Understanding Horror Film fans

trueindie

trueindie

Okay, don't burn me to death. But I don't understand the Horror film fan personality type completely and so I present you with this thought in my head.

Preamble: my personality type.
As I was watching Boys don't cry, I shut it off half way through and did not finish watching the film. As I was watching it, I had a strong feeling that
the main character, who was playing a male, was about to be found out for being a female and would be raped.
I'm not sure if that really happened. That was a very strong suspicion and I didn't want to watch that set of events and so I stopped watching (I just googled the plot and found out that even worse things happened).

I was just watching the movie Orphan. I'm halfway through. I stopped watching it. I've already seen this little brat refuse to go to the dentist (I think she's hiding her age) and do some horrible things, and prepare for more horrible things to follow. I just can't compel myself to watch any further. It's too agonizing, because I kind of feel like I know where things are going. It's probably going to end with the little girl dying, but after causing a lot of pain and destruction and mistrust. So I can't seem to bring myself to continue to watch it.

That's my personality type. I'm a wuss. Also, just to color my wussness appropriately, I might add that every time I see the ending of the movie The Champ I can feel my tear ducts leaking. So actually, I might be some sort of super wuss.

But in my efforts to be a filmmaker I want to understand all sorts of audiences. So I want to know
1. who here liked the movie Orphan, and why.
2. who here likes horror films but did not like Orphan and why
3. Any other advice/sentiments that you feel might increase my understanding of horror film fans

Cheers,
Aveek
 
I don't understand some of the horror audience either. I do LOVE some horror films that I feel are well done, such as Carrie, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original), and The Last House on the Left (remake) for example. But some horror fans, all they want is gore and sex, which isn't really scary, but just usually a lot more exploitative, the way it is portrayed, like Hostel, I Spit on Your Grave (both versions), and The Human Centipede. I like the actual horror genre, where it concentrates on creating fear. So are we talking about the true horror genre, or the exploitation genre?
 
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Orphan is a creepy, odd, kind of disturbing movie that I thought
was well written with character who stayed true to themselves as
written. I saw the twist coming but it so fit the story and so
changed the dynamic of the film that I very much liked it.

For a story that could have been a formulaic bore, I thought it
rose above the expected. It was genuinely grounded in human
emotion.

I love horror films. I always have; my first strong memory of a
film was sneaking into the family room late at night to watch TV
and seeing “Invaders From Mars”. Scared the living crap out of me
and I was hooked.
 
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I loved ORPHAN. It was excellent. It was well acted, had a neat twist (which you kind of guessed). It was formulatic, but just had some really nice scare moments, and some sick stuff.

Something that most people don't understand about horror (especially in the age we're living in) movies like Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man had the same effect on those audiences as Orphan did for you. There are still people (mid-west and south) that still are frightened of Satanic Cults and Monsters.

Horror fans loved to be scared and enjoy the terror. It's a release. A really good horror movie (there are so few) move a fan on numerous levels.

What's coming out now, when done correctly is just inherent wrongness in the characters. Rob Zombie does it cheesy and with cussing, where Lucky McKee does it strictly with character. It's a whole new genre of horror. Where it isn't jumping out of your seat, or being scared. But, being disturbed and disgusted. When done properly it's the most horrific of all.
 
I just want to add that the reason I stopped watching is because Orphan was so effective. Just the music alone was making my skin crawl. And I absolutely fell in love with the deaf daughter's character. She was fantastic. All the characters were believable. It was most definitely very, very well done. And that's why I had to stop watching. I couldn't take it any more. My sensitivities...maybe I'll try to finish it later. But just the music alone was killing me. :shudder:
 
Hi, trueindie.

This reminded me of Into the Pit: The Shocking Story of Deadpit.com (2009). It's damn good and I highly recommend it. I don't think it explains horror fan psychology or anything like that. But it's about two pretty regular and likeable guys who are horror nuts and who are also responsible for DeadPit.Com.

I looked around a little bit and couldn't find it as a free streaming video for you. But if you go to deadpit.com, up at the top right there's a link you can take and it turns out they're selling it for $9.99 on DVD. Is it worth it? Yeah, if that's what it takes to see it, I think so. Needless to say, I couldn't know if that's true for you or anyone else though.

