Just a factor of getting older?

[SarahLovesJS]

I know most of you consider me to be still pretty young, but I have a question. So when I was a teenager I could watch whatever movie or TV show I wanted with essentially no problem. I would maybe have a dream here or there, but generally no problems. I always had horrible nightmares in general and an active imagination, but I didn''t link that to shows. But now it seems I can''t really watch horror movies anymore. I

horror movies, but I feel myself shying away from them. They are just TOO realistic too often now. I feel physically sick at some of the stuff. Moreover, I just don''t want to hear it! I am like ew ew I don''t want to watch that. I know there are always horror-movie freaks, but most of the people I know just watch less and less of these movies all the time. I am talking about the really, really scary and/or bloody/gory movies. Not silly movies that aren''t that scary. I know scary is a relative term, but in general ghost stuff doesn''t scare me. But more of the psychological screwed up thrillers do, ones about murderers and things like that. So even though some people never like horror movies, here''s the question: Is this a factor of getting older, what do you think? Do we just burn out on these kinds of things?

 

[FrekeChild]

<---horror movie freak.

I say, stick with the horror made in the 80s. That stuff is funnier than the comedies made at the same time!

 

[VRBeauty]

I''ve never been able to watch recent era, realistic, war movies. The part of me that knows it''s all fake is totally over-ridden by the part of me that knows there''s some kernel of truth. My father is Chinese... I know that my aversion to war movies started when I started to watch one of the more realistic Vietnam era movies that opened with a masacre in a village. When I saw some of the actors depicting villagers, I couldn''t help but think, "that man could be my father, that old woman could reasembles my grandmother...." I wasn''t in that theater for more than 1 minutes. Murder-mystery type movies I can handle, but not violent movies taken out of real situations.

Don''t know that it has anything to do with getting older, but I''m perfectly OK with not being comfortable with realistic depictions of people getting killed. I also have less tolerance for horror movies, especially those that go for the cheap thrills and don''t give the audience any opportunity to figure out what''s going on and to prepare themselves. I''ve also quit going to the very realistic haunted houses that crop up at Halloween.

I guess I just kinda figure I don''t have to subject myself to that sort of stuff any more if I don''t want to, and I have no problem telling DBF that he''s welcome to go to those things with someone else if he wants. (Of course, the someone else is usually a family member

)

So yeah, it may be related to getting older!

 

[LaraOnline]

Interesting topic! I think it is a factor of getting older.
When I was fourteen, I loved to scare myself silly with ghost movies, and then the ''ew'' factor in the gory stuff...
but now, I''m afraid it all seems cruel, and even sadistic!!
I guess as you grow up you get more thoughtful in general?
What was cool just isn''t cool any more...?

As I''ve gotten older, I think I''ve become more conservative, it''s like you realise that all of the little decisions each of us make adds up to one great big reality...
all of us are actually just walking a tightrope, tragedy is only a car accident away...

so why dwell on human misery, or celebrate cruelty?

Ugh, watching that stuff just HAS to be bad for people!!

 

[Fancy605]

Date: 6/27/2008 5:49:29 AM
Author: LaraOnline


so why dwell on human misery, or celebrate cruelty?


Ugh, watching that stuff just HAS to be bad for people!!

That''s how I feel.

I''ve never liked horror films (with the exception of Scream, which was pretty funny and not too graphic for me and Jurassic Park the First, which most people probably think of as action anyway, but when I saw it as a 5th grader, I was pretty terrified (but oh so in love with dinosaurs)). I suppose I only like horror if it is merely suspenseful (Sixth Sense and such) But, if it''s blood and guts and gore and gross (Saw and such), NO WAY. I can''t do it even if the special effects are bad b/c my imagination fills in the gaps. I guess I used to try to watch them in high school at parties or whatever (but I mostly just listened because I get too queasy looking out from behind my hands even for stuff that is less gorey.) Now I don''t even like to see a preview for that kind of thing. So I guess with age, I''ve become progressively less tolerant of that sort of thing. Plus, I can''t stand any movie that is a bit devoid of story line, and that''s how a lot of these slasher things are.

Mimis, I have a hard time with War Movies too. My DH took me to see "We Were Soldiers" on one of our early dates, and I was basically miserable the entire time. I recognized that it was a good movie, but I couldn''t stand it. I didn''t do so well with Pearl Harbor either. I think the only war movie I''ve ever both appreciated AND liked at the same time was Glory.

I also can''t stand stuff like Deep Impact (Which, luckily for me, my school decided to show our students on closed circuit one day this year, and I was miserable watching it for a second time.) Anything with large scale destruction makes me upset. I didn''t even do particularly well with Titanic.

Murder Mystery, sure, but mass death---not so much. I''m fine reading about it in history books (Although I''m a bit miserable there too), but that''s about the extent of it.

