One think you have to think about is not just how much horror movies have changed and evolved, but also people in general as well. When a lot of the classics where made, they where breaking ground in a huge way. I remember hearing stories about the exorcist, and how people where running out of the theatre crying and getting sick. Like anything, after the first time it gets easier to except. Now a days, we are almost over-exposed to horror movies. Growing up, these where movies I had to sneak to see. Now its nothing for your 10 year old brother or cousin to be watching all kinds of blood and gore right on cable TV. Considering horror has become so much more mainstream, and the audiences have grown younger and younger, its generally going to take much more to move (scare) people. This is probably a horrible metaphor, but I would kind of compare it to drugs. Ideally you start off small and end up going big. That's how I see this generation when it comes to horror films (not speaking individually.)

A film like Exorcist still stand up. But alot of that has to do with weather or not a person is religious/spiritual.

Never found Alien a scary film though it was a great film.

Something like Paranormal Activity has a classic feel so I would think people who like that would like something like Exorcist or Rosemary's Baby.

Horror is relative
 

Horror is something that changes from person to person. It depends what scares you. We all know plenty of people who hated Paranormal Activity. It just depends.

I love the 60's - 80's horror. There is something there that you just don't get now.

I think it's a matter of taste and what you're used to. I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of modern horror and much of what many people love in modern horror, I don't get and vice versa. For example, I once watched SAW, which is considered by a lot of people today to be scary...I was bored with it. Whereas at university, I once was able to attend a lecture where they were screening Nosferatu and you could hear some of the students laughing, which annoyed me.

I think the environment's different today and it changed largely with the slasher boom and the cannibal films. These were films where gore was suddenly pushed to the forefront and a lot of horror these days seems very gore-focused, which isn't my thing.

I'm someone who's more into atmosphere, so films like Suspiria, The Beyond, Don't Look Now or Night Of The Living Dead (all different but each very atmospheric) are what I prefer

I find that the younger audience have a very low attention span than they did in my day.There is simply too much choice for them to focus on one thing.

Take MTV for example,it is bombarded with hundreds and thousands of images and sound and all lasting about five minutes.

As for FX,i personally don't get that part.I watch horror for the sheer love of the genre,blood guts and gore is great but not the main reason i watch them.
But today's crowd seems to think that is what horror is,and also that the actors have to be young and sexy to be considered a part in horror,that part is what kills horror in my opinion.

Look at the real great horrors of old,none had young sexy teens in them,sure one or two but most were played by a more mature actor,which gave the movie more credibility.I don't watch a horror to see some blonde tart taking her kit off.If i want that there are many other choice of movies i could find.

And lastly,horror for me works best alone not with a crowd.The idea of being scared comes from the anticipation and atmosphere the movies generates,this can not be done with a crowd,were people are talking or eating their over sized buckets of popcorn.

Watch them alone with ALL lights out,now thats horror.

I remember when i first watched Psycho on tv when i was about 12 - and it all seemed very tame compared with the horrors i was able to rent from the video shop - Evil dead type films, etc.

Then years later when i watched Psycho again as an adult, i was captivated by the story, and it scared the hell out of me.

So i think a lot of it is if you have the patience to get into the story. Older films had a lot of story - where as the modern films for the MTV generation are all about super fast pacing and flashing images and gore.

As a teen I can say that older horror movies most do not have the same effect they used to have on the people of that time. Horror movies that used to be shocking in the '40s are considered extremely tame nowadays. It is the fact that newer generations can't relate, but mainly I think it is that the envelope has been pushed way past that. With gorefests like Human Centipede and the like, how could Frankenstein hitting a person over the head be scary? Not that Human Centipede is all that scary, just more of envelope pushing controversy. I still receive great enjoyment from movies like Nosferatu, Dracula, The Exorcist, and I know other teens that have. They can be suspenseful and very entertaining, I just do not find good amount of them "scary". As an example I loved Halloween, and was filled with suspense and enjoyment as I watched it, but I don't fear that Michael Myers is going to come stab me to death. Hope I explained that without making it seem like I didn't like oldies, I usually prefer '80s movies.Tried to explain that as best as I could.

Interesting, if somewhat depressing thread. I agree with the problem as stated by various posters already: young people identify gore with "scary" (and filmmakers can give it to them: is the MPAA still relevant?). As they become more de-sensitized to the depiction of violent death, appreciation of its more suspenseful expressions declines.

To make another, slightly clunky analogy: those who like horror today like the kill scenes best. This is like rushing through sex to get to the end. The process building up to it should be enjoyed just as much. Not to get all autobiographical. :cool:

Couldn't agree more. I think most of the members of this website are fairly seasoned with horror. Most of us know the genre and what movies are most influential to the genre. That makes us already enjoy the classics even if we've never seen them. Also i think that we are just plain better at watching movies than most. We know how to watch them and what to look for. Whether it be camera work, atmosphere, score, supporting actors, etc. We know what to look for and can appreciate what we're seeing more so than just a casual horror fan who want the cheap mindless scare.

There are ineffective old movies and ineffective new movies in the same way that there are still effective new movies and effective old movies. The genre isn't dead anymore, thank God.