But check out this interview of the filmmakers. It's pretty cool in its own right.

Director's Cut: James Bett Jr. and William Zenobia, "Into The Pit"
 
richy said:
Hi, trueindie.

This reminded me of Into the Pit: The Shocking Story of Deadpit.com (2009). It's damn good and I highly recommend it. I don't think it explains horror fan psychology or anything like that. But it's about two pretty regular and likeable guys who are horror nuts and who are also responsible for DeadPit.Com.

I looked around a little bit and couldn't find it as a free streaming video for you. But if you go to deadpit.com, up at the top right there's a link you can take and it turns out they're selling it for $9.99 on DVD. Is it worth it? Yeah, if that's what it takes to see it, I think so. Needless to say, I couldn't know if that's true for you or anyone else though.

But check out this interview of the filmmakers. It's pretty cool in its own right.

Director's Cut: James Bett Jr. and William Zenobia, "Into The Pit"
Click to expand...

I'll look into "into the pit." I might just pay for it.

by the way, your post just reminded me of a very incisive reply you gave to me in a thread about horror films and I went looking for it and found it.

I have a verrrrry active imagination. So despite all of the above, my imagination can take-off with something like that, and the movie quickly wore out its welcome in my life. I know that it had a similar effect on my Dad with whom I saw the damn thing, and I've heard of other people having similar reactions. Oi. Now unlike the gore stuff, that kind of thing does creep me out. I do not like to be creeped out. I actually regret seeing it, pretty much. It's right up there (or down there) with the Exorcist for me. I have almost no interest in rewatching the Exorcist either, even after all of these years. Not that I'm suggesting that you make Paranormal Activity 4. And even if you did and it was a great film, I ain't watchin' it!
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You were talking about paranormal activity of course. And I think what got me to understand horror film fans a little bit is the "active imagination" part. But that's me also. I literally visualize 'everything.' I start visualizing things that are ABOUT to happen and I can't stare at the screen anymore. I have to look away. Even when I want someone to bash someone's head. Right when they're about to bash the person's head, I have to turn away from the screen. What can I say? I'm just a wuss, with a very tiny heart. Maybe I lack the strength for pain. Although I was always able to take a good beating (I have a high threshold for physical pain). It's the imagination of the pain that drives me insane.

Thanks Richy
Aveek
 
richy said:
But check out this interview of the filmmakers. It's pretty cool in its own right.

Director's Cut: James Bett Jr. and William Zenobia, "Into The Pit"
Click to expand...


Hey, Richy! I know those guys..... well, I hung out with them. There was a Wisconsin horror film festival that had me in their guest lineup. First year was in Racine and second was in Milwaukee. My pic (Mike Conway) is on the bottom/middle of the flyer:

394136_10151280021200494_603930493_22960580_1168448944_n.jpg



Anyway, William Zenobia (in your link) came onboard in 2007 - made my travel arrangements, picked me up, helped Wayne run the fest, etc. Great guy! Here is a pic of William and myself.


Some others:

Me with "The Living Dead Girls."
With Sonnyboo, Lloyd Kaufman and Nic Brown
With William Zenobia, Wayne Clingman, Brian Morton and Hank Carlson


They also had a documentary about Dead Pit radio, which I saw bits of. Cool stuff.
 
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trueindie said:
Okay, don't burn me to death. But I don't understand the Horror film fan personality type completely
Click to expand...

I gave a few thoughts on this in your "Horror Film Formula" THREAD. (My post with pics - bottom of page 2.)


I tend to like "Fun" horror (CREEPSHOW, Atomic Monsters of the 50's, etc.) sometimes more than "Thrill/Scare" horror. I don't always like ultra dark and ghastly.


who here liked the movie Orphan, and why.
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A little hard to watch, but that twist -
Her being an adult woman in her 30's posing as a child
- was really incredible! I don't want to watch it again, though. That movie is really dependent on the surprise, for me.

A movie I like to watch over and over would be NEAR DARK (I love the characters) or the hilarious DEAD ALIVE (I love the gags), by Peter Jackson.
 
