Do you like horror films and TV shows?

Marcy Sheiner

Marcy Sheiner

Senior Member
Location
Bay Area CA
I've noticed that these days a majority of movies in theaters, as well as streaming and tv shows, seem to be of the horror or thriller genre. I wonder why they are so popular now? I hate them, never watch them; the scariest movie I ever saw was The River Wild in which Meryl Streep and her family were attacked by lunatics. I'm really curious about this so I hope people will have insights.
 

I have been a fan of 'monster' movies and sci-fi movies, etc., etc. All my life!

I cannot list all my favorites as I have so many...but I will list a few that were early favorites I really enjoyed. For me fun... is being scared out of my mind?

The original Frankenstein 1931, Dracula 1931 and Werewolf 1956 movies, to name a few...Also a few Sci-Fi's like Blob 1958, The Thing, etc. I had an uncle who also loved these old movies. When we saw him, he "Had to tell us a spooky story"! He was a really good storyteller and would take my cousins and my sister and I to a room. He pulled the drapes and closed the door making it as dark as possible. I love it, I was scared and usually had trouble going to sleep that night. Nothing like a good scare...
 

I used to love horror movies, see them at the drive in often. We went to see "The Exorcist" and the lead in movie was
"The Devil Within Her". I was about 5 months pregnant at the time and when the baby began kicking and watching that movie about a woman
pregnant with a devil spawn, I didn't make it past 30 minutes of it, made him take me home.
Have not liked them since. I could read King's books but not watch a movie.
 
Timewise 60+ said:
I have been a fan of 'monster' movies and sci-fi movies, etc., etc. All my life!

I cannot list all my favorites as I have so many...but I will list a few that were early favorites I really enjoyed. For me fun... is being scared out of my mind?

The original Frankenstein 1931, Dracula 1931 and Werewolf 1956 movies, to name a few...Also a few Sci-Fi's like Blob 1958, The Thing, etc. I had an uncle who also loved these old movies. When we saw him, he "Had to tell us a spooky story"! He was a really good storyteller and would take my cousins and my sister and I to a room. He pulled the drapes and closed the door making it as dark as possible. I love it, I was scared and usually had trouble going to sleep that night. Nothing like a good scare...
Click to expand...
I saw all these as a kid, and loved them at the time...don't know if I would now.
 
Never been a big horror fan - per se... tho, I DO like suspense.... Alien being one of my all time favorites. It is labeled "horror/sci-fi" but is not what I usually consider horror.

I usually like a plot. ;)

We did watch Death of a Unicorn recently - it was ....different. Can't say I would recommend it.

A Quiet Place, was very good - I thought, also labeled "horror/sci-fi" ....


@Marcy Sheiner While I understand where you are coming from, I have to admit - I like the thrill of being scared by fiction. What I don't usually like, is the scary things related to say, Satan ... or anything that seems like it could be real..... maybe, kinda.....
 
CaliS said:
Never been a big horror fan - per se... tho, I DO like suspense.... Alien being one of my all time favorites. It is labeled "horror/sci-fi" but is not what I usually consider horror.

I usually like a plot. ;)

We did watch Death of a Unicorn recently - it was ....different. Can't say I would recommend it.

A Quiet Place, was very good - I thought, also labeled "horror/sci-fi" ....


@Marcy Sheiner While I understand where you are coming from, I have to admit - I like the thrill of being scared by fiction. What I don't usually like, is the scary things related to say, Satan ... or anything that seems like it could be real..... maybe, kinda.....
Click to expand...

Marcy Sheiner said:
I've noticed that these days a majority of movies in theaters, as well as streaming and tv shows, seem to be of the horror or thriller genre. I wonder why they are so popular now? I hate them, never watch them; the scariest movie I ever saw was The River Wild in which Meryl Streep and her family were attacked by lunatics. I'm really curious about this so I hope people will have insights.
Click to expand...
I'm not a horror fan. The appeal I think is to people who enjoy being scared, rather like what CaliS said-- a sort of thrill. I don't find it enjoyable to be scared.

The horror films from the 1940s and 50s were enjoyable, but child's play compared to modern horror movies. I've seen older horror films like Psycho, The Exorcist, and 1 or 2 others. I think the last horror film I saw was Jaws.

Part of the problem for me is that they can be so realistic with today's technology.
I can take a little mild horror if it's in the mix of a good thriller, or SciFi, but straight horror is a non starter for me. And the real gory ones? I wonder about the people who like to watch those...:cautious:
 
ChiroDoc said:
I'm not a horror fan. The appeal I think is to people who enjoy being scared, rather like what CaliS said-- a sort of thrill. I don't find it enjoyable to be scared.

The horror films from the 1940s and 50s were enjoyable, but child's play compared to modern horror movies. I've seen older horror films like Psycho, The Exorcist, and 1 or 2 others. I think the last horror film I saw was Jaws.

Part of the problem for me is that they can be so realistic with today's technology.
I can take a little mild horror if it's in the mix of a good thriller, or SciFi, but straight horror is a non starter for me. And the real gory ones? I wonder about the people who like to watch those...:cautious:
Click to expand...

Well said!

I don't get why people like all that blood and guts with zero plot --- I call them slasher movies, and I pass.
 
I'm not particularly drawn to traditional horror films, but I am intrigued by science fiction that carries a darker edge. The first two Terminator movies were phenomenal—gripping, visionary, and possibly showing us where we are headed. Likewise, the original Alien films perfectly blended suspense, isolation, and dread. While they might not fit perfectly into the horror genre, they certainly have that vibe.
And now, as we stand at the beginning of an AI-driven future, the cautionary tales of Skynet feel less like fiction and more like a mirror—reflecting possibilities we may be inching toward faster than we realize. Coincidentally, it was August 29, (1977) that Skynet became self aware!!
 
I like all of them except zombie movies. For some reason they just don't interest me at all. Space related ones such as the Alien franchise are my favorites. Absurd slasher movies like the Terrifier franchise are fun. The Mrs. hates them so I always have to watch them alone.
 
I don't think I've really been scared by anything since 9/11.

That said, I love horror movies—but only the ones with little or no blood, and I hate gore. I won't watch those movies. That cuts out a lot of them, leaving mostly the supernatural ones and Japanese horror films.

My kids all love scary movies, too. We had a great Thanksgiving one year all watching The Grudge together.

I'm also a devout Twilight Zone fan, have been for decades. Every year my kids and I would camp out in front of the couch for the New Years Eve marathon, even when they were older. We each have our favorite episodes.
 
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I do like science fiction with reasonable science, even if it is also horror as in Alien or Predator. But not most horror movies ala Friday the 13th, Exorcist, etc. that I rather see as mental pollution, I choose to avoid just like many warmongering action films and pornography.
 
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