Definition of horror?
 

Just wondering what is considered horror, and what would be called horror, and what would be difined as thriller, or as something else. Like what would Gothika be? Ir Slience of the Lambs? For me, those sorta fall inbetween

Anything that scares the shit out of you.

Alot falls nill.

But what if a movie(IE 28 Days Later) is SUPPOSED to be scary, but doesnt scare you?

I'm past the getting scared stage myself, the best a movie can do for me now is shock the shit out of me. and very few in a long time have.

Im only a kid compared to most people here, ad I havent seen a movie that scared me sice I was like 5 or somthin....Blair Witch scared the shit outta me then, now itz just wierd

how old are you

Define Horror?...Hmmm..have you met MY KIDS?!:eek:


:D

Main Entry: 1hor·ror
Pronunciation: 'hor-&r, 'här-
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English horrour, from Middle French horror, from Latin, action of bristling, from horrEre to bristle, shiver; akin to Sanskrit harsate he is excited
1 a : painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay <astonishment giving place to horror on the faces of the people about me -- H. G. Wells> b : intense aversion or repugnance
2 a : the quality of inspiring horror : repulsive, horrible, or dismal quality or character <contemplating the horror of their lives -- Liam O'Flaherty> b : something that inspires horror
3 plural : a state of extreme depression or apprehension

Yup that's the definition alright.

Gee...I didn't see THAT coming, AT ALL:rolleyes: :p

Let me rephrase.......what is the diff. between a horror movie and, say, a thriller? Or action? Like Gothika, It confuses me as far as horror/thriller/phyco-drama goes...

psst thats me and LBM and wicked lady and demon seed

A Horror movie can be a combination between a Thriller and Suspence and is normaly the best when it is. There must be gore and some good killing scenes. There's always one main character who lives through the movie. A Horror movie has this character, and it isn't about to let him/her live through it without putting up on hell of a fight. The character shouldget hurt badly, but still live. A Horror movie should keep up at the edge of your seat, and then something pop's up that will send you flying back deep into your seat. For example: a girl is running from someone (say Freddy) and then she looks back to see if he's still behind her and when she look back to the dirrection that she is runing and then Freddy would appear infront of her. This sudden shock should be so intense it sinks you back into your seat.

Yes...Those kids...lol:cool: :)

I dont consider thillers/psychological suspense movies horror, but i must say i tend to like them better....tend to be more original and not fall so neatly into stereotypical plotlines and character development....

Blood, guts, language, & nudity. (Some of them even have time to think about a plot!)

;)

Just kidding...

I think 1 thing that is essential to have a horror film is an R rating or beyond. People will argue this because there will always be some people that think 6th Sense is horror. It's not. A ghost story doesn't necessarily constitute horror. (Remember that gay movie 'Ghost'? Definately NOT horror.)

And while it's true that some of the older classic horror movies don't have an R rating. I think it's safe to assume that if they were remade, they would.

For me, horror rides many fine lines... There are certain elements that I feel a movie needs to contain in order to be a horror movie... Something supernatural that is menacing and threatening... This could include ghosts, classic creatures, demons, aliens, or serial killers that just won't seem to die...
or... Something psychological that is threatening... perhaps a maniac that kills for joy... texas chainsaw massacre is a good example... so are I Spit on Your Grave and Last House on the Left... Gore is almost a must but I've seen some very nice horror films that have done without it..

There are a lot of other things that I think can qualify a movie as horror... I would personally consider Gothika to be horror... not one of the best but still horror
Horror is something subjective and broad that I believe should be interpreted on an individual basis

I think thats the best answer on here.....thanks alot

no problem Vamp.. just dont' think cliches are necessary in order to call something horror

Agreed. I think its the cliches and tired rehashes that do more harm to the genre than good...

I was just about to agree like that. You beat me to it. Damn you. Damn you to hell.

Calm down Freddy....calm down, itz only a dream....

I think Eli Roth said it best thriller is a word used on a succesfull horror movie that way it can get nominatted for an award

What scares us as people is connected to want scared us as kids and made an impact then and we never really get past it. Like I had a friend who was afraid of clowns and hates them now.

imo true horror needs to contain something that could possibly happen in real life. so that when you leave the theatre or turn off the tv your saying, man thats messed up, what if that happened to me. dont get me wrong, space aliens and killer dolls etc... can be frightening, but whats the chance of meeting one. thats why movies like texas chainsaw massacre (original), jaws, and psycho were so successful. stuff like that could possibly happen.

i've already posted my definition of horror.. but i also need to say that i kinda hate the fact that not much scares me anymore... the last thing that disturbed me a little was actually a film by john carpenter with donald plesance called Prince of Darkness... the chick that turns into Satan... fuck me.. it was really late when i watched it and it just got to me for some reason.. maybe because of what it was.. but if you watch that movie with an open mind and really allow what it is within the movie to sink in... you'll enjoy it... i was very surprised by it.. before that, the ring scared me... darkness falls had some decent jump scenes in it... but i think that had to do large in part to sound

being that i have surround sound, it increases scare value by far :)