Either I’m getting stupider or movies are getting more complicated. It could be both.

in BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN

I am a giant fan of psychological terror, which is weird because  you’d think someone with anxiety disorder wouldn’t be able to watch it.  I actually really enjoy it, although I absolutely cannot watch dramas because they freak my shit out.  I suspect it’s because I know that zombies and ghosts and demonic chainsaws aren’t something I’m necessarily going to have to worry about in real life so it lets me purge some of that nervous energy in a way that I can separate from my real worries.  Put something on tv about kidnapping or guns or cops or terrible things that might actually happen in real life and I run for the Xanax.  I even had a massive unexpected trigger from the second season of Sherlock, which was so bad I can’t bring myself to watch the latest season even though I adore that damn show.  It makes no sense, but it is what it is and I adore a good horror flick that makes me think.  Or even a bad horror flick that makes me think.

Last week I watched WE ARE WHAT WE ARE and I was so confused at the end I had to go on Facebook to find someone to talk through the symbolism with me.  Turns out, no one really had a full understanding but it was fascinating to see all the different perspectives, including one I hadn’t even considered but which I now think might be entirely right.  You can go here to read the thread if you’ve seen the movie.

A lot of people said that they too were the only ones in their house who would watch horror and many suggested we start a horror discussion group where we all watch a movie (preferably on Netflix since most of us have it) at the same time and then discuss it.  I thought that was a very good idea for people who were more organized than me, but then this weekend I watched Devil’s Pass and ended up all over the internet looking for more information and then today I took a break from writing to watch what I thought was going to be a simple zombie movie but ended with me having to research quantum theory (Thanks, Pontypool).  In all three situations I ended with one simple question…”BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?”

Also, I don’t have a ton of time to devote to watching horror so I’d love it if people who liked the same kind of horror as I do could give me recommendations because it sucks to waste the two hours a week you might have alone on a shitty movie.  This is why I think this needs to happen.  We need to have a “BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?” club.  Supernatural horror, twist endings, scary movies you have to watch twice to get all the meanings, cannibal movies that I’m probably reading too much into, foreign horror that you don’t quite understand, remade horror that never should have been remade, and classics that withstood time or should that be burned immediately.

Come play with us.
Come play with us.

I totally want to do this.  But I’m also really busy with my book so I need to find a good way of doing it.  We could do it on  twitter and live-tweet while we watch, but that really puts a lot of spoilers out there.  We could do it here and people could comment if it isn’t too massive (which it probably wouldn’t be since it’s a really specific genre lots of people hate).  Or we could do it on my Facebook page and that way you can vote up good comments.  Or I could just shut up and watch this shit myself and remember that IT’S JUST A DAMN MOVIE AND DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN ANYTHING (as Victor so often reminds me).  Thoughts?  Suggestions for good horror that leaves you thinking about it for days afterward?

(UPDATED: March 4th ~ WE ARE NOT ALONE.  A few hundred people are in, so I think this needs to happen.  But I don’t know how at the moment because I’m working under deadline so I’ll get my shit finished and then figure out the best way to do it.  I love you people.  Never change.)

376 thoughts on “Either I’m getting stupider or movies are getting more complicated. It could be both.”

Read comments below or add one.

  1. “Psychological terror,” you say? PLEASE tell me you’ve watched “True Detective.” If not, RUN, don’t walk, to the closest HBO-equipped viewing device and binge-watch it immediately.

    (I didn’t because I thought it was a detective/cop kind of thing and I can’t watch crime shows that I think might actually come true. Is it supernatural-ish? Because if it is I might try it. ~ Jenny)

  2. First of all…yes, you are getting stupider. That’s because you’re getting older. I am as old as dirt (almost 48!) and I am almost as dumb as a post.
    That’s all I got. I don’t do horror. It makes me want to vomit. Sooooooo, yeah, I guess I’m not help at all.

