explain to me how anyone can enjoy a movie like "Saw."

[chisnpeke]

I don't get it either. I'm not a fan of horror films and don't understand why so many people are over other movies that are of better quality (IMO)!

Whatever floats your boat.

 

[chisnpeke]

I do not like the gorey horror movies either, but I can appreciate the fact that sometimes it is needed. Saving Private Ryan comes to mind. The first part of that movie was brutal for me, but it overall it helped make the movie better.

If it is a vital part of the story I have no problem with it (and a lot of the time the gore is a vital part). It's when the entire story is comprised of nothing but blood and gore is when I don't really understand the appeal.

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

Yeah, I knew I was gonna get flak for liking PF! I did cover my eyes a LOT in that movie...but I liked those two characters, the scene with the wallet in the diner, the way the story was out of sequence. I do remember wishing it was less gory. I have never seen Kill Bill or any other QT movies cuz I just know I am not gonna like them!

 

[sersee05]

I guess it is just what we all find disturbing. When I was younger , I watched all the NIghtmare on Elm Streets, Friday the 13th's and Halloween's. I know I closed my eyes through a lot of it..I think I was very curious to see these types of movies..and it was fun hanging with all my friends and being scared. I remember my friends watched faces of Death. I watch part of it and was done. It was horrible...But they were quite intrigued..and I think those movies are as disturbing as disturbing can be. But they liked being grossed out and scared.

Now, I can't watch those movies. I don't know if it's because I am older or what. I watched saw ..and couldn't understand why people would want to watch people constantly dying...but I am ok with tv shows where they are trying to solve crimes. Maybe in my head, if there is a purpose to it..I can handle it better. My DH and I dvr Criminal Minds and we used to dvr SVU. We call it "Disturbia"...because sometimes we shake our heads and wonder why we watch these things.

But there are movies that aren't gory that I just can't watch again because of the disturbia factor. There was that one Sally field movie..can't think of the name. Kiefer Sutherland was a bad guy and raped and killed her daughter while she was on the phone with her mom. I will never forget that scene. You didn't see much but the effect it had on me...whew.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Hi MM!

Well, I guess I wasn't clear, but what I meant by second paragraph...that these are beyond gore and blood, it is evil for evil's sake.

True, I am not a huge fan of blood, usually have to cover my eyes, but I LOVED Pulp Fiction. I would not see "Passion of The Christ" because I knew I would have to cover my eyes for the majority of the movie, but I understand why the blood and gore is in the movie.

alexandria-I agree...it just scares me...what's NEXT? Seems every generation, it gets worse! Yikes!


I must say, I am not a fan of all the "CSI" shows, either. I just don't get what is entertaining about dead bodies, murder, etc? Like, they will show how a girl dies... she is held captive and begging for her life, then the scene switches and she is lying dead with that red headed Caruso dude standing over her. It's too "real" and I am bothered it is entertainment to people.

Got it.

I don't see any movies or TV as "real". I view it from a writer/director perspective.

I would critique the movie SAW instead of be offended by the gore, if that makes sense.

 

[Rora]

I like scary movies while I'm watching them because I like to be scared.. but once it's time to go to bed or the movie is over- I freak out and wonder why I put myself through watching these movies only to be scared witless the rest of the night, maybe even for a couple of days!!

OP- I agree. There's enough bad stuff in the real world. I can't explain why I enjoy horror movies. I guess I really don't considering I kick myself after having watched one.. but I can't stop watching! UGH.

 

[XTinabell]

I think the problem I have with SAW is that it's torture. I don't enjoy watching people suffer. Gore in most movies does not bother me because they don't focus on the panic and hysteria like they do in SAW.

 

[tasha99]

I don't enjoy them, but I think that's because I'm no longer a teenager. When I was a kid, I liked Friday the Thirteenth and Halloween movies--pretty much pointless gore as well.

 

[amy4bruce]

The Saw movies are not reality. The actions are contrived, designed to push the plot forward without need for logic or reasonability. The special effects probably don't resembled real life either. They are escalating because they have to try and top the last file, or they might lose their audience.

I like horror movies, although not the ones being made today. Maybe I should say that I don't like torture porn. On the other hand, check out the original Halloween, directed by John Carpenter. Everybody thinks that it's a gorefest, but if you watch it and pay attention, there isn't a drop of blood in it. Everything is misdirection.

The question, of course, is why does anybody like this? Someone I know, at a book club meeting, was appalled that some of us liked murder mysterys, because they're dealing with death.