Scoopicman said:
I gave a few thoughts on this in your "Horror Film Formula" THREAD. (My post with pics - bottom of page 2.)
Click to expand...

I started reading that thread last night. Your post there is like a college level class for me on horror films. I'd forgotten all about it. So this thread is now effectively moot, cause I can find all my answers in that thread ;)

I tend to like "Fun" horror (CREEPSHOW, Atomic Monsters of the 50's, etc.) sometimes more than "Thrill/Scare" horror. I don't always like ultra dark and ghastly.

A little hard to watch, but that twist -
Her being an adult woman in her 30's posing as a child
- was really incredible! I don't want to watch it again, though. That movie is really dependent on the surprise, for me.

A movie I like to watch over and over would be NEAR DARK (I love the characters) or the hilarious DEAD ALIVE (I love the gags), by Peter Jackson.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions. Personally, I can't tire of watching The Exorcist, or The Omen. They don't scare me (maybe because I don't believe in any religious things). I just like watching the human behavior in the characters' reactions as they find out that their world is a nightmare.
 
(okay, raise your hand if you didn't know I'd chime in on this one) ;-)

Now then, I think part of the problem is there is a wide variety of things that fall under the "horror" umbrella. There is no one "horror mindset" because there is no one type of "horror film". Now, people who are into horror films may appreciate one sort more than the other, but be more open to other horror films than people who are not.

For example, I like supernatural horror (ghosts, demons, etc) and I tend not to be crazy about slashers. But I'll watch a slasher, and sometimes enjoy them. I like a good funny horror film, and I like a grity horror film.

If I'm understanding you correctly, you don't understand the extreme gore/uncomfortable situations in some horror films. And from the sounds of it, you dislike it because you empathize with the characters on a deep level (this is not a bad thing!) Speaking only for myself, that's part of the fun. Horror films that I enjoy make me feel uncomfortable, make me feel bad for the victims, make me anxious about the killer/monster (I can't say any of them really, truely scare me, but that's what I look for). I want to feel things. I want to think about things. I want to imagine what I'd do in the situation. Similar to your thoughts about the Exorcist, horror films are about the people, how they react and in lots of films (a good zombie film and The Mist come to mind), they are the real monsters.

Not horror, but I've just started watching the Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. It's so awkward and awful and embarassing. But feeling that is making me laugh, and feel horrible, and then laugh, then feel bad about laughing. It's making me react emotionally, which is what I look for in entertainment. Not all of those emotions are "good" emotions, but I don't make that distinction. That sort of experience is similar to a good horrific horror film. I like films that make me feel sad, or happy, or uncomfortable, or excited, or anything, so long as it makes me feel. I also have a very over-active imagination, but I like where that takes me. I haven't had a nightmare since I was in high school, when I realized I enjoyed them!

And, on a superficial level, if a drama is bad, it's boring. If a comedy is bad, it's unfunny. But if a horror film is bad, it's usually laughably so!

I don't think you have a small heart; I think you have a big one. It's your stomach that is small!

Oh, and be warned about Dead Alive (which is one of my favorite films as well): BUCKETS of blood. Absolutely disgusting sequences (the soup comes to mind, let alone the climax). It is absolutely 1000% over the top and it makes Evil Dead seem tame. One of the funniest films I've ever seen!

Okay, I'm just babbling now. Haven't seen Orphan yet, so can't comment on that. But at the end of the day, horror films provide stimulation, not always pleasant, but a horror fan sometimes enjoys unpleasant (doubly so when you can stop anytime, it ends after 90 minutes, though a good one lingers with you for a while afterwards).
 
Damn! you guys really expand my understanding of this genre every time I talk about it. I realize it's not just 'one' genre any more. There seems to be so many different reasons why we like what we like.

So, for those who like uncomfortable situations, is Lars and the Real Girl, which is very uncomfortable to watch, something you enjoyed?