  3. Wikipedia is really a godsend – whenever my husband starts watching some creepy horror movie behind me while I’m surfing the internet, I can look up how it ends and not be bothered by the scary noises.

    (And yes, my 5-year-old has a higher tolerance for horror than I do.)

  4. I know EXACTLY what you mean. That’s why I was happy when my crazysauce fixated on zombies and have never tried to break it. It’s easier to distinguish the crazysauce-worry from legitimate-worry and…stuff.

  5. I can watch dramas all damn day. Put me in front of a scary movie and I won’t sleep for weeks.

  6. Ahhh the Shining. I love it. One of my favorites. I too am the lone horror wolf in my pack which means I have to watch them all by myself. Which sucks. Because I get scared…

    Anywho, I’m all for this club. I’m in! I think the last horror movie I watched was Cabin in the Woods. I think that was the name of it. It was hilariously frightening and made me wonder if I would be able to do what needed to be done in the end (I don’t want to spoil it for you)…

    (LOVE that movie. ~ Jenny)

  7. Remember that time you talked about shaving messages onto cats and sending them out into the world (or something)? I think this is a golden opportunity to bring that back.

  8. I can’t watch horror because … it scares the bejeebus out of me – so, have fun. But if you build a Facebook event for these things, it’s all contained quite nicely!

  9. I loved all the Saw movies. Everyone says something is wrong with me. I make no excuses, I enjoyed them. I still think about that fish hook part all the time and how much that would suck.

    (I never saw (pun intended) it because I assumed it was slasher and by the time I heard it wasn’t just gore I’d already missed too many and never caught up. ~ Jenny)

  10. I can’t watch any movies about viral outbreaks. Those freak me right out for some reason.

    Tell Victor that he’s wrong, I’ve spent too much time with film industry folk and everything means something. EVERYTHING,

    I might actually watch a little horror if there was a discussion group because it is the not understanding that ends up scaring me the most.

  11. There’s a wonderful Korean movie called A Tale of Two Sisters that I actually watched twice in one weekend because I just couldn’t figure it out. I LOVE LOVE LOVE horror movies and I would be totally in for this thing.

    (SO GOOD. They did and American version that wasn’t as good. ~ Jenny)

  12. OMG if y’all do a True Detective one, I’m in because I’m going to need someone to explain some of it to me and I’m even FROM DA BAYOU! But yeah.. so many questions. Bring charts. And graphs. And wine.

  13. I hate most horror movies because I am constantly going “so wait, if the witch/ghost can kill the family dog, why does she have to possess the mother to kill the children. Children and dogs are BASICALLY the same thing in terms of slaughtering them”. But this sounds fun. I’d be in it.

  14. Audition, directed by Takashi Miike, is phenomenal and continues to be one of my favorite Japanese horror films. It is incredibly disturbing.

    Session 9 legitimately scared me.

    Cabin in the Woods was surprisingly good and I did not see that plot twist coming.

    Let Me In was on my list for a bit before I got around to watching it and I wish I’d watched it sooner. It sucks you in before you even notice that you’re completely rapt.

    (All of those. Yes. But the original Swedish version of Let Me in (called Let the Right One In) was so much better in my opinion. ~ Jenny)

  15. I’m down. Just tell me where/when.

    My friends and I have a private Facebook group so we can live chat The Walking Dead during the episodes. (At least while there are new episodes.) That allows us to chat, yell at each other when a character takes a bite out of someone else’s neck, all while not putting spoilers all over our Facebook pages to ruin it for our friends who watch it later on DVR. Sometimes we get into really deep discussions. Sometimes we just manage little more than WTF?!? It depends on the episode and how much wine we drink while we watch. Your chat group will have wine, right?

  16. Livejournal so we can use spoiler tags? I miss livejournal.
    I d o this all the time! I have a magnet that proclaims “I read literary criticism for fun” but I also read film crit for fun.
    After I watched cabin in the woods I spent hours looking up all the mythology, film mythology and theories and loved every minute of it. Except the hours I spent awake thinking about it Instead of sleeping…

  17. This is easily one of the best ideas I’ve ever read on the internet. The whole internet. I read it all. This is up there.

