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Horror books to Horror Movies.

I am currently reading (wading through) "IT" by Stephen King. This is one of his books that has been made into a movie. I notice in other threads that people talk about "scary" films presumably made from "scary" books.

I can relate to a "scary" movie but not to a "scary" book. I can find nothing in the book "IT" in the least bit scary. I have not seen the movie of the book but I have seen other movies that were supposed to be "scary" and not found them so.
Perhaps my upbringing has spoiled me from the "joy" of being scared. I was taught to quickly imagine the camera man shooting the so called "scary" scene. This resulted in my being totally un-freaked out by such scenes.
The question is, is this a good or a bad thing for a child to be taught?

Ian.
 
I think it has more to do with the de-sensitivity we now have toward such things. I remember being totally freaked out for months after watching "The Omen" in the theater. I introduced the movie years later to my oldest son. I was looking forward to his reaction to the film. (He was in his teens and could fully handle the fear factor. His reaction was indifference. Of course, so was mine when I watched it with him. Through the years our expectations change, since each film tries to outdo the earlier ones. Bigger, better, scarier, etc. And as technology advances, so do special effects.

I have been pleased in the last several years that some "scary" films are more like the old ones. Anticipation as the source of fear instead of just gore. Some have both, which are quite effective is used the right way.

Anyway, back briefly to "It". The scare factor there is the connection to our childhood fears. Don't bother with the movie, Ian, unless you're just curious.

As to your question, I think it depends on the age of the child. I think you should help a child see things for what they really are. Then when they're older they can enjoy the films for both the scare factor and for what went into making them.
 
I also remember the problems we had with our son after he had watched "Jaws".

I also noticed the number of kids around six, seven and eight who had been taken to see "Spiderman" by their parents.

I don't know if they were affected afterwards or not but they did not seem to be.

I can still remember the newreels of the liberation of the Nazi Death Camps shown in local cinemas at the end of WW2 even though I was peeping out between mums fingers at the time.

Have I got off the thread here?

Ian
 
Dawn said:
Through the years our expectations change, since each film tries to outdo the earlier ones. Bigger, better, scarier, etc. And as technology advances, so do special effects.
Therein lies the problem with some of the newer movies. They rely so much on special effects that little is left to the imagination. I agree with Dawn that the "anticipation of fear" is better than just gore. For example, in Jaws, I think the scariest moments are not when the shark is attacking, but when you think it's lurking and ready to strike.

But back to Ian's original question:
Perhaps my upbringing has spoiled me from the "joy" of being scared. I was taught to quickly imagine the camera man shooting the so called "scary" scene. This resulted in my being totally un-freaked out by such scenes.The question is, is this a good or a bad thing for a child to be taught?
I don't think it's a "bad" thing if you think the child will get horrible nightmares from it. On the other hand, I remember literally begging my favourite aunt to take me to see a double-header horror show. I wanted to be scared. I think that most children, at some point, want to see how scared they can get, just for the "joy" of being scared.

Stephen King wrote an excellent non-fiction book called Danse Macabre where he discusses types of horror in both books and film. He describes different levels of horror:
  • What the mind sees, the unpleasant speculation, what "might" be ...
  • Horror that "invites a physical reaction by showing us something which is physically wrong."
  • Revulsion - e.g. the "chest-burster" from "Aliens"
To me, the first, (i.e. what the mind sees) is by far the scariest. I'm always a little disappointed when I actually see the monster in movies.
 
To me, the first, (i.e. what the mind sees) is by far the scariest. I'm always a little disappointed when I actually see the monster in movies.

I think the movie Alien worked because of the sense of doom that was created. Tight shots created the sensation of claustrophobia on the ship as well as the inability for the audience to see what was just out of view. You were constantly expecting something to jump out from out of the frame. Yes, we did get to see the monster eventually, but that was the payoff. The second movie, Aliens, was good but didn't have that sense of anticipation.

Can you tell I studied film?

I will have to read Danse Macabe. I sounds like King explains the fear factor quite nicely.
 
Danse Macabre

Dawn,

I think you'll really like Danse Macabre.

Besides the commentary, King also includes a couple of appendices with his favourite horror films and books. Interesting choices.

The book was written in 1981, so they're real "classics" of the genre. I wonder what he'd think of the more recent stuff?

Ell
 
Okay, so this is an ancient thread I'm bringing back, but I think it still holds some merit.

Do any horror movies today hold up to the standards set so long ago? On the same lines, has any adaptation of horror in the last twenty years lived up to the original work?
 
i don't know....but there is a movie coming out called the exorcism of emily rose that's based on a true story that looks really good and bleeping scary!
 
ricky said:
i don't know....but there is a movie coming out called the exorcism of emily rose that's based on a true story that looks really good and bleeping scary!
...very bleeping scary!
 
:eek:
has you seen any of the trailers for it.....??!!
whooo ha!
gives me the major......blechy blechs!
i so want to see this movie......
 
That movie seems scary on the trailer. I can't wait to see the movie, out this Friday. I'm in for a good scare and be paranoid for awhile.
 
I watched the Shining when I was 10 and remembered it as funny. When I rewatched it for the second time a few weeks ago I was totally freaked out. I couldn't even sleep because Shining-like nightmares kept waking me up.

I think the reason I wasn't scared when I was a kid is because the only intense scene is at the end. Apart from the woman in the bathtub, everything besides the chase at the end was a kind of subdued horror. Plus, it's really a pretty complex movie with lots of unmentioned major themes. I think the eerie details that provide background for the movie is a great deal of what terrified me so badly. Kids are very perceptive, but they don't really watch movies the same way adults do. Meaning all of the disturbing conversations and incidents might just be boring or wierd to them.
 
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