You know, back in the day, horror movies had sacred set rules. Vampires couldn't be about in the daytime, you could outrun zombies, etc. However, over the last few years, a disturbing trend has come about. Movies are breaking all the old rules. Let me explain. Go back a while to Stephen King's It. If Killer Klowns From Outer Space wasn't enough to put you off clowns forever, this picture certainly was. After watching It, I developed a lasting fear of plumbing. It was at least a year before I could comfortably sit on a toilet. Even though one of the Freddy movies had something coming out of the toilet, for some reason, It ruined it for me. And forget checking out any kind of drain stoppage. In fact, that's why I got married.
Now, fast forward to Kolobos. If you haven't seen this movie, please do so. As stupid as it was, it amazingly enough played on a lot of my fears. Things I thought no one had ever thought of. For instance, when I'm sleeping, I've always had to keep my hands either under the covers or under my pillow. Why? Because in the middle of the night when I'm sleeping, anyone can come in and slit my wrists. Stupid, no? Guess what, that happened in this movie. There were other things as well, but I think I've blocked it from my memory.
Also, now it's commonly accepted that vampires can strut around in broad daylight using either pills or sunscreen? And the "good ones" don't need to kill for blood? Whatever.
As far as ghosts are concerned, we now have to not only deal with the usual ghosty nuisances, but we also have the ever-creepy EVP's (White Noise). I expect to be seeing a lot more of this. Now, let me say this. Up until now (I've always been scared of the dark), I've felt fairly secure as long as I'm under the covers with no extremities hanging out. The other night, I saw The Grudge. If you haven't seen it yet, I won't say anymore, but even this little security has been snatched from me. I even made the comment to my husband (who knew exactly what this did to me without asking), "Is nothing sacred?". And what's with all the creepy ghost kids in movies now? I don't know about you, but I'll take a disgruntled demon any day. And what about the nappy-headed girl in The Ring? I mean, come on! Did she really need to come out of the TV. I promise you, a week after seeing this movie, I was on pins and needles warily eyeing my TV set and praying. I know, stupid, but true.
Yet the greatest change, in my opinion, has been in the zombie movies. To run is no longer plausible. Zombies can think and figure stuff out now. They can wield weapons, do martial arts, and even whistle a tune (House of the Dead). They can run like track stars (House of the Dead, 28 Days Later). Dogs are now being turned (Resident Evil I & II). We can even now have zombie babies (Dawn of the Dead).
I'm sure there's more, but I think I've gotten my point across. So, at this point, with all my preconceived notions nightmarishly stripped away, I will still watch any scary movie I can find. With trembling body and sweaty hands, I will bravely face whatever rules there are still to be broken. My love for all things scary has not diminished. You can be pretty sure, though, that I'll not hide in my bed to watch my portable DVD player and think I'm safe. |