  18. Whatever you do, do NOT watch Twixt. Weird Francis Ford Coppola, fat Val Kilmer, scary Bruce Dern and vampires do NOT equal a good movie.

  19. True Detective, right? It helps if you’ve read any Lovecraft. But even if you haven’t, it might change the way you see the actors. Yeah, I can’t spell his name and I’m too lazy to look it up, so you see what I did there.

    (I adore Lovecraft. Dammit. Now I need to watch this show. ~ Jenny)

  20. My husband refuses to watch anything related to horror. I spent my entire maternity leave binge watching all the horror, because baby slept through it and hubby and toddler weren’t home. But I need others to discuss these things with, so this group thing must happen. I like Facebook for the upvoting and such.

    On my leave, I watched The Walking Dead, American Horror Story and Doctor Who (which isn’t horror but I needed to catch up). Now I’m watching Breaking Bad, but it makes me too anxious and I don’t think I like it. I share your aversion to realistic situations. But ghosts and zombies…GAME ON!

    (Love all of those, except Breaking Bad, which made me too anxious. Which sucked because I liked it. ~ Jenny)

  21. I enjoy the occassional horror movie, but it makes hubby jumpy so I only get one in a while. Agree that it sucks when you don’t understand a key concept (pause and look it up on your phone – but then that interrupts the flow!).

    I think a forum-type website that lets you comment on movies, what it means, etc., would be amazing. I’m sure there’s some awesome Bloggess-fan out there would love to help!!

  22. Beyond the Black Rainbow, Rosemary’s Baby, Black Swan, Silence of the Lambs, The Cell, Vanilla Sky, Mulholland Dr. (although less of a terror film and more a surreal kind of disturbing)…

  24. I watched Pontypool a few weeks ago! Very interesting movie and not what I was expecting!! But, those are really some of the best kinds of movies.

  25. The Descent was one of the weirdest, most effed up, what does it mean movies I have ever watched. To this day, I’m still not sure what happened at the end…

  26. Dramas freak me out, too. I have a teen son, so I immediately start worrying if he will be shot in a drive-by, or killed by a jealous lover. Zombies don’t scare me one bit. I prefer Ativan.

  27. I love psychological horror movies! Don’t really like the bloody ones, like Saw. Exception: zombies. Ever see Suspiria? And I think The Prestige was underrated. Part of the movie was obvious but the more I think about the ending the more I think it’s the sickest movie ever made.

  29. The Ceremony was amazing. Like, it doesn’t have the greatest production value, but the action is entirely carried by one actor, and three years later I still have moments where I stop and think “Holy crap, that was crazy-good.”

  32. You should really probably suck it up and watch Sherlock. On that note, there is a series called “the Following” which totally freaked me out and left me worrying that there may be people from a sociopathic cult out there just wandering around ready to off me. Added bonus, it has Kevin Bacon.

  33. I love horror movies; it’s hard to find good ones today. One that sticks in my memory, though, is Poltergeist 3. Something about those mirrors. Demon-like beings, watching us in a reflected universe like our own,…I don’t know what exactly did it, but those mirror scenes were burned into my memory all these years later.

  34. Thinking..thinking..Maybe facebook would work best as you can have a separate page off of your main page to moderate and then the only visitors would be the horror freaks (ahem) fans so spoilers would be ok? Then you just need to clone yourself to manage that whole other page. That should not be a problem as by now you have 1. watched a horror movie that involves cloning and 2. had to research cloning and what it means to better understand it. I LOVE that you bring such a sense of thoroughness to your preferred entertainment.
    ps – if you haven’t already read The Shining follow-up Dr. Sleep do it – nice and creepy

  36. I’m such a chicken! I have to carefully filter my Stephen King reading for fear of nightmares. I can only handle horror if there are zombies. Are there going to be zombies?

