HORROR Movies, Books, Stories, Poems, Like/Dislike the mystery elements Options

[Cleo_Serapis]

Hi!  

One of my co-workers just saw yet another remake of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre) at the movies last weekend.

I don't know about you, but I find the most scary movies/books/poems/stories that I take a liking to are the ones where the 'mystery' is left to your own imagination.

Instead of seeing the blood and gore, I'd rather 'imagine it' for myself.

How about you?

~Cleo  

[Guest_Jox_*]

Hi,

Some background on my personal view of films...

I am not a film fan at all. We only ever go to the cinema to see the latest James Bond film - and we even opted out of the latest "Die Another Day" because reports said it was too loud. Our DVD collection is overwhelmingly of tv series, rather than films per se. Moreover, those films that I do like are almost all British - I hate most American films. This is an unusual personal cultural thing; most Brits love most American films. For an American film to appeal to me it has to work much harder than a British film. Partly this is also American films being too violent with gun battles; the usual American re-working of the Cowboy/Indian or Cops/Robbers thing. (There you are! I love James Bond and that always has lots of gun battles - but it is British so I'm more tolerant. Hypocrisy is great!).

This same analysis continues into horror films. I adore Hammer Horrors (1960-70s UK somewhat campish horror films). I have never watched “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” - nor would I with a title like that.  I have never seen “The Blair Witch Project” - I gave it a few minutes when a tv station showed it but was bored so switched off. “Psycho” also bored me in the first few minutes - but I also saw a little of the shower scene and switched off. That was murder, not horror to me.

I suppose that I regard horror films as films which have suspenseful plots and a menacing supernatural element. To that end, I regard the “Alien” films as horror (they are, also sci-fi of course). I did not like them either because they simply degenerated into the American shooting sessions yet again. Why do so many American films have bloody gun battles which are supposed to decide the moral difference between black and white? And why is it always a simplistic good/bad fight anyway? British films are not immune from this but I think that generally there is a different psychology at work... maybe an acceptance that grey (not black nor white) is the norm. Fewer mega gun battles - and seldom for their own sake and maybe (though I can think of many exceptions) another pet hate of mine - the victimisation of the vulnerable woman.

For the record, some of the horror films which I do like best are:

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Frances Ford Coppola) - USA / UK (1990s)
Mary Shelly’s Francenstein (Kenneth Brannagh) - UK (1990s)
Witchfinder General - UK (1970s)
The Wicker Man - UK (1970s)

Very few guns; not too much blood. All have violence to some degree.

What I do like about some of these is their sympathy for the underdog. Dracula is shown as a lover, The Monster as a tragic figure.

If only Hollywood could put away the guns but still make interesting films. (Blair Witch with flair!)

PS "Harvey" is one of the best films ever made. The Star Wars and Star Trek series are excellent - and all American (some with guns).