Monday, December 17, 2012

Confessions of a Horror Fan

There are a lot of horror fans in the world, and all of us have our own ideas o f what the greatest horror movies are. I'm a bad, bad, horror fan, though, because there are quite a few movies on those lists that I've never even seen. I'm a little ashamed of myself, but this is my confession. These are the famous horror movies that I haven't seen.

1) Original Texas Chainsaw Massacre

This is the one I'm actually most ashamed of. I'm a huge fan of slasher movies--I mean huge. I love Friday the 13th, I've seen all the Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween movies; not to mention all the smaller or lesser known slasher movies. This is one of the biggest horror movies there is, and Leatherface is one of the huge horror icons. I watched the remake when it first came out, and I thought it was just okay. I've seen bits and pieces of the originals, and I can honestly tell that I'd love them.

Why I haven't seen it: It just didn't happen. It's not because I never wanted to--trust me. But it will change, I guarantee it.

2) The Shining

Don't be mistaken, I know all about the movie. I know the Overlook Hotel, I know Jack, Wendy and Danny Torrence, and I know all about Tony the talking Finger. I even know about the man who explained exactly what "the shining" was. I've seen half of the movie, but I could never make it all the way to the end. I simply don't like it.

Why I haven't seen it: The Shining is one of my all-time favorite books, and the movie doesn't do it justice at all. The book was truly frightening, but the movie only bored me to sleep (literally) so that I could never finish it. Maybe one day I'll see the rest of it and change my opinion. But I doubt it. There's only one man who can tell this story well, and that man is Stephen King.

3) Silence of the Lambs

I'm not really sure about this one, either. I know about Hannibal Lector, I've seen the mask everywhere, and I know all about Ed Gein, the man on which he was based. I've been told by several people that I absolutely have to see this movie, and I agree. It just never happened. 

Why I haven't seen it: Beats me. I know Anthony Hopkins was creepy as hell, though, so I need to jump on the bandwagon pronto.

4) The Exorcist

This is another instance of seeing bits and pieces of a movie, but never finishing it. Many people consider this the scariest movie ever made, but I do not agree. Maybe if I had watched it (or tried to) when I was a kid? I also read the book the movie was based on, and I didn't care much for it. 

Why I haven't seen it: I'm not a fan (usually) of demonic possession movies. I'm not a religious person, so that kind of thing just doesn't phase (or entertain, or scare) me. I do know that Linda Blair was one creepy little girl, so maybe this is one of those times where the movie is actually better than the book. I don't know, but I definitely need to see this one.

5) The Wolfman


I am talking, of course, of the 1941 movie starring Lon Chaney, Jr. See, I'm not completely oblivious. I know of it, and I do consider The Wolf Man one of the "big three" of classic horror--even though I've never seen it. 

Why I haven't seen it: I didn't get into those old movies until I was about fifteen. Up until then, it was all about Jason and the like. I didn't think I'd like all that old stuff. I was wrong, of course. But there are still a lot of those old movies that I've yet to see, and The Wolfman is sadly one of them.

6) Dawn of the Dead

I know, I know! I call myself a zombie fan, right? Well, I do love zombies, and this is one of the grandaddies of zombie movies (the other being Night of the Living Dead, which I HAVE seen, thank you). There's really no excuse for me not seeing this movie, especially as a zombie lover. To be fair, I haven't seen any of the other sequels/remakes, so it's not all that bad. Right? Right?

Why I haven't seen it: I have no clue. Must see it pronto! 

So those are the big horror movies that I haven't seen. Now not only do outsiders think I'm weird, but those in the horror community probably do as well. There are plenty of others that I haven't seen, but these are the biggest and most shameful. I'll see them all eventually, so don't worry fellow horror fans. I won't be in the dark forever.

1 comment:

  1. I certainly don't think you're weird!! Watch what you enjoy, not what are considered must watch movies!! I completely agree about the shining , its the most overhyped boring piece of film I have ever had to sit through!

    ReplyDelete