Opinion

Horror movies vs. feel-good Halloween

Scary movies
GRAPHIC BY AMANDA BOLLIG

Sitting in a dark movie theatre with popcorn in your left and a large drink in your right when all of the sudden the person on screen is fighting for their life. This cathartic, fun experience is not always the best for everyone.

However, as a horror movie aficionado I enjoy the craft thoroughly from the movies about home invasions to killer clowns to killer reflections. They prey on our deepest darkest fears and bring to life what we know to be the worst of the world.

From thrillers to jump scares all horror movies have a unique purpose to scare you, to make you sit on the edge of your seat in utter horror. They are there to show you what you don’t want to be real and that is okay because somewhere deep in your mind you know that it isn’t real but what if it is?

This adrenaline and this utter sense of security and horror combine to give you a supreme movie viewing experience, they are there to make you feel the most extreme emotions possible.

So to those of you who hate horror movies I have a question? Are you just too scared to face the worst of reality?

Its spooky season or close enough anyway. Now it’s okay for scary movies to come out in theaters. I personally hate scary movies. I hate being scared. I hate the feeling of being scared. I hate being afraid that there might be someone hiding in my spare room to murder me and I hate that scary movies make me think that it will happen to me.

It’s not that I hate Halloween. It’s actually one of my favorite holidays. I love carving pumpkins; I love handing out candy on Halloween and I love being able to dress up in costume for the day. I just really think that there are far too many scary things going on the world to enjoy being scared by movies.

I really enjoy non-scary Halloween movies like “Hocus Pocus” and “Halloween Town”. I won’t deny that Hollywood has amazing special effects skill when they make the scary films. It just isn’t something I can enjoy.

Scary movies, even after the movie is over leave me scared and anxious for hours afterwards. I can absolutely understand why people would enjoy the adrenaline rush that comes with watching scary movies. I would personally rather ride a roller coaster.

Image courtesy of Amanda Bollig | Kirkwood Communiqué