DAY 1
INTRODUCTION
Why is it that we love to ride the tallest, fastest, and most intense roller coasters on Earth? Why do some people have no problem sky diving and others (myself included) hesitate when it comes to stepping on anything above the second rung of a ladder? And on the very opposite end of the spectrum, why do people compulsively cheat, lie, or steal?
There is no doubt in my mind that the thrill involved in each situation is a magnetic "pull" that we are compelled to experience time and time again. However, after people find out that I'm a horror movie junkie (that's putting it lightly), people ask how I could watch "movies like that" all of the time.
The truth is, I like being scared by films.
There is no greater feeling than watching a really scary movie and feeling anxiety, stress, nerves or any other emotion associated with fear. To me, a truly great (in a cinematic sense) horror picture is one that makes me think that the filmmaker behind it is dangerous: s/he has told a story so good that the film becomes an experience. It doesn't have to be horror, Ben Affleck's "Argo" was so good that I can't remember the last time I was quite literally on the edge of my seat for the entire length of a film's second and third act.
"We believe that a reevaluation of the two dominant explanations for people's willingness to consume "negative" experiences (both of which assume that people can not experience negative and positive emotions simultaneously) is in order," said Eduardo Andrade (University of California, Berkeley) and Joel B. Cohen (University of Florida) in a study the two conducted for the August 2007 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research. "The assumption of people's inability to experience positive and negative affect at the same time is incorrect. When individuals who typically choose to avoid the stimuli were embedded in a protective frame of mind, such that there was sufficient psychological disengagement or detachment, they experienced positive feelings while still experiencing fearfulness," the two said in their study. In other words, we love the feeling of being unhappy, but not really.
Some people point to the violence in films as society reflecting it's own rotting standards that are being manifested in a physical way. Honestly, violence is a staple of the genre, not necessarily gore, however. "Halloween" is a classic and masterfully made film (and will be featured at some point here in this series) and yet the film really only ended up putting a couple of drops of fake blood on Jamie Lee Curtis's arm for the sake of continuity in the film's third act. The same could be said for explosions in action movies - they are a staple of the genre, but do not necessarily reflect it.
Logically, in the safest way possible. Perhaps the line for Goliath at Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA wouldn't be quite as long if people knew that there was a large opportunity that they would be thrown from one of the park's most popular rides. Unfortunately, theater shootings have happened, but statistically speaking, are not anymore unsafe than say any other place as say a public or private school or a supermarket.
This post is meant to serve as an introduction to the 31 Days of Terror review series I am using to re-invigorate my blog. Horror pictures aren't all I watch, but certainly do make up a large percentage of what I already have seen. Movielogr has tracked me at having seen 46 films in the horror genre since I started keeping track of what I've been watching on January 1st of this year.
39% of what I've watched so far this year, less than half, have been horror films. I must admit, that's somewhat disappointing. Not everything will be strictly speaking horror. We will deal with all types of "terrors." Viruses, zombies, ghosts, corporations, and let's not forget the slashers. I'll try to keep these as brief as possible to not bombard everyone with an essay on a particular movie. Also, I'll try to keep away from spoiling anything, but if I absolutely can't get around it, I'll make sure to greatly advertise that it is coming so that you may skip over it if you so choose.
Please feel free to add your thoughts down in the comments section of this post or wherever it is posted across social media! I will be posting links to my daily reviews on facebook, pinterest, twitter, and tumblr.
Happy October 1st everyone!
LINKS:
www.movielogr.com
SOURCES:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725152040.htm
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-07/uocp-wdp072507.php
http://www.wisegeek.org/why-do-people-like-to-watch-scary-movies.htm
http://movielogr.com/members/eduardovictory/stats/
No comments:
Post a Comment