Horror, that feeling you get as you watch a helpless victim trapped in a scary movie. Their fate already sealed as the slasher stalks them through the shadows of the night. You watch from the safety of your home, but it’s like you’ve been sucked into the screen. So many around the U.S. partake in the tradition of watching scary movies, and now, the staff and students of BBHHS are weighing in on the action.
Math Teacher, Sam Smith’s favorite movies to watch around Halloween are “Get Out” and “Us” because he prefers psychological thrillers over the more “jumpscarey movies”. Smith says he feels this way because psychological horror is more realistic and it feels like it could actually happen in real life.
He first watched “Get Out” during college with his friends. He likes new thriller films because they put less priority on “Killers just to kill” and gives “Halloween” and “Chucky” as examples of slasher series.
He says some movies get too gory to the point where it’s “just for show” and “unrealistic”.
He also says that the horror movies that he watches makes him feel uneasy, but not scared. Smith believes people watch horror movies because with fall comes a sense of eeriness in the air and there is an adrenaline rush that comes with watching horror films.
He also believes that video games are a better media format for horror due to their immersiveness.
Ethan Moran’s favorite movie to watch around Halloween is the “OG Beetlejuice” because it’s a tradition that he’s had since he was a kid. He believes old horror films are better than new ones because they have “actual scary stuff” and also mentioned “Chainsaw Massacre” one and two and how they are good horror movies.
He likes non-realistic horror films because they can be more “out there”. Moran says “[Horror films] don’t really scare me, they just kind of creep me out” because he doesn’t get scared easily. He believes people watch horror movies because of both tradition, and because they get people out of their seats.
Sophomore, Brain Ganley’s favorite Halloween movie is “Hocus Pocus” because of how it’s aged and because he’s watched it with his family since he was little. He says old horror films have nostalgia going for them, which makes them “special in their own way” but that new horror films are “So much scarier” due to the new technology and graphics.
Ganley likes non-realistic horror because it’s less scary. He believes some movies add way too much blood, which makes it “A lot to watch sometimes”.
In Ganley’s opinion, video games are a better medium for horror because everyone will have a different experience. He says, “If the game gives you choices between running away or investigating, some might choose to run away and some might choose to investigate.” Overall, it’s the freedom of choice that makes games the better medium for horror.
Freshman, Bryndan Williams’ favorite movie to watch around Halloween is “Friday The 13th” because of its scary vibes. He first heard about the movie from his older brother. Williams says old horror films are better because they are more realistic than new horror films, and overall prefers realistic horror over non-realistic horror.
He also believes that no movie is too gory because he knows none of it is actually going to happen.
In Williams’ opinion, movies are better for a horror experience compared to video games because video games just “aren’t scary.”
