Horror Movies

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Do you watch horror movies? Typically, I don't watch horror movies. But sometimes I do.

I recall back in the 1970's, my dad, my brother and I went to see "The Exorcist" at the movie theater. That movie scared me like no other! I couldn't sleep after watching that movie and even had to miss school the next day because I was so tired from lack of sleep. I'm not sure what it was that scared me so much, but I just remember it being too much for me to handle.

Since that time, I've seen "The Exorcist" again on DVD and somehow, it just wasn't so scary this time. Perhaps it is because I knew what to expect. Or maybe I've just gotten used to movies trying to scare me and it just doesn't work like it used to when I was young.

I watched a horror movie this evening by myself which was touted to be one of the scariest movies available on DVD (don't they all say that?) It just did not scare me (much) at all. Perhaps it's because I'm looking for things to not like about the movie, or perhaps it was too predictable and I've become desensitized. I'm not sure. But really, a lot of what people might consider scary or gross, today, I just don't think it is anymore.

Another reason I thought was perhaps it's because I've seen some really horrific things in my past having working with real homicide teams in San Diego and Chula Vista, CA. Some of the "real" gruesome crime scenes really look worse than what any horror movie can try to show. Yes, some crime scenes are quite scary.

I recall when I was still going to school to learn to be an evidence technician and also working at the police department, I would sometimes wake up in a cold sweat from the dreams I was having. Interestingly, I'd just shake it off and go right back to sleep to finish off the dream. I wanted to see what happened had I not woken up! Perhaps seeing actual homicides gave me the courage to do that. Maybe the dreams were my own way of dealing with what I had seen at the actual crime scenes. Who knows.

What I do know is that today, many of the horror movies just do not scare me all that much. I often laugh at some of the things that the characters do and how "stupid" some of the characters are. For instance, why is it that whenever someone hears some scary noise in another room, the character always goes to that room to investigate? I would think if this happened "for real" that you'd do your best to get out of the house! No, they never do. They just have to go look for themselves. And of course, you just know they are going to get murdered... which they always do.

Or how about the hysterical young woman who just "knows" she's in for trouble, but she just can't help herself to save her own life? Don't you just want to scream at the movie screen and say, "GET OUT OF THERE! ARE YOU STUPID OR SOMETHING?" I don't know about you, but that's often what I'm thinking.

Anyway, go out and get a horror movie and check it out yourself. You'll find a lot of the characters just don't do what a normal, sensible person might typically do. It's a real laugh!

Do you watch horror movies? What have you seen lately?