 

[lyra]

I''m the biggest fan of horror! I''m 46. I still go to the theatre to see what I think might be better horror movies when they come out. I''m like a kid that way. I do not watch exploitive gore movies like Saw (just the first one), Hostel, that kind of mindless violent stuff. I don''t get nightmares from it. I read horror all the time.

I do get nightmares from things I watch on the news. I recently watched this documentary on one of Osama Bin Laden''s sons, and had a nightmare about him. Kind of stupid really IMO, but sometimes weird things set me off like that now. So I try to avoid watching the news. I read news online, reading it is less sensationalized, and I can stop reading if I want.

I cannot watch any kind of war movie, even if it is history related. My husband really wanted me to watch Saving Private Ryan. Well, I couldn''t make it beyond 15 minutes, if that. I can watch fake horror killing, but knowing things like the war stuff happened in real life is just too much for me.

 

[Deelight]

I am not sure how much it is getting older then scary movies becoming more gory, realistic and violent. I have always been a chicken so maybe I am not the best to comment but stuff like HOSTEL is just plain WRONG, I barely could watch that movie from covering my ears and eyes it truly disturbed me.

Freke I love bad 80''s and 70''s horror films my sister and I used to spend weekends together watching them LOL some are really funny.

MINIMS and Fancy605 I can''t watch war movies either, my mum and dad both spent their early childhoods in Europe during WWII as did a lot of my family and extended family in more recent wars as well. My granddad we think was lost to a concentration camp and my grandmother escaped being murdered a few times as did my aunt. To me it is something that is just profoundly sad and when you hear first hand stories of numerous people who lived through the events it just makes it all the more sad.

 

[sumbride]

I feel the same way! When I was a kid I loved horror movies! I can''t watch any of that stuff now! I got scared watching Shaun of the Dead! I think the older you get and the more anxieties exist... the more real it feels. I don''t know though. I just can''t watch any of it. The commercial for that new one, The Visitors?, scares me senseless! The freakin'' commercial!

It''s ok though. I much prefer drama.

 

[OUpearlgirl]

I''ve never liked scary movies. I think the real world is scary enough, so I don''t need to watch a movie to creep me out even more.

 

[Haven]

Another horror movie freak, here.

I think the films that are more realistic or likely are far scarier than monster/alien/ghost flicks. And I may be losing my edge a little bit, because when I was little my favorite movie was Poltergeist and I could watch any horror movie around, and now I do have nightmares after some movies. The Hills Have Eyes (recent remake) was the worst. I had nightmares for weeks. But I still went back to see another horror flick the next week.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I don''t think I have gotten more sensitive with age, I think movies have just gotten gorier. Even that doesn''t bother me, but in movies like saw and I assume hostel and their sequals are all about the gore and not about the plot. I could drive a tank through the plot holes in saw, so it never bothered me. Its the ones that I have to think about that stick with me. I love the Descent and one whose name escapes me but is about workers cleaning asbestos out of an old mental hospital, it often makes the "best horror movies you have never seen" list.

There are some, like cigarette burns, that I won''t see. Horror movies don''t give me nightmares, but I know that thing would haunt me, just the description of it did.

There are others that don''t seem scary to me, but that I love. The others is a good one and the shining is the best. My FI and watched the shining together the night before he proposed actually.

 

[purrfectpear]

I really don''t think it''s age related. I''m fairly immune to anything and I never have bad dreams from movies or TV.

The only thing I find myself looking away from is when one of the medical shows starts cutting people up for plastic surgery or an operation. It just makes me squirmy, not frightened.

 

[FrekeChild]

I get totally freaked out at Zombie movies. But I still watch them!!!

I think this was caused by me watching "Night of the Living Dead" (original) on my 13th birthday and staying up all night freaked out about it. Especially because I was having a sleepover and I happened to be sleeping right under the window. I had nightmares for weeks.

Then again Jurassic Park totally freaked me out too.

I think one of my favorite 80s horror flicks would have to be "Dolls""Dolls" I mean, with a tagline like, "They walk, they talk, they kill." how can you go wrong?

I have no problems watching any of the Saws, haven''t seen Hostel (heard it wasn''t very good), and I haven''t seen "The Hills have Eyes" but mostly with that one because some of my friends got really offended and walked out. And they are really hard to offend, so I''m being cautious with that one.

I can watch anything really, but what makes me want to poke my eyes out are movies like "Big Momma''s House". OMG SO STUPID. And BF''s nephew LOVES that type of movie, so unfortunately I have to watch them sometimes. UGH!!!

Give me a good comedy, romance, action or horror movie any day, but give me stupid BS like that, and

.

