Of Finding a Good, Satisfying Scare

[kriadydragon]

I miss the good old days of scary movies (scary, not slasher) when you had your ghosts wreaking havoc, a bit of a mystery, the mystery solved, the ghost going away and everyone happy as clams. I'm getting tired of these "ha, ha, just kidding, you didn't solve anything and the ghost kills everyone" kind of endings. One, they're so flippin' predictable to the point of not even being scary. Two, it's hard to watch a scary movie twice when you know it's going to have that kind of an ending.

I mentioned a while back that one of my all time favorite scary movies was Watcher in the Woods. It's PG, it's Disney and by all rights should be considered tame. But it didn't matter how many times I watched that movie, even knowing what was going to happen, it still scared the crap out of me. Same with The Lady in White. And neither of these movies relied on those obnoxious just-kidding twists. The mystery was solved, the source of the scary moved on and I was satisfied.

I miss that so much. I love a good scary movie but I'm so reluctant to give any a try because of the popularity of these unhappy twists. I can see these twists coming the moment the movie begins, and it leaves me wondering why Hollywood is so enamored with these endings when there are so many far more interesting things they could do.

Comments

[aim2misbhave.livejournal.com]

I'm so used to watching scifi that if the ghost kills everyone my first reaction is "meh they'll be back sooner or later".

...and I'm curious, have you seen Cabin in the Woods? (I promise I won't spoil anything if you haven't!)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I'm so used to watching scifi that if the ghost kills everyone my first reaction is "meh they'll be back sooner or later".

Heh, so true ;)

I haven't seen Cabin but I have heard of it. the previews seem strange but from reading the reviews it sounds promising (plus, Joss Whedon made it. That alone tells me there's some actual creativity involved.)

[aim2misbhave.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Even if you go into it being like "Yeah this is a Joss Whedon film" you still don't expect 90% of what's coming, and it's a great satire of typical horror films too, and is hilarious for other reasons.

I actually got to go to the premiere, which was ah-maaaa-zing. And Chris Hemsworth is even prettier IRL than he is on film, and there was no red carpet which meant nowhere for anyone to tell the guests to stay off of ;-) And Joss was 20 feet away from me. And Drew Goddard was wearing the same Mockingjay pin that i was wearing that night. And it was awesome.

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Have you seen The Others or The Sixth Sense?

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Yep. Sixth Sense had the best twist ever. I'm kind of wondering if, maybe, that's what triggered this love of "twist endings" that's so rampant.

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

"I miss the good old days of scary movies (scary, not slasher) when you had your ghosts wreaking havoc, a bit of a mystery, the mystery solved, the ghost going away and everyone happy as clams."

(((((NODS))))))) just so disappointing anymore and often even trailers betray how dissatisfying it will be.....

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I don't trust any scary movie they come out with these days. Don't get me wrong, there are some I've enjoyed despite the ending, though they're rare (The Woman in Black, for example, which I would recommend for a really good scare even if I did see the ending coming a mile away). But, yeah, with all the sad twists (and just overall bad handling with some movies) it makes me highly reluctant to give any a try.

A few I was pleasantly surprised by, however, were The Messengers, A Haunting in Connecticut, and Dream House. Dream House especially had a very interesting twist, although I found the overall movie more sad than scary (seriously, bring tissues). Still a good movie, though.

[black-raven135.livejournal.com]

A few I was pleasantly surprised by, however, were The Messengers, A Haunting in Connecticut, and Dream House

((((((NODS)))))) I saw the Messengers...and was surprised too.....



Dream House especially had a very interesting twist, although I found the overall movie more sad than scary (seriously, bring tissues)

((((NODS))))) once more agree. It was more sad than scary...

[linziday.livejournal.com]

OMG! I remember Watcher in the Woods. Scared the crap out of me. For some reason my 6th grade teacher thought it would be a great movie to show for a Halloween treat. And it was. Except. *Scary* And I don't think it was just because I was 12. Saw it a few years ago on cable and the thing STILL freaks me out.

Ever seen Poltergeist? That remains THE scariest movie I have ever seen in my life.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Ever seen Poltergeist? That remains THE scariest movie I have ever seen in my life.

Yes! I loved that movie, it was so scary. Even today every time I drive by one of those new neighborhoods with the big houses it always makes me think of Poltergeist.

[ranlynn.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I miss those 'old fashioned' scary movies that relied more on the audiences own imaginations rather that body counts.

But ya know, the only movie that turly scared the crap out of me wasn't a theatrical film. It was the TV movie 'Helter Skelter' about the Charles Manson murders. I was 15 years old & I had to sleep with the lights on afterwards.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I always loved a good scary TV show as well. :D I used to love watching Unsolved Mysteries when they did stuff about ghosts. Scared the dickens out of me.