movies and movies

Horror movies and horror movies.

There aren't too many movies that can scare me. I have no serious objection to being creeped out; in fact, I welcome it. Well, I do raise rather strenuous objection to copious amounts of ketchup on the screen and lousy visual effects, but that is it. I will be happy if people make really scary movies. So let me talk about some that scared me. The Exorcist didn't quite get there. Maybe it was because I saw it with a bunch of friends, and the effect of horror is much, much diminished with company.

Horror old style, as exemplified by Hitchcock has an appeal which transcends improvements in technology. This is not a characteristic of too many western movies. But something like Birds has an touch to it which remains to this day.

Inspiration from the east: my personal introduction to eastern horror movies started with the Ringu. Now this is scary! There have been endless debate by experts whether the remake (Ring) is a greater movie or is Ringu. For my money, I would say that the original Jap version has more scare value. But maybe that is because I saw it first and when I finally got to see th remake, the conclusion was pretty obvious. But even accounting for that, here is some perspective. There is a certain quality in easterm movies, which is perhaps inextricably linked to eastern culture and the way people think. The persistent fatalism which is seen in so many Indian movies (although scarcely in the context of horror) is something that the west has not understood. The west has reigned by the strength afforded by science. The ability to bend nature to the will of man is fundamental in all that the west has accomplished. Thus, perhaps the very nature of submitting to forces far far greater to be fought, perhaps even comprehended is not something that goes across very easily. To be specific; Ringu offers the perspective of being steadily and inexorably drawn to something terrible, but completely inescapable. The Ring merely tries to do so. Fails.