Well, tonight sees the release of perhaps the scariest ever produced- The Exorcist. Do I know first-hand? Have I watched the original? Not bloody likely! There are three things that really scare the bejesus out of me. The prospect of demonic possession, aliens, and clowns.
I remember when I was eight, and I was watching 20/20, they had an exorcism on there. Since that moment, I have been absolutely mortified my possession. Aliens? When I was four-years-old, my parents watched the original alien. Since then, I nearly wet myself when I see those movies, or when I see a credible documentary on it. Clowns? Two reasons why I am scared of clowns. It and Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Both those movies misrepresent clowns.
Aside from the clowns, the other two sources of fright seem to make sense. It seems to me, that people are more afraid of realistic demonic possession than they are of a homicidal maniac running through the woods with a rusty razor. The reality of it all- that’s what’s scary. That’s probably why so many poor souls were shaken and stirred after watching Blair Witch.
If realistic horror films produces more gasps and groans than fantastic ones do, why do they continue to produce the other? My guess is that a realistic horror film is much harder to produce. It’s easy to add in loud noises and bright lights. But it’s far more difficult to make someone truly frightened after the movie.
Recommended rental: Seven starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kevin Spacey. Scared the starch out of me.