Hooked on horror

I realized I forgot to post my column from two weeks ago. Here it is...

EMC Editorial - A great man recently tweeted that sometimes all we need is a good scary movie.

I don't know about you, but I love being scared -assuming, that is, that there is no actual danger involved. And it seems there's no better time for vicarious adrenaline thumping than the month of October. To be honest, it's really the only part of the whole Halloween festive season I can get behind.

For years, I've been something of a Halloween scrooge - largely as a result of my dog dying unexpectedly on the night of Oct. 31 when I was 15, and a subsequent string of unpleasant experiences at various parties and ghastly gatherings throughout high school and university.

Put on a truly scary movie, though, and I'm hooked. The only problem is, there aren't that many of them out there. My best friend and I went through a phase as teenagers where we rented pretty much every movie imaginable that was supposed to be scary with discouraging results.

My problem is that while I do appreciate the ironic beauty of a good slasher movie, spewing blood and guts just don't do it for me in the scare department. There has to be something more psychological or paranormal at stake before it really has an effect on me.

For years, the only movie that scared me was The Shining. I saw it for the first time at about 17, and certain images - those two creepy girls, room 237, and the random furries in the bedroom to name a few - stayed with me for a long time. Finally, I bought the DVD, and now I've seen The Shining so many times that all I can really do anymore is appreciate it for the brilliant film it is.

I'm almost embarrassed to admit it because of what a campfest this movie is in actuality, but Signs also scared me the first few times I saw it. Seriously - it's downright terrifying when they're standing in the boarded-up house, waiting for the aliens to find their way in.

More recently, watching Paranormal Activity has kept me up at night on more than one occasion. It was one of those movies that I laughed off at first, but later when I was lying in bed my mind turned to invisible demons whenever the house made even the faintest creak.

It seems finding a genuinely scary movie has become a rare and wonderful treat. Happily, though, October thrills have recently begun to manifest in non-cinematic forms too. Most notably, Fort Fright. I went for the first time two years ago not really expecting much, and ended up feeling more terrified than I've been in years.

I was already pretty impressed with the whole thing, but then on the way out one of the undead British guards latched onto my arm and escorted me all the way to the car, whispering the whole time for me to come back and stay with him. As we drove away, he literally ran after the car - all the way to the bottom of the hill. The friends I was with thought it was hilarious, but I have to admit I was more than a little creeped out on a number of levels.

Then last year there were the clowns. Nothing is scarier than clowns. Period. Especially when they jump out at you from behind a Shining-style hedge maze.

This year, I hear the theme is snakes and crawly things, and personally, I can't wait. I guess when it comes right down to it, it doesn't really matter if the scares are in 2D or 3D - just so long as I know I've paid for them.

hpratt-campbell@theheritageemc.ca