Quote:
Originally Posted by bleubird
Hi! Names bleubird, and I'm new here. I am doing a survey on Insidious (2010) versus Psycho (1960) and wondering why (if it is so -- feel free to disagree) current movies like Insidious are so much "scarier" than if I were to watch Psycho now. Because when Psycho was first released, it was the scariest thing around, and now it seems to be more of an iconic movie rather than the thriller it was.
So what do you think is causing this desensitization to horror films in particular? Or, it is occurring at all? Is it just the new technology, better soundtracks, etc?
survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/83BCYBQ |
Obviously, the amount of desensitization to specific types of stimuli corresponds to how much, and recently, it was experienced by an individual. If someone has viewed a lot of gore recently, they're highly desensitized to that specific stimuli.
But there are many different types of Horror film stimuli/experiences.
Therefore, I think a proposition that would separate Psycho-1960 from Insidious-2010 on a linear "desensitization" or "scary" scale would be illogical.
Those two films have similar and dissimilar Horror film aspects. What matters is what the individual has viewed before. An individual can be more scared by Psycho-1960 than Insidious-2010 if they are less familiar & less desensitized with the unique horror aspects of Psycho, and conversely more familiar/desensitized with the Insidious' horror aspects.