Not So Scary...

I think we have become immune to being scared. The news is scary enough now. I remember being frightened by Vincent Price films when I was younger and especially by Alfred Hitchcocks The Birds. I would still be terrified by any film with rats in, but that's because I'm terrified of rats.

I don't think movies could ever achieve that level of scary these days. People have become far too immune having seen so many over the years. If you notice the modern horror movies, they are increasingly filled with dark humor in order to make them more interesting. That is the reason behind the realistic and grand specials effects as well.... along with the "we do it because we can" reasoning too. Even Steven King and Wes Cravens have resorted to using humor in their work.

I would say it would be by Wes Craven proberly. I haven't really seen any movies by Stephen King that scare me to bad. Maybe "It" when I was younger other then that I have enjoyed watching his movies.

When someone sees a horror movie nowadays, with blood, guts, gore, entrails coming from someone's stomach, a face that could stop a clock complete with fangs and skin peeling off, and all in color, you can see the monster and you know it is one. If it goes and eats people alive, and you can see the victim writhing as her skin dissolves, it is quite clear what is happening. But back in the old days, the horror was that these were ordinary people and they did a lot of photography that gave an atmosphere of horror and you did not know whether the nice neighbor with the dog was really a vampire, or if you heard someone following you, you did not know if he intended to ask you the way to London or if he intended to make you his afternoon snack. Vincent Price was good at playing good characters who had this dark side underneath and you near the sometime he would do the evil grin and you would know that he was going to kill you or worse. So they probably did meed doctors in the audience because the people would get heart attacks or palpitations wondering whether their neighbor was the mad doctor who made dolls by shrinking people. Ooooo Scarey!

I do love the old movies.i watch them sometimes on Turners Classic Movies..things have changed so much since back then...I do believe that after seeing something so much we sorta get calloused toward the blood and guts stuff..i remember years ago things that would shock me, no longer shocks me.i have seen so many bad things that you get used to it and it does not make a big impression any longer...like it use to..

I am a horror movie addict and many years ago Vincen Price movies could scare the hell out of me. I loved House on Haunted Hill and their still making them but more up to date versions. You're right....now there is really no movie that can actually scare me. I'm so used to watching blood, gore and people being stabbed or having their body parts cut off..lol....doesn't phase me in the least.

Vincent Price? Remember the tiny fly with the human head squeekily crying, "Help me! help me" as a spider came after it while Vincent Price looked on? The FLY. Now there was a movie.

The only thing I can think of with that kind of effect was The Blair Witch Project. The shakey camra being held by one of the victims put the audience in the perspective of the victim. In the theater the anxiety level of the audience was noticible even without the blood & gore. It loses the effect when viewed on a small screen. Most of the group I went with spent the night trembeling while I went home & proceded to destroy my punching bag ( I don't take the victims perspective well, I lash out ). While I enjoy most horror movies, I hated that one.

Hi Twoey! I don't watch scary movies anymore. I guess I married a pansy, (he has never liked them.) So I just don't see the horror flicks anymore. Although, about a week ago, I rented "1408." I honestly didn't know anything about it, except it has John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson in it and Stephen King wrote it. Well, it was late, DH fell asleep, but I was still awake (darn cold medicine anyway!) I thought I may as well put it in. That was where I made my mistake! I was scared out of my mind!!! I suppose it's because I haven't been horrified like this in a long time. I haven't even been reading S. King books. So, 1408 is a pretty scary film. Especially when You are really tired. :) Have a great halloween!

Yes, twoey, I remember that old gimmick of having doctors standing by whenever some horror movies came out. It was a great gimmick-guaranteed to draw an overflow crowd. I agree that those movies were relatively tame compared to the stuff that is out there now. Along with Wes Craven and Stephen King, I would add Dean Koontz. I do love Vincent Price movies. He was simply the best. He had all of the qualities of a true "movie star."

wasn't it kind of that way when 'the exorcist' came out like that back in the day? where it freaked people out SOOO bad? they actually took pieces out cuz it freaked people out so bad...kinda funny, but for us it's more of a creepy-factor, not a stop your heart kind of scare! haha! i love vincent price, hee, talk about creepy! but man, i don't know what it would take these days to scare someone like that. society has changed SO much!

Horror films is my favorite.I watch all kind of movies like this and yes I think we just get use to them.I can not picture a movie were you would need a doctor to stand by.I think its the generation we live in.We all know it is not real,but back then they were new to movies.

Well the thing is that those movies were scary in that time. It's like certain musicians were great in their time but wouldn't be great today. Or artists were good for their time. Or the things you were taught then were good for then but not now. I'm a movie dork and I hate when people don't realize that (not saying you don't realize it...just saying) so you just have to think about that. Movies are scary still. It just all depends on what your perception of scary is. I also don't think "Scary" means that you weren't expecting it. You go to haunted houses and you know these people are gonna jump out at you and you still jump when freddy comes after you. That's still able to happen in movies. Plus again...it all depends on what your perception of scary is. Finally... Obviously that's why they do remakes. For instance, they remade House on Haunted Hill back in the late 90's. It was much "Scarier" then the original with Vincent Price. They've just recently remade Halloween. They've remade Texas Chainsaw Massacre. They remade Cape Fear. That's why they remake movies They're classic and great for their time but could be so much better in our time. Stephen King is an author and they've made his books into movies. They'd have to remake it for your example. Wes Craven is just great... hands down. I've heard rumor of them remaking his original. I just... I think I get what you're saying but knowing my movie nerdyness...what you're saying makes no sense.

dear twoey, can you tell me the plot of House on Haunted Hill, with Vincent Price. i'm trying to remember it, i think i saw it, but if not i want to buy it. thanking you in advance...stanzi

during the early 60s Vincent Price was the king of the horrer movies as Bela Lagosi was the king in the earlier years and the mad scientest and the vampire dracula. The two movies That I remember being the scaredesst Price in Poe's "The house of Usher" and "The Pit an the Pendulium" They were scary but not bloody. They were scary because of the suspense not blood and gore. the scarrest movei I think I ever watched was "the slince of the lamb" I didn't want to see "Hannable lecter" Now the horrer movies are too bloody and gorie for me.

Vincent Price could go into character and be quite believable. I was scared by his voice alone! I am not a fan of horror flicks. Those that combine suspense with a bit of horror is better. SAW was a movie that really had me hiding my eyes. But, it was well written and held you in suspense. I couldn't wait to see the second and third films. Now I hear there will be a fourth film. I am a bit skeptical about it.

Wow, I don't know. We've all become so desensitized to violence, I don't know if there would be such a thing as a movie where they would have doctors standing by. But I sure love watching those old horror movies. I don't care for any new horror movies. The only two movies that ever made me feel like I needed air were the first Alien movie, with Sigourney Weaver, and the remake of The Thing, starring Kurt Russell. I think that was like late 80's. I really still like those old Hammer Studio horror films made in Britain.

That is crazy! (doc standing by) I do think it has a lot to do with the fact that horror movies are such a big genre and are always pushing the limits to see what they can do next in graphics, blood, and gore. I think they didn't want to take any chances back then as horror movies where just really starting to take shape.

Hey t68, not to mention we see all those behind the scenes shows so we know all hollywoods magic now & it's not as real to us anymore. +'s |:)

stephen king is really good at making scary movies house on haunted hill was good but no movie compares to any stephen king movie