The Counterfeiter

[cavell]

"There's nothing you can do to a human being onscreen that is taboo
anymore.
Over and over again, people are breaking the boundaries of the
body, hurting people, chopping people up, ravaging people. . . . For
things to be truly scary, we're going to have to find new boundaries to
tread on." --writer/producer Akiva Goldsman (The Da Vinci Code, Mr. &
Mrs. Smith, A Beautiful Mind), commenting on the horror genre's
less-than-spectacular returns at the box office this year, despite the
fact that directors keep amping up the blood and gore to attract
audiences.

Last year, Hollywood released 23 horror movies. This year,
42 are competing for audiences. But the most recent horror film to
break $100 million at the box office in the United States was 2004's
The Grudge. [Los Angeles Times, 6/9/07 stats]

Evil is constantly seeking to remove any restraints. Satan is not
a creator, consequently, he can only warp and degrade what already
exists.

 

[SeraphymCrashing]

Are you saying that horror movies are evil? I think rather its simply that people enjoy being scared in an environment that they know is safe. Its an adrenaline rush, similiar to extreme sports.

Personally I find it scarier when the antagonist isn't known, a good example being "the village." The twist in that movie wasn't the greatest, but before you know whats going on the suspense of something watching from the shadows unseen, with attributes more imagined than understood does a good job of creating a primal fear.

But the new torture porn movies don't do much for me. Not that I think they are evil or anything, I just think they are classless.

 

[pgp_protector]

Are you saying that horror movies are evil? I think rather its simply that people enjoy being scared in an environment that they know is safe. Its an adrenaline rush, similiar to extreme sports.

Personally I find it scarier when the antagonist isn't known, a good example being "the village." The twist in that movie wasn't the greatest, but before you know whats going on the suspense of something watching from the shadows unseen, with attributes more imagined than understood does a good job of creating a primal fear.

But the new torture porn movies don't do much for me. Not that I think they are evil or anything, I just think they are classless.

another good movie that's scary (the first time at least )
Signs (2002).

 

[SeraphymCrashing]

another good movie that's scary (the first time at least )
Signs (2002).

Signs is fine as long as you don't think too hard about it. I really enjoy the scene where they are hiding in the basement and you can just hear the dogs barking and then a yelp and silence. Its the perfect example of how to use the unseen to create fear.

But there are some silly logical problems with the movie (like aliens who are allergic to water coming to earth and taking people...)

 

[cavell]

Are you saying that horror movies are evil? I think rather its simply that people enjoy being scared in an environment that they know is safe. Its an adrenaline rush, similiar to extreme sports.

No I am not saying that horror movies are evil. Just noting that the limits have been pushed aside so much, good or bad, we make our own judgements. But there is nothing you can do to a human being on screen, that is considered 'bad taste' anymore.

Is this a reflection of liofe today?

Evil is constantly seeking to remove any restraints. Satan is not
a creator, consequently, he can only warp and degrade what already
exists.

As I see it.

 

[Steezie]

If you dont like it, dont watch them. Simple

I always liked zombie movies, they werent SCARY per say (I've NEVER found a movie thats truly scared me) but kinda freaky to think about if that actually happened

 

[SeraphymCrashing]

No I am not saying that horror movies are evil. Just noting that the limits have been pushed aside so much, good or bad, we make our own judgements. But there is nothing you can do to a human being on screen, that is considered 'bad taste' anymore.

Is this a reflection of liofe today?




As I see it.

Best solution, not to watch. Hostel and Saw, I thought were terrible concepts, so I avoided them. I won't condemn anyone who enjoyed them however.

As long as its fiction and no one is hurt, I don't see any problem.

 

[cavell]

Best solution, not to watch. Hostel and Saw, I thought were terrible concepts, so I avoided them. I won't condemn anyone who enjoyed them however.

As long as its fiction and no one is hurt, I don't see any problem.

Your approach is correct. You speak with wisdom. Sadly all are not as wise as you.

Many today apply the on screen fiction to life, with tragic consequences


Regards

 

[jayem]

Personally I find it scarier when the antagonist isn't known, a good example being "the village." The twist in that movie wasn't the greatest, but before you know whats going on the suspense of something watching from the shadows unseen, with attributes more imagined than understood does a good job of creating a primal fear.

Absolutely right. Which is why Alfred Hitchcock is still the all time great master of fear. The horror in his movies is created more in the viewer's mind, than splattered on the screen. The current gorefest films have only shock value. Not true suspense.

Though Hitchcock did push the limits of explicitness in Psycho. It's quite restrained compared to what's out there now, but it may have started the trend toward in-your-face gruesomeness. It sticks in my mind because I saw that movie with some friends when it first came out. We all had to be maybe 8 or 9. Our parents just gave us money and dropped us at the theater. There were no ratings in those days, so unaccompanied kids could see anything. But really, Psycho was a pretty violent and disturbing movie for third graders. I remember none of us could even look at the screen for much of it. Even 40+ years later, I think it's still one of the truly scariest movies ever made.