  37. I love the idea of a place to talk about the confusing ass movies like the ones you listed. I watched Pontypool last year and fell don’t an Internet rabit hole looking for into it then gave up because I had a paper I should have been working on in the first place. The other movies you listed are ones I want to see except I have papers I should be working on. I am down to do talk about weird movies. I tend to put papers and reading assignments off for movies. It’s a bad habit but as I am a semester away from my degree I don’t see my self breaking it.

  38. Tips for watching a show that might freak you out, because I also have anxiety and love horror (actually I like the stuff you hate and don’t like the stuff you like) and sometimes get triggered by it: first, google the show title and “synopsis spoilers” and read about it (always less nerve-wracking to read it than see it.) Second, watch it on your computer on the teeniest tiniest window you can manage and turn the sound way down and put the closed-captions on. Third, watch it from the safety of your husband’s armpit. I get more use out of my husband’s armpit than he does – I’ve been using it ever since he took me to Jurassic Park on our first date and just never left. I’m kind of like a parasite that way…

  39. As someone who deals with major PTSD and anxiety issues I totally feel you on “normal” dramas and sometimes even comedies freak me out but Horrors and Thrillers are AWESOME. Yes. Also dude, I am 100% with you on the We Are What We Are shit. WTF is that about man? My husband was away recently and I totally binged on all the Netflix thrillers I could find. I can’t even find the words for how bad some of them are. I’m totally in this club. Let’s do this.

    (Did you watch Hemlock Grove? It’s so terrible I can’t stop watching it. Like, even describing it is embarrassing. ~ Jenny)

  40. I would almost tolerate a horror movie just to do this with you… almost.

  41. Don’t Look Now, with Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie, directed by Nicolas Roeg. Scared the daylights out of me so badly that I still remember and ponder it, 40-some years later. (And that makes me OLDER than dirt!) I actually experienced a couple of early morning sleep paralysis episodes afterward, in which a small creature dressed in a red hooded cloak stood menacingly beside my bed.

  42. When I want to watch soccer with people all over the world, I use “Cover It live.” Haven’t done this in awhile, so I’m not sure if it’s still free. You can use moderators to weed out the commenters who are just out to screw things up.

  43. Wow, that reminds me, I bought the older version of The Shinning last summer, and I have yet to watch it. I know what I am doing tonight in my 200 year old creaky farmhouse while my wife is away!

  44. True Detective is not supernaturalist. It’s just freaking creepy. Nothing supernatural remotely about it. Most serial killers have some sort of delusion involving mythology, look at Zodiac or the Son of Sam, but there’s nothing ACTUALLY supernatural going on.

  45. Thanks for posting the thread. I watched “We Are What We Are” alone last week. No ne else i know has seen it, so i’ve been dying to delve into it. I also have anxiety, along with TERRIBLE nightmares yet somehow i just cannot get enough of horror movies.

  46. The Others! I loved that movie. My anxiety is much like yours-I can’t even watch the news-but movies like that, or The Ring-those I can handle 🙂

  47. Count me in and my husband too! We always buy a stack of horror dvds just for Halloween. Our collection has grown so much that we now have a whole drawer just devoted to horror movies.
    Have you watched any American Horror Story, I particularly liked the first season?
    There are only 4 horror movies which made me uncomfortable after watching them and they were: Blair Witch Project, Wolf Creek, Mum and Dad and Sinister. Out of those I’d say that mum and dad has still stayed with me. It’s just so creepy and I don’t like the fact that it could possibly happen…

    I’ve also become addicted to True Detective, it’s fantastic!

    (Love American Horror Story, but only the first season was really scary. The others were more eerie, interesting. ~ Jenny)

  48. I’m in. I’m the only one in my house who likes horror movies, so I haven’t seen one in a REALLY long time. Like say “Pumpkinhead” from the late 80s-early 90s long time…

  49. Jenny – PLEASE do not watch True Detective if you can’t watch crime shows that may come true. The show is NOT supernatural in any way. (The writer has actually said so.) It is a crime show, period. Granted, the characters are very introspective and talk about all sorts of crazy things (like m-brane theory, etc.) But, in the end, it’s just a show about childen/women being traumatized and murdered. Trust me.

  50. Oh man – do I love a good scary movie. I’m not a huge Texas Chainsaw Massacre-type fan, but I’ll watch pretty much all of it. I’m especially fond of Sci-fi thrillers like Alien, Aliens, Predator, Event Horizon, Sphere, etc. I also loved Below, Identity (one of my all-time favs), and the entire Final Destination franchise. I work away from home full time, so a real time event probably won’t work for me, but I’d love to be involved somehow!

    PS – my sister has a big-time anxiety issue, but loves all the “real crime” shows like The First 48, etc. And horror movies. But she can’t go to the post office to get the mail. Or call to have pizza delivered. Everyone’s different.

    Keep us posted on what you decide!

  51. I don’t know how to say this other than the movies that bother me the most are the ones that disturb me. Trainspotting for instance. But the one that disturbed me more than any other movie EVER (and I watch a lot of movies) was Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, The Thief, The Liar and her Lover.

    You will be asking questions for a long time. And will have nightmares.

  52. I think movies are made more interesting because of the different ways people interpret the meanings. This reminds me of all the conversations I had with my parents after watching The X-Files together. I’d always ask them what they thought it meant, or what it meant to them. Cuz in the end, that’s all that matters, right?

  53. Totally on board for this! What about a separate Facebook group? That way there could be polls to see what movies the group would watch next and events for everyone to watch together?

  56. Love it! I also love horror movies of all kinds and people think it’s weird that I love them when I have an anxiety disorder. The scariest movie I’ve seen in awhile was Sinister (with Ethan Hawke). SO good. I would totally be up for this kind of a club, though!

  57. I’m also in the solo horror club. Anything that messes with your mind and makes you lock all the doors, windows, and hide your soul deep in the covers. I love a good horror/thriller mind-warp.

    So, about this club. Is it going to be like a book club? I hear they have snacks at book clubs. I like snacks.

  58. Cabin in the Woods and You’re Next are both must sees. Great horror, great sense of humor, and both have fun twists. I think Cabin in the Woods is on Netflix but I’m not sure about You’re Next. They’re both movies where the less you know about them, the better. Just dive in.

  59. I also prefer shit that can’t really happen. I LOVE Supernatural. But mostly because I love Sam and Dean.

    Hmmmmm….Sam and Dean.

  60. I don’t really like horror movies. I sit there going “Yeah, as if” the whole time. The last horror movie I liked was Shawn Of The Dead so I wouldn’t be any help. 🙂

    (You do have to have a very, very willing suspension of disbelief. Shawn of the Dead was amazing though. One of my favorite movies of all time. ~ Jenny)

  61. I love bad horror movies. I agree – people say “OMG BUT YOU HAVE ANXIETY” and I’m like “These are blueprints, motherfucker, I’m going to watch with an eye to How I Would Survive.”

    NEVER watch ATM. It is a weird movie that will terrify you and make you make Victor get all your money from here on out. Do watch April Fool’s Day, which is an excellent old B movie full of crazy and stupid.

  62. You NEED to watch this season of Sherlock. IT’S SO GOOD. Go. Do it now.

  63. Martyrs. French horror film has been described as torture porn, so it’s got that going for it. This has been the ONLY film that has gotten my attention and I LOVE IT.

  64. Please watch ‘Big Bad Wolves’. An amazing Israeli thriller / horror from the guys that gave us ‘Rabies’ (for want of a better phrase). If you haven’t seen Rabies, check that out also. These guys are true talents. I’d love to hear your thoughts on both of these movies.

    Also…Martyrs…

  65. As a fellow GAD sufferer, when my unoccupied days see me at home, I find myself rooting through the TV shows on my hard drive that can run from one season to the other and take my mind off the dread inside. I love anything off-the-wall with very little chance of it happening in real life or anything that echoes my own. I know it’s not in the psychological terror variety, but the UK show Gavin & Stacey is so feelgood and quirky it makes me cry tears of cathartic joy. It’s Prozac for the soul. The writing is so goddam good in it I can’t handle the jealousy I feel towards the genius writers 🙂 Well worth investing in to soothe the soul!

  66. I love, love, love horror movies. Most people I know don’t. I feel so alone….

  67. I am a HUGE fan of what my husband calls “B Horror Movies” and I have Netflix. This past weekend I also watched We are who we are but haven’t finished it yet. I also watched Contracted which I totally suggest to you and I liked Forget me not and Tall Man. Tall Man wasn’t so much a scary movie as it was more of a wth is going on movie but I liked it. Come to think of it, it might send you the Xanax but if you make it to the end, you will be all well I didn’t see that coming. Oh, and I am SO on board for this!!!!

  68. I’m down. I vote facebook. I have been on a run of finding disturbing movies, and always end up at IMDB after. I recommend The Loved Ones if you haven’t gone there yet, psychological and gore, but not nearly as gorey as I expected. I’d love to discuss that and The Martyrs. I have more thoughts, but breakfast is here!

  69. Yes please! I’m the only scary movie watcher in my family and need to discuss!

  70. Have you seen the movie version of Monkey’s paw yet? please tell me you have!

  71. I ADORE supernatural horror movies (and hate slasher/cannibal horror). Loved Devil’s Pass! Also: Katee Sackoff was fabulous in A Haunting in Connecticut 2 (even though it’s set in Georgia and has nothing to do with A Haunting in Connecticut OR any other state, which I thought was totally fucked up).

    Also, in a non-horror but super cool (an NOT predictable) category: have you seen Now You See Me? It’s the magic movie where the 4 magicians rob a bank? Fantastic!!

  73. I need Xanax for horror and drama. I stick to comedy and action. I am a sucker for a half naked man blowing shit up. Bruce Willis is hot in a wife beater covered in his own blood barefoot. I’m serious when I say this. I don’t get scared during horror movies, but the “what happens next” mixed with the dramatic irony where I can hear the music knowing the main character can’t part gives me anxiety cooties. Like even Shaun of the Dead had me biting nails grabbing a stuffed animal to hug.

  74. that is a wonderful idea!! I love it, so many great ways to enjoy. I don’t have netflicks though but I have amazon prime, I would love to do this, facebook, twitter, here. . I’ll zombie-shuffle after you anywhere

  75. But I might have a horror thriller book in progress if the voices in my head will let me write it. So far, I’ve got them to go as far as, “Go ahead and write it and then we’ll see if you should publish it.” It’s a romance.

  76. Watched “We Are What We Are” after you mentioned it. I too love the psychological thriller – books and movies. I’m still pondering the ending. Why? Burn the thing, don’t take it with you!! Leave that stuff behind!! Have you seen Donnie Darko? Always leaves me with questions – even after watching it multiple times.

  77. Stuff about horror can be very enlightening. I watched a documentary on Netflix about Amityville Horror…the true story. LOL. In there a doctor mentioned how you can commonly confuse being terrorized by an entity in your sleep (Being held down to the bed), with Sleep Paralysis! I’ve experienced Sleep Paralysis and also have anxiety disorder and I was starting to be convinced I had a haunting because that shit freaks me out. Now…I don’t feel so bad. Instead of being haunted I have issues breathing in my sleep (See Wikipedia). LOL.

  78. I had to delurk to say that the gif really threw me for a loop. I thought it was my eyes playing tricks on me.
    Also the only thrillers I enjoy are the ones that make me think. I’m down if commentary is on Facebook.

  79. Oh shit no to horror (for me.) Can’t do it. Nope.

    I’m looking for discussion on something else – just finished Camus’ The Fall. What a masterpiece.

    (I haven’t read it, but The Stranger is one of my favorite books. It’s weird, but I find it really relaxing. I think that makes me a sociopath. ~ Jenny)

  81. Sorry for the double comment – just had a bit of a think…

    A Horrible Way To Die – really worth sticking with – a fantastic little atmospheric indie film. Mumblecore meets horror. Mumblegore.
    Cheap Thrills – a real ‘what would I do in this situation?’ type of movie – really stays with you.
    You’re Next – a new spin on the ol’ ‘home invasion’ genre
    No One Lives – a new spin on the ol’ ‘slasher’ genre
    Sleep Tight – Spanish – almost ‘Hitchcockian’ thriller from one of the guys behind the (REC) series
    Maniac (2011 remake) – it’s most like ‘Drive’ as a slasher film.
    Eden Lake – nasty little British equivalent of ‘Deliverance’ – the director went on to make The Woman In Black
    The Loved Ones – awesome Aussie horror

    Yeah, I’ll shut up now.

  82. I love this idea! Horror is one of my favorite genres. Here are some of my recs (even though I bet you’ve seen most of these already): Insidious, Mama, Grave Encounters, Devil’s Due, V/H/S, The Cabin in the Woods, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Daybreakers, Trick ‘r Treat, Drag Me To Hell, The Skeleton Key, Jeepers Creepers, Carrie (the original and the remake which was actually really good!).

  83. Do you watch Supernatural? My 14 yo daughter is working her way through what’s on Netflix, and I watch with her when I can. I would think it would freak her out, but it doesn’t.

  84. I loved Dead Snow and Battle Royale, neither are in English but the subtitles are pretty good!

  87. I’m glad I’m not the only one who can’t watch anything that can happen for real! Thrillers and horrors are the best medicine. I now find myself laughing (I think I need a shrink) at certain parts of The Exorcist – a film that traumatized me as a child. Now that I’m desensitized, I can watch almost any horror. While I prefer the classics, I have a few suggestions. I don’t know if they’re on Netflix or not. I’m sure you may be able to find them elsewhere.
    First, Steven Spielberg’s directorial debut ‘Duel’ will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time. It’s basically about this dude driving home from work, through the mountains, while a psycho truck driver…. wait a minute. Bad idea. That can happen in real life. NEXT. The only other thing that immediately comes to mind is Stephen King’s ‘Dreamcatcher’. This is one of those gross films that make you go WTF at least every 10 minutes. And finally, something you may have already seen, Shaun of the Dead. It’s British, full of zombies, and a hint of comedy. But because it is British, I kept saying WTF through most of it, while laughing until my eyeballs hurt.
    Whatever you do, DON’T watch 2012 or The Fourth Kind. The latter will have you self medicating within a few minutes.
    Happy viewing – whatever you decide to watch.
    PS: You should totally start a FB page dedicated to your horror addiction.

  88. I totally get where you’re coming from with the anxiety and things you can watch. Horror is not a big deal for me but certain types of drama I can’t watch. I had to quit watching both Dexter and 24 because they were too intense and made me stress out. And don’t even get me started on awkward comedies, like Meet the Parents or the UK version of The Office.

    I’m not really up to date on horror movies but anything supernatural tv is good, like … well…. Supernatural. Buffy TVS. Or… uh… guess I’m not up to date on supernatural tv, either. I’ll just shut up and enjoy other people’s input. 🙂

  89. The first time I saw the remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers I was so freaked out I had to call my parents (I was in Utah and they lived 2 1/2 hours from San Francisco) to see if they’d been snatched. Although, if they HAD been snatched how would I know??? They could totally fake real-human on the phone… But I suppose that flick would be considered sci-fi and not necessarily horror…although the close-up of Donald Sutherland’s