience more enjoyable. I can also appreciate some of the humor that we see in a lot of horror films, such as Uzumaki. I'm excited to be able to continue the semester without the dread of having to watch another horror film.
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I have to agree with you Emily in that I also do not enjoy being scared. I find that being scared doesn't only last during the horror movies, but rather it lingers for days. I often dream about those movies with myself inserted as the character being chased (like in Night of the Living Dead).
ReplyDeleteI think that being scared is also due to ignorance...not ignorance meaning about the person fundamentally, but more as ignorance regarding the plot and the symbols during movies. So, in the Japanese films, not that I know about the history regarding the hair, I am able to watch those films from a more educational standpoint and try to delve into the situation and problem-solving rather than covering my eyes or leaving the room. I am able to try and wrap my head around the plot and actively think about it. I believe that this is a big element of horror movies. The producers know that we have no idea what is going on, and the lack of control we experience during this is scary. This is definitely a technique used in those movies.