 

[akmiss]

I love horror but I hate all the recent gore movies

They are not scary but disturbed. "The Hostel" was probably the worst ever! why would people want to see stuff like that. It is beyond me........
I love a good scare though and like movies that are more suspenseful or old school horror. Cape Fear was really suspenseful!
As far as getting older, maybe people do outgrow gore. I always attributed it to giving birth. After labor, I was such a weenie and did not want to see blood or people in pain

 

[bee*]

I''m the exact same! I used to adore horror films and the gorier the better. Now I cringe at the thoughts of watching them-I just don''t enjoy them at all any more. Give me a good comedy anytime!

 

[julabean]

Date: 6/27/2008 6:50:09 PM
Author: bee*
I''m the exact same! I used to adore horror films and the gorier the better. Now I cringe at the thoughts of watching them-I just don''t enjoy them at all any more. Give me a good comedy anytime!

I''ve never been a huge horror movie person, but I agree with bee*. If I''m taking the time to watch a movie, I want it to be funny, sweet, and good! I''ll watch a good movie that isn''t one of those three wonderful words, but I definitely have to be in the right frame of mind. And the CSI, Law & Order type shows? I''ve never been able to watch those, but now that I''m older (ha! 23. I''m not old!) I''ll lose sleep and have nightmares if I even catch the first 10 minutes. I think it has something to do with how "real" they seem - bad horror movies are different for me because I know they''re fake, but lately the horror films they advertise in the theatres seem so ... REAL. And that just creeps me out. I''ll take a Wall-E or Get Smart movie anytime, thank you.

 

[ahappygirl]

I used to love those movies, too! Now, no way. I don''t know if it''s because I''m older or not. I''ve seen more than my share of real life gore - ER nurse - and it doesn''t really phase me, but the hateful acts in any movie really get me, just like on the news. Maybe because I know how evil people can be in real life? I have no idea but those days of picking a scary movie to watch ON PURPOSE are over. My husband doesn''t like a lot of drama because he says he sees enough in real life at his job all day. Exactly.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Hmm well it looks like I am not alone, but there''s also a lot of people (e.g. Freke! ) who still

horror movies. I do love the 80s ones more as well though. It looks like maybe it''s not necessarily getting older, but changing tastes or things you enjoy that often corresponds with getting older.

 

[Maisie]

I remember watching Michael Jackson''s Thriller when I was about 12 and it scared the pants off me. I hate scary movies now. They disturb me and I hate feeling freaked out. My hubby loves them but I can''t even listen to the screams. Its too much for me. I don''t feel that I am missing anything and am quite happy to watch a comedy or chick flick!

Another thing that bothers me is when people say Jesus or Christ as a swear word. I find that really offensive and will switch off a movie if I hear it.

 

[justjulia]

Drama, no. Bloody senseless acts of violence, no. Abducted children, NO.
But, give me a good ghost story and I''m there!

 

[VRBeauty]

Date: 6/27/2008 8:23:34 PM
Author: justjulia
Drama, no. Bloody senseless acts of violence, no. Abducted children, NO.
But, give me a good ghost story and I''m there!

Hmmm... Julia... what is shadow (for lack of a better term) on the right of your chair???

 

[Bia]

I happen to love horror movies, so the scarier, the better IMO! However, I sometimes equate getting older with my not being able to handle thrill-rides anymore. I used to LOVE rollercoasters and/or any ride that knocked my socks off. Now, I just get plain sick...every time, and I have given it a few chances because, as I said, I love them! No go...each time, I just feel plain sick

So, in answer to your question...maybe it is?

 

[mia1181]

Sarah- I definitely thinki it is a product of getting older. It happened to me a few years ago.... I''m 27 now but horror movies haven''t been the same since. I still

them, but I have to watch something else on tv for a little while before going to bed or else I am too scared. The movie that triggered it for me was "The Others" with Nicole Kidman it was the first movie that ever had me paranoid afterwards. I was totally convinced that I was really dead and I was actually a ghost and didn''t know it. It also triggered a fear of death for me. Anyway, I don''t think it was actually the movie (I honestly can''t remember if it was aby good or not) but more the thought process it started.

Anyway, I know a bunch of women who tell the same story where they used to love scary movies but just hit a point where they couldn''t stomach them anymore. In fact, all of my older friends in their mid to late 30''s hate scary movie to the point that they won''t even let me tell them the plots of great ones I''ve seen.

Personally, I don''t think it has to do with movies being more graphic than they used to. Even old movies freak me out now. Also goriness doesn''t really "scare" me. In a movie like Saw I am disgusted and may have to cover my eyes or say ewww but after the movie is over I''m not really scared of that stuff. Instead I am scared by the psychological aspects of movies, like creepy images (The Ring, etc).

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Yeah I have to say I am traumatized right now by this 1980s movie about little doll people that I am watching. It''s about this little army of dolls that attack people! It sounds silly, but I never knew dolls could be so scary. Chucky didn''t scare me..this does a bit.

 

[SarahLovesJS]

Nevermind it got less scary at the end.