Horror, is it still scary?

I'm begining to feel that Horror, as we understand it, just isn't scary anymore.
No one seams to be afraid of anything anymore and the lastest horror movies have relyed on overly gory moments of tourture to be scary and controvertal.
Is it scary anymore? And if it still is, what has it became?

 

To be honest, I can't recall a horror film that has scared me at all really...

I've read plenty of books that scared the crap out of me though

 

I, personally, have never been able to watch horror or really read it to its most gruesome degree. It is not for the fact that my stomach is squeamish, but it is too far outside the bounds of logical and plausible. I don't know. I just don't find blood and gore to be appealing to see or read.

I think it is scary and the more you watch/read it - the number you become to its "power" so to speak. It eventually becomes dull, because you have seen it all before.

 

Maybe the reason lies in society indulging too much on it. We grow so accustomed to watching so many shocking scenes that gradually over a period of time; we simply build a tolerance to horror. I'd like to call it mutation or perhaps evolution of the mind.

I know for a fact though that if I don't watch a horror movie for a couple of months and watch one after this time, I'll definitely start feeling uncomfortable towards various scenes. Surely people feel the same way... unless you're some kind of psychopath.

 

I'm unsure of your background, but for me, Japanese horror films have American ones beat. It's interesting, to take note of how we (as seperate cultures) internalize different genres. Maybe if you step outside of what is considered the norm for your culture, indulging in a foreign concept of horror, you can rediscover something about your fear level.

Personally, those movies based on fact that depict true acts of violence against humanity (serial killers and war criminals) are what frighten me the most. There is nothing so scary as to know that people are capable of cruelty unsurpased by the basest of imaginations.

 

Horror puts the craps up me. I have seen some films which have scared the hell outta me. Most of them where not outright scary stuff but slightly more psycholgical. Gory and blood etc does not scare me, although ha me a little squimish sometimes.

 

I have seen a lot of horror movies before and I can hardly feel scared when I see a new horror movie. But for those with less experience I believe there's still something that can scare them.
It depends on who you are. Different people have different answers.

 

Only a few horror films actually scare me to the extent that I actually feel worried when I'm watching them. Most will make me jump or give me a momentary fright, but they certainly don't terrify me. Most horrors these days, as you said, really just rely on gore and violence and they're not scary, they're just unpleasant (for me, anyway). Not many horrors are actually well-made these days, they really just appeal to people who like a good gore-fest. I'd love to see something original and capturing come out- not another movie just plastered with blood and violence, but something containing some sort of clever plot and story.

 

I found 28 days scary and the remake of Day of the dead scared me sh!tless running Zombies well that’s scary. Also I found the Ring in a sense was a scary movie too.

 

I have never liked horror books or films.
The one film that scared the beejesus out of me was a stupid movie not well done or even decent acting. But I was 17 and we went to show and "don't look in the basement" was playing. I already had a fear of basements and this one sure made it so I wouldn't go into one for years.
I think the old horror films had more going for them than the ones out now.
I know the stories were better if not the special effects and acting.
Boris Karlof is still a good scare at times.

 

Horror never scared me unless it was something I could relate to, and something that could actually happen to me. I still believed in God and the Devil when I saw "The Exorcist", so that got me good - thinking I might become possessed.

Now it's just psychological-type things. But I haven't seen many of those lately.

 

Yeah, i don't usually scare overly easily. I jump occasionally, but don't really get frightened.

 

I found 28 Days scary as well! (hangs head in shame.) Also another that scared me was 28 weeks later. I don;t know why but I couldn't ever sit and watch that movie again hey. It really did scare me to the point that I couldn't sleep that night.

Other wise I think it is just that we have become accustomed to horror. We live things in life that are far more horrifying then what they put into theese movies. We have become somewhat desensitised to it all now. They need something new and still haven't come up with anything that jumps out and scars the viewers anymore.

What they need to do is more research into the horror genre, question people and ask them what makes them terrified. What makes you that scared that can't sleep at night and has you barracade the windows and doors and walk at night with a weapon of some kind. Find out what makes the public afraid and then work from there, if you can....from a very broad perspective. Question thousands upon thousands from all over the world!!!

Just my views anyways.

 

I think the media has had a huge role in changing the way society now feels about horrow movies. The only film which can frighten me still is the Blair Witch Project; I even feel silly admitting to that.

 

I laughed when I saw that. The whole way through I laughed. It was more of a comedy for me. Same as most horror movies. Weak acting, bad plots and all that. No scare factor. Blair with and wolf creek weren't very good in my opinion. I could go on forever within this topic to be honest. I'm a horror fanatic!

 

I don't think horror in books is as scary, as it is disturbing and creepy. I've read Lovecraft, Poe, and a litte King and I will say it doesn't scare me. It certianly gives me that creepy feeling though.

Horror movies are horrible. They'r enot scary at all, just gore fests (Hills Have Eyes), or just plain funny (Dawn of the Dead, hilarious). Some certainly maintain the creepiness (28 Weeks Later, or Hostel) but they've lost the scary. The best "horror" movie I've ever seen is Shaun of the Dead and its more Horror/Comedy.