My answer? First of all, as I said above, they're not real. I can read about a fictional mass killing easily because I know that these people do not exist, and it never happened.

Second, and I think this is important, a mystery is a place where order is restored to the universe, the guilty are punished, and good triumphs over evil. That doesn't happen in real life that often, so it gives me a sense of security.

And yes, I like Quentin Tarrantino an awful lot. He is very violent, but it's all in the service of the story.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Ok amy4bruce, that is pretty much my thoughts as well. However you said so much clearer.

Now I did say I don't care for the scream horror like SAW but that is just my preference. I think they are boring. How is that for a mind bender?

 

[RadioNate]

I guess it is just what we all find disturbing. When I was younger , I watched all the NIghtmare on Elm Streets, Friday the 13th's and Halloween's. I know I closed my eyes through a lot of it..I think I was very curious to see these types of movies..and it was fun hanging with all my friends and being scared. I remember my friends watched faces of Death. I watch part of it and was done. It was horrible...But they were quite intrigued..and I think those movies are as disturbing as disturbing can be. But they liked being grossed out and scared.

Now, I can't watch those movies. I don't know if it's because I am older or what. I watched saw ..and couldn't understand why people would want to watch people constantly dying...but I am ok with tv shows where they are trying to solve crimes. Maybe in my head, if there is a purpose to it..I can handle it better. My DH and I dvr Criminal Minds and we used to dvr SVU. We call it "Disturbia"...because sometimes we shake our heads and wonder why we watch these things.

But there are movies that aren't gory that I just can't watch again because of the disturbia factor. There was that one Sally field movie..can't think of the name. Kiefer Sutherland was a bad guy and raped and killed her daughter while she was on the phone with her mom. I will never forget that scene. You didn't see much but the effect it had on me...whew.

I had nightmares for days after seeing that movie. Wasn't it a made for TV movie too. I know I saw it on TV. You hardly saw the daughters rape and murder but it was horrifying.

As for the OP's question. I find nothing "fun' or entertaining about being scared. For me, being scared is a miserable feeling and I don't willingly go there.

I don't think watching psycho killers raping and murdering people is entertaining.

Story line gore, like in Saving Private Ryan, bothers me but since murder and death isn't the central point of the movie I can tolerate it better. In that movie the death is supposed to be horrible not an entertaining plot point.

 

[mariolatry]

I used to like scary movies before I had kids. Now that I have kids, my sense of empathy is so over-developed that I can't even watch Law and Order:SVU anymore. All I can think is "That person is probably someone's child or spouse. Their poor family!", even when it's just a fictional character.

My other complaint is that most of the movies in question aren't really scary, you know? The rely on gore but there are minimal feelings of suspense, etc. The last scary movie I saw was "The Others. You didn't know what was going on, there was lots of atmosphere in the film.....kept me on the edge of the seat.

 

[~disneydiva~]

I like scary movies while I'm watching them because I like to be scared.. but once it's time to go to bed or the movie is over- I freak out and wonder why I put myself through watching these movies only to be scared witless the rest of the night, maybe even for a couple of days!!

OP- I agree. There's enough bad stuff in the real world. I can't explain why I enjoy horror movies. I guess I really don't considering I kick myself after having watched one.. but I can't stop watching! UGH.

I'm the same way....I love watching horror movies, but when its time to go to bed or whatever...I'm asking why I watched it! I usually blame DH.

 

[Tinkerbelle's Mom]

I guess I would classify myself as a lover of the horror of the 80s and 90s. I enjoy horror films but... have no reason to see Saw. It does not appeal to me.

Growing up I loved Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Jason and so on. I would get together with my friends and we would all watch them together. At the time it was good fun.

My favorite horror movies are the Scream movies. They make fun of the horror movie while being a horror movie.

I have a differing opinion on Saving Private Ryan type movies. I cannot watch that movie no matter how hard I try. While I know that is a movie it is too real to me.

I think of my family who has served for generations and the things they saw. I think people living in and thru situations like that -- and that terrifys me.

Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, and horror films -- we they are just ficition to me with no basis in reality.

 

[Disney-Kim]

I saw all the horrors movies of the 80's...of course when we were younger it was fun to be scared. but then there is something ridiculous about a guy coming out a lake and chainsawing people...etc...and Freddy etc.

but I have to say that movies like Saw are just down right sadistic sickness in my opinion. Movies that show the true evil that people can be (more so than comedic horror) and the way the movies tries to make it even more real is just so gross. Movies where people are totured just go beyond what I can handle. its too close to the reality of serial killers and other sick people in this world.

