Is it weird that I never get scared...
 

Call me crazy, but I've seen all the essentials - Exorcist, Jaws, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, etc, etc.... and for some reason, no matter if I'm by myself, or in the theater, or with a friend, or with the lights off... I don't get scared. Is this weird?

Maybe it's a silly topic, but the thing that interests me the most is that horror is my favorite movie genre, yet it doesn't really affect me. So far, in my twenty years of life, the scariest movies I've honestly seen, that have gotten a smidgen of a reaction from me are:

1. The Hills Have Eyes (2006) - I wasn't scared, but mildly disturbed.
2. Halloween (2007) - A few jumps here and there, but nothing that lasted more than a second.
3. The Grudge - Once again, slightly disturbed.

And that's it. I've NEVER been genuinely scared by a movie before. I've seen a butt load of horror films, but I've never been REALLY scared. Nightmare on Elm Street doesn't scare me at all.... neither does Jaws... nor Exorcist... nothing. It's like I don't have that function in my brain.


So basically, I have two questions for everyone.

1. Is anyone else like this?

2. Are there any movies out there that are unquestionably scary, that would even scare the living crap out of someone like me?

I know it sounds odd, but I want to be scared... and it hasn't really happened. :(

Thanks a lot guys!

Weird??

That depends.. How old were u when u started watching horror and how old are u now?


I don't get scared either anymore, but i can still find certain scenes creepy and that's one of the best feelings in the world. :)

Hello there! Well, I'm 20... and I started watching horror when I was like 5, lol.

The Exorcist spooked me out a bit, and there's the occasional cheap jump scene I react to. Other than that, I've never really felt scared watching a movie.

See, that's what I mean! Like... cheap shots would make anyone jump, you know? I'm talking about non-cheap, genuinely frightening shit. It seems like there's nothing out there.

I remember when the first SAW came out, and how everyone kept saying it was the most disturbing and scary movie ever... and how the ending was unforgettable... and when I finally saw it, I was like, "That's it??"

I just find it weird that I'm a die hard Horror fan, yet I've never been scared. It's like I'm craving for something to come along and make me say "This is the scariest movie I've ever seen"... but that's never happened for me. There isn't a single movie that makes me nod and say, "Yep, this is the scariest."

There's plenty of movies that I love, though, that I don't find scary, like:

The Descent
High Tension
Dawn of the Dead
The Hills Have Eyes

... but I like them for entertainment purposes, not because they scare me (they don't).

Yes, then you're weird as hell, FREAK!!!!

I'll still recommend you give Salems Lot (the one from 1979) a try, even tho i think it's too late for you to get scared over a movie. You're simply too old. :(

The Exorcist scares me. Apart from that I'm generally not disturbed by a movie unless it uses a sudden "shock" tactic.

maybe you are not watching them in the right enviroment. Did they use to scare you when you where 5?

Try watchinging somethin on a windy night with the dor open and the blinds half up.

Oh yes, it does depend entirely on viewing context. Nothing beats a dark room, alone, right near the TV.

Plus, it's interesting to look at whether films are scarier the first time you see them or on repeat viewings. Sometimes it's the anticipation of what's going to happen when you watch a film for the second, third, fourth time etc.

An example of this effect, for me, is that brilliant moment in Exorcist III when the killer emerges from the room in pursuit of the poor Nurse. Waiting for that moment is terrifying. I can't actually remember if I was more or less scared the first time I saw it.

As I child I was terrified of "The Fly" (it's now my favourite film) and part of that fear came from the fact that I had seen the film already and I knew what was coming. I knew that each time we see the character he looks more horrifying. But then, once he was onscreen for a few seconds I wasn't as afraid anymore.

Of course, this can have the opposite effect. The shock value at the end of "Don't Look Now" was entirely ruined for me because I had already heard what happened. I was anticipating it, but it didn't scare me.

It's a shame because my girlfriend is terrified of horror films in any way, shape or form. And that's not even in an "ooh tell me when the monster is gone" kind of way. She will not watch horror films. The other night I was getting ready to watch "Final Destination 2" when I went downstairs to get a drink. She had to mute the TV because she couldn't bear to hear the sound effects on the menu!

Interesting subject, the more I think about it.