How Does Horror Affect Your Psyche?
 

It could be debated that horror and comedy are the two strongest film genres on the human psyche. comedies are designed to make you laugh which causes a physical reaction that makes you happy. While horror movies on the other hand are designed to scare you and while it seems more often than not that I comedy can make someone laugh then a horror movie can make someone afraid. But just like with comedies, we don't always get the jokes or find them funny, the same thing could be said with horror. Perhaps some things don't phase us at all while things that wouldn't phase someone else might make us feel like we are going to vomit.

With that said, what scares you and horror movies? Where would you draw the line if you have one?

I have never, for example, watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre because I had heard that it was based on a real story. Yet I can watch Michael Myers or Jason slice and dice teenagers. I dont like to be "disturbed" or "cringe".

I find real life to be scarier than anything they show in a movie. And I'm smart enough to realize that all those "based on a true story" horror movies are really just a load of bologna.

I like horror movies because I like the idea of ordinary people fighting to survive in a hypothetical situation.

I also like comedy because I like to laugh.

I really can't stand action movies though. Action movies bug the hell out of me because I don't like seeing a macho hero kill so many people and be so callous about it. No sane person can kill so many people and not be bothered by it unless they are a total psycho, even if the people they kill are supposedly "bad guys".

^^^^^^

For real, are you trying to say I'm not smart enough, lol?

Lol of course not. ::wink::

I find movies about slashers or situations that could actually happen to be more engaging or intriguing to me then any other sub genres of Horror. that shouldn't suggest I don't like other genres because I do, there's just something about real life situations that could actually happen that in a way it excites me for a lack of a better term but it doesn't mean I'm going to go out and start killing people. with that said, I find the more detailed Gore scenes, not necessarily over the top, but very detailed, Makes me feel a little uneasy. For example, the scene in the scene in high tension when the mother almost gets decapitated made me feel a little weird and uncomfortable Because of the way the scene was detailed. everything from the way the blood-spattered on to the closet door, the way her body was positioned and the fact that she was still alive fucked with me. as far as stuff like a Serbian film with the baby raping bullshit, it's the same thing, if it doesn't really seem believable it's not really going to affect me but if a lot of detail is put into something like that It makes me feel terrible. I mean look at I Spit on Your Grave verses Last House Last House on the Left, the main female characters in both movies were raped and both and both scenes made us feel bad but the rape scenes from I Spit on Your Grave or so graphically detailed It made us feel a lot worse than the rape scene from Last House on the Left made us feel. my point is, pretty much anything can be made to make us feel Terror, fear, anger and empathy, It all just depends on the execution.

Personally I'm not into a lot of blood and guts. It's not that I'm squamish and get bothered by gore besides some of my favorite horror movies are very gory. But there's also a lot of great horror movies with little to no blood at all.

I guess I mostly like horror movies that make you think about the movie itself. The gore effects are like the sauce on a steak but you don't really need it to enjoy your steak. Horror movies that mess with your mind and disturb you are the best.

And I'm not talking about torture porn, I'm talking about movies that give us a glimpse inside human nastiness or even the redeeming qualities of humanity.

Any emotional reaction is good. Daily life is pretty robotic and soulless.