Also, I just had a realization. I finished watching Orphan. It's good. But I was thinking, what the difference between Orphan and say The Exorcist or The Omen was. I have to put this delicately. I don't want to offend anyone by talking about things I'm not an expert. I'm going to try my best. In The Exorcist or The Omen, or in Psycho or say Alien, ALL the characters were doing exactly what I would have done. But in certain horror films, a key member might have seen or heard something, which if they tell the others, everybody might be forewarned, and behave with the correct precautions going forward. But this one critical person decides to keep quiet, or is too afraid to tell the others what he or she saw, thereby keeping all the other characters in mortal danger of the 'threat.' THAT drives me crazy. I'm like "C'mon. Tell these people what you just saw. WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING KEEPING QUIET? THESE PEOPLE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE YOU IDIOT. TELL THEM. THERE'S NOT A MOMENT TO LOSE. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" And then of course, everybody else goes about their business oblivious to the danger and they slowly die one by one. THAT does not happen in The Exorcist and The Omen. In these movies, the protagonists are repeatedly warned and/or given evidence of the danger and they choose to ignore it, because quite frankly it's supernatural hocus pocus that nobody in their right minds would believe. I wouldn't believe it. So when the characters don't believe it, it's fine with me. But in the movie the hocus pocus is true, only the characters, who are behaving the way I would, don't know it. And in movies like the Orphan the danger is prolonged by knowing enablers. I'm beginning to think that while the actions of the enablers drive me insane and make me want to bash the screen, it is exactly the reason why some other people enjoy it.

Just a new theory of mine. I'm beginning to come up with my own theories on horror now. I like it :yes:

As an aside, I've been concentrating on zombie movies also. finding out about zombies. People have a fascination with these creatures I don't understand. But I can appreciate it. In Toronto, the whole town goes crazy in October. Everybody and their mother goes out for the Zombie walk. you could shoot a movie on just that day. The whole place is crawling with them. Just a note for anyone contemplating a zombie flick. Shoot it in Toronto on October 22nd for cheap.
 
I like horror films but apart from the odd zombie film, dont like too much gore. I think that horror films work better, for me, leaving a lot to the imagination. The one film that really got my goosebumps going is the original `The haunting` film made in 1963. Sound effects and creepy shadows etc and I loved it. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057129/

I can appreciate the comedy that horror films can provide, such as the evil dead films and Army of darkness.
 
Scoopicman said:
Hey, Richy! I know those guys..... well, I hung out with them. There was a Wisconsin horror film festival that had me in their guest lineup. First year was in Racine and second was in Milwaukee. My pic (Mike Conway) is on the bottom/middle of the flyer:

394136_10151280021200494_603930493_22960580_1168448944_n.jpg



Anyway, William Zenobia (in your link) came onboard in 2007 - made my travel arrangements, picked me up, helped Wayne run the fest, etc. Great guy! Here is a pic of William and myself.


Some others:

Me with "The Living Dead Girls."
With Sonnyboo, Lloyd Kaufman and Nic Brown
With William Zenobia, Wayne Clingman, Brian Morton and Hank Carlson


They also had a documentary about Dead Pit radio, which I saw bits of. Cool stuff.
Click to expand...

That is very cool! Great pictures too. :)
 
GuerrillaAngel said:
Boys Don't Cry is no horror movie.

The film is actually a drama -- a horrific but true story about Teena Brandon.

Boys Don't Cry is no more a horror story than United 93, another horrific but true drama.
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GA, my apologies if it sounded like I think Boys Don't Cry is a horror story. I was just trying to make a point about why I couldn't finish watching it, not that I think it's a horror story :)
Cheers,
Aveek
 
trueindie said:
my apologies if it sounded like I think Boys Don't Cry is a horror story. I was just trying to make a point about why I couldn't finish watching it
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....Because you just knew that something HORRIFIC was about to happen! I know what you meant, because I had the same feeling with that movie and it was just awful when the moment happens. In other words, you didn't want to watch the horror aspect of it.

You are also correct that there are many types of horror, from comedy to unseen suspense to all out torture porn. I grew up watching reruns of 1930's, 40's and 50's movies. As powerful as FRANKENSTEIN (1931) and KING KONG (1933) were, the old movies are something even a child can watch. If you really want to slip gently into the genre, start with the old stuff.

Have you seen AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON? Parts of that movie are all out comedy, yet it retains power with the horror. Likable characters make it alluring to watch.
 
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Richy, I posted some of those picture links, because I finally realized that you are in Wisconsin. There's a chance of you running into those guys.
 
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