Has anyone seen the movie "Hostel"...omg....don't...it was the sickest movie I have ever seen.
but then a 20 yr old thinks its all movie and fake...us 40 yr olds know there are some truths behind the sickness in these movies and real monsters do exist...that is what truly scares me.

I do have to say that I do think that the Exorcist is one of the best scary movies I have ever seen. the devil movies are always scary:

 

[Feralpeg]

I had nightmares for days after seeing that movie. Wasn't it a made for TV movie too. I know I saw it on TV. You hardly saw the daughters rape and murder but it was horrifying.

As for the OP's question. I find nothing "fun' or entertaining about being scared. For me, being scared is a miserable feeling and I don't willingly go there.

I don't think watching psycho killers raping and murdering people is entertaining.

Story line gore, like in Saving Private Ryan, bothers me but since murder and death isn't the central point of the movie I can tolerate it better. In that movie the death is supposed to be horrible not an entertaining plot point.

My thoughts exactly. What is really scary to me is that this is the favorite genre of many teens today. When I was teaching high school, the kids raved about Hostel and Saw.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

I thought the first Saw was very original and creative. After that, it just became a big torture fest. I won't watch them anymore. I refuse to watch The Exorcist again because it scared the daylights out of me. I refuse to watch movies like Saw because they simply focus on torture. It's too much.

 

[bumbershoot]

Then again, I feel EXACTLY the same way about chick-flicks (Love Happens, Bridget Jones, Love Actually etc etc..)

Fainting at Love Actually being considered a chick flick...

I find nothing "fun' or entertaining about being scared. For me, being scared is a miserable feeling and I don't willingly go there.

I think that's a good description for me. Though since I adore mystery novels, there's some variation.

Everything changed once I had and was nursing my son (could NOT watch anything unpleasant while nursing him, it made me feel like someone was hurting my, um, nursing parts...and since he was absolutely voracious for milk, it just sort of became my new normal)...I'd kinda like to revisit Pulp Fiction, which I loved when I was 24, but I'm afraid of being too disgusted. At the time, however, I could watch it and the other one out around the same time b/c with the exception of one person, everyone who gets hurt was a "bad guy", and I felt they had signed up for the possibility of such things happening.


Contrast to watching Monk on DVR last night, where a totally normal person is taking a bath and someone breaks into her house, and it's just awful, and I was almost in tears, because it's so potentially real.


But I shouldn't be answering anyway, because I've never been a fan of the horror genre (watched Exorcist on TV with my mom as a teen, in broad daylight, and it scared all the urges for Friday 13, Freddie, etc out of my being). But I'm also OK with some gore.

I guess with SAW, etc, I don't want my brain indelibly messed with by images or thoughts...I hate that face in the saw movie(s), and I've seen it b/c of TMZ now, LOL. Some of the images in the ads for The Ring were really disturbing and I can't erase it. Just like some of the scary thoughts from Signs (I was one of the 4 people who saw it who liked it and thought it was scary) that I can't erase from my brain. I don't like that...

 

[Angelhalo]

Has anyone seen the movie "Hostel"...omg....don't...it was the sickest movie I have ever seen.
but then a 20 yr old thinks its all movie and fake...us 40 yr olds know there are some truths behind the sickness in these movies and real monsters do exist...that is what truly scares me.

Why do people think that anyone younger than them is a baffoon? Do people honestly think that 20 somethings and 30 somethings don't watch the news? Don't read about things online? The difference for me is that I can separate fake from real. While I understand that those kinds of things may happen in the real world, I also know that what I am watching on the screen is fake. Not to mention that the things happening in the horror movie ie: a bear trap that will tear your head apart if you don't unlock it in time (Saw 1), is far less likely to happen than our military hero's being blown to smithereens. THAT I cannot watch.

I have a differing opinion on Saving Private Ryan type movies. I cannot watch that movie no matter how hard I try. While I know that is a movie it is too real to me.

I think of my family who has served for generations and the things they saw. I think people living in and thru situations like that -- and that terrifys me.

I completely agree.

Still not huffy, just don't like it when people act like just because you may have a different view than them, then you automatically just don't get it because you're younger than them.

Guess this would be the wrong thread to ask if anyone else loves Dexter? LOL

 

[ShuisFan584]

I'm such a baby. I can't watch any type of scary movie - especially if it has lots of blood and guts. Most of the movies I watch are comedies.