Sunday, January 16, 2011

My biggest love-hate relationship... ahhh!

So I have an ongoing love-hate relationship in my life. It probably started in about... sixth grade? That would make this a seven-year love-hate relationship, so it's lasted about 36 percent of my life so far. SO FAR. I predict it will last for many years to come. If there's a hate aspect, why do I keep it a part of my life? Well, I like sitting on the edge of my seat and waiting for some dramatic twist to occur. I like surprises. On the other hand, though, this relationship makes me feel like I need to cry (and sometimes pee simultaneously)...

No, I'm not talking about a boy (though some of them also make me want to cry while I bounce excitedly on the tips of my toes trying to figure out what's coming next). I'm talking about scary movies. Horror films. Cinematic projects that make you cringe.

See, I approach these types of films differently almost every time. It depends on the type of scary movie, who I'm watching it with, what time of day it's playing, and my overall mood in general.

One rule I've set for myself is NO WATCHING SCARY MOVIES ALONE. I'm almost certain I'd convince myself I was in danger and continue to hyperventilate for hours after the movie was over... if I even reached the end of the film.

Another rule is if the movie is scaring me too much, then I start trying to make fun of it. I remember watching The Descent a few years ago with Jaden, and I'm pretty sure that was the first time I tried this tactic. I was scared out of my mind, but I would start laughing hysterically every time somebody got killed. That made it much more bearable.


The year before, I watched Boogeyman with my friend Michelle. We were downstairs on her couch with the lights off (as ALWAYS with a scary movie... no lights on. Ever.) I can't remember if the movie was very scary or not... because we were throwing popcorn at the screen. This could have been a defense mechanism much like laughing at death scenes, or maybe it was just terrible. I can't remember. I do remember, however, Michelle's mom coming downstairs and turning the lights on in the middle of the movie to find popcorn littered all over the floor.

Just last night, I watched Paranormal Activity for the first time. I squeezed Meason (the cutest teddy bear in the world, no contest) pretty much the entire time and couldn't walk back to my dorm room for probably an hour after the movie ended because I was too scared to go out in the dark (or even move from where I had been sitting, really). At least with that movie there was a noise before every scary part so I could attempt to prepare myself...

The original plan for last night (after I got to see my family! eeeee!) was to watch Paranormal Activity and Paranormal Activity 2. I was too scared after the first one to watch the sequel, so that is tonight's plan. I've heard it is WAY more scary than the first movie, but I still plan on watching it. Why? Why do I put myself through that? James even texted me a bit ago asking, "Do you want to get scared out of your mind now or later?" I'm writing this blog right now and then I have geology homework to do, so I said later. He replied with, "Sounds awesome. Besides the later it is the more scared you'll be. Haha." (THIS IS TRUE. Why is everything scarier in the dark?! Maybe it's because all the scariest parts of scary movies occur in the dark? Even while I was watching Paranormal Activity, I knew that I could calm down during the day scenes because nothing scary was going to happen. Hmm...) Like I said before, I like the suspense. I like the feeling of not knowing what's going to happen, even if it makes me queasy and terrified.

The weird thing, though, is that most of the time I start to believe I'm in the movie. At least I try to figure out exactly what I would do if I were in the situations of the main characters. I get pissed off at the characters who are doing something stupid that is sure to mess everything up for somebody else. I yell a lot. I squirm a lot (I was in a spinny chair while watching Saw 6... I spun around in circles during the goriest of scenes). I get paranoid. (You should have seen me after watching Number 23 with Jaden and her dad. I felt like I needed to link everything to 23 and then got scared that I'd end up like the crazy woman who jumped out a window.) It probably doesn't help that I'm TERRIFIED of ghosts. (All you people who don't believe in ghosts are nuts. They're real. Case closed.) After Paranormal Activity was over, I sat and stared at the wall, which caused James to say, "Please don't start rocking back and forth."


The best horror films are the Saw series, by the way. The gore is absolutely disgusting, but the movies have an amazing story line and keep you thinking once the film is over. Anyway...

I know a lot of people hate scary movies, and I would never try to convince somebody to watch one. People have nightmares from some of these movies, and I don't think that's worth it. Some people just think the movies are dumb (and a lot are... but if that's the only thing stopping you from watching, then you might as well give it a shot if you're bored). As long as I have somebody else in the room with me and something to squeeze (like an adorable teddy bear or a pillow) then I'll be fine. Well, I'll live anyway. I really do have a love-hate relationship with scary movies because I'm a self-admitted wimp. I think I'm just happy that I'm not living in a scary movie, so I'm okay with watching them...

Well, I'm going to wrap this up so I can do my geology lab homework and then prepare myself for another night of terror. Let me know if you like scary movies and why or why not. Any funny stories are always welcome too :)

- My name is Kimberly and sometimes I throw things while watching scary movies.

1 comment:

  1. Berlyn's comment comes to you in two parts:
    One:
    Did the cabnet part in Paranormal Activity two scare the shit out of you?

    Two:
    I have not watched a scary movie in a few months (except for the two weeks I was home) because I'm normally scared for a coupe days and I am alone here and afraid of the dark....
    When I was home.... I watched pet cemetary and black swan. Pet cemetary was nothing. Black swan however, was terrifying.
    I'm still worried I'm going to start seeing myself everywhere.
    If you haven't seen it Kimmy... You should. It's great (it's not supposed to be a horror film but it is really scary) and it's my pick for the Oscar this year (Though.... Social Network will win and I haven't seen The King's Speech, or Blue Valentine, or the kids are alright).

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