false leads and red rums
There was a midnight viewing of The Shining last night (this morning?) at The Lyric theater. I imagined the place would be packed, given the Halloween weekend, but the reality was that maybe 40 people sat in their clusters around the otherwise barren theater. This was a new movie for me and I expected a lot because 1) it is by Kubrick and 2) it is a horror film shot long before the advent of shock-scare tactics. Two really good examples of the movies prior to shock-scare would be The Silence of the Lambs and Psycho (both of which I can actually watch multiple times, contrary to most horror films). These films succeed so completely because they build up suspense without needless violence or nightmare-inducing grotesqueness. Shock-scare is an easy method for frightening an audience because it causes your “primitive” instincts to kick in - a directorial maneuver designed to attack your subconscious levels that you otherwise haven’t exercised enough in your lifetime to have a regimented control over. Shock-scare frequently leads to or encourages nightmares because our typically “civilized” world is practically rid of frightening run-for-your-life-or-die scenarios. And we have air-conditioning. So, you know.
The Shining was truly amazing. Suspense, dread, absolute fear. I really enjoyed that movie. And, perhaps for the first time, I didn’t walk away looking over my shoulder. Maybe because the film revolves around an inward destruction that becomes externalized, rather than a nutcase intent on needless slaughter. If you haven’t seen it, and aren’t keen on scary movies, then I would actually recommend this since it is less likely to stick with you, as modern horror films are wont to do.
I rode just shy of 60 miles this morning in some cold weather. But, on my grocery run tonight I absolutely froze. What happened to autumn? And where are my earmuffs…
October 29th, 2007 at 12:05 am
i didn’t even think about the silence of the lambs when i said i hated horror films. so while i dislike most horror films, i love that one. go figure.
i like your new photo much more than the scary eyeball one.
October 29th, 2007 at 11:43 am
any horror flick produced pre-1980 is not scary by today’s standards, so you’re safe with most stuff. there are a few films from the 1920s and 30s, particularly about vampires, that are quality horror films. even though they aren’t scary. more like the introduction to horror. pre-horror. or elementary horror.
do you see julia in the background? she’s a cheetah
November 13th, 2007 at 1:20 pm
Ryan, did you really think the Shining was scary? I thought it was actually very inspiring.