 

[MethodMan]

Closed pending move to proper forum

 

[Nienor]

This thread has been moved to Ethics and Morality, please review the rules of the forum before continuing discussion

 

[.Sabre.]

What about romances and romantic comedies? Many women apply those to life. That's sad too.

I know it pales in comparison to people who really do the things in Kill Bill and such....but it is also not to be ignored.

 

[IzzyPop]

The recent receipt trends of torture porn movies says that they will soon be relegated to direct-to-DVD sales. The 'new' direction for horror is the more suspenseful and less graphic model. Give it a couple of decades and the cycle will bring us back to torture porn.

 

[TheManeki]

I agree! I'm sick of all this counterfeiting going on...remakes of older horror films (Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dawn of the Dead, The Hills Have Eyes, etc.) and remakes of Asian films (The Ring, The Grudge, etc.). The shot-for-shot remake of Psycho was the worst; it added nothing whatsoever. At least some of the others tried to spin things slightly differently.

 

[.Sabre.]

I agree! I'm sick of all this counterfeiting going on...remakes of older horror films (Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dawn of the Dead, The Hills Have Eyes, etc.) and remakes of Asian films (The Ring, The Grudge, etc.). The shot-for-shot remake of Psycho was the worst; it added nothing whatsoever. At least some of the others tried to spin things slightly differently.

Ugh, yeah. Horror movies can be quite predictable now.

I much prefer the suspenseful type--even though I like the bloody scenes.

 

[TheManeki]

I'd have to say my all time favorites are Jacob's Ladder, The Changeling, and Cemetery Man. And The Haunting (original version) and The Legend of Hell House.

How about you guys'?

 

[selfinflikted]

Ok, I'm totally going to derail this thread, and use this opportunity to share my favorite horror films of all time.

1) Poltergeist
This movie scared the ever-lovin' crap out of me when I was a kid. When I watch it now, it's not scary.. but it's very nostalgic and sorta brings back that "feeling" I used to get when I was scared as a kid.

2) The Exorcist
Ok, we have Linda Blair cursing, violently masturbating with a cross, cursing,spitting up pea soup, and cursing. What's not to love? Another one that scared the beejeezus out of me as a kid. I heard when they first released this film in theaters, people were actually having heart attacks during it. I think that's awesome

3) Night of the Living Dead (original)
Zombies, zombies, and more zombies. Oh, and some brains and intestines thrown in for good measure. The zombie genre is still one of my favs to this day. The black and white film, along with it's grainy quality adds to the atmosphere of this film. The 80's remake sucked.

4) Psycho (original)
I'm not sure why this scared me as much as it did. Maybe it's the same b&w/grainy quality of the film.. or maybe it was Anthony Perkins. At any rate, definitely one of my top five favs. The 90's remake sucked.

5) Alien(s)
Sigourney Weaver is scary enough alone. Throw in some blood-thristy, creepy-crawly, silent but deadly killer aliens into the mix and you'll be reaching for a clean pair of drawers in no time. This is classic.

Honorable mention: The Dark Crystal
I know this isn't a horror movie, however to a kid - those Skeksi's or whatever they were called were creepy as hell! The sheer realism of the puppet characters is scary enough, but those damn vulture creatures just take the cake!

 

[IzzyPop]

The Dark Crystal gave my little brother nightmares for weeks.

I saw Poltergeist in the theater in 4th grade. I begged and pleaded with my dad to take me. He said no at first, but finally relented with the admonition that if he was going to spend money on it, we were going to stay for the whole thing. When the guy started to pull his face off, I was under the seat in front of me. That night I didn't go to sleep until the sun peaked up over the horizon. I refused to watch the movie again until about 5 or 6 years ago. Still freaked me out but more so because of the memories of the emotions it evoked as opposed to it scaring me now.

 

[selfinflikted]

The Dark Crystal gave my little brother nightmares for weeks.

I saw Poltergeist in the theater in 4th grade. I begged and pleaded with my dad to take me. He said no at first, but finally relented with the admonition that if he was going to spend money on it, we were going to stay for the whole thing. When the guy started to pull his face off, I was under the seat in front of me. That night I didn't go to sleep until the sun peaked up over the horizon. I refused to watch the movie again until about 5 or 6 years ago. Still freaked me out but more so because of the memories of the emotions it evoked as opposed to it scaring me now.

LOL. That's precisely why I still love that movie. There are few movies that I would say even come CLOSE to scaring me.. but the memories attached to certain films get the job done well enough

 

[TheManeki]

Mmmmm....thanks for reminding me about Poltergeist and Alien. I had forgotten how good those were. Selfinflicted, ever see the Exorcist spoof Reposessed? Not one of Leslie Nielsen's best films, but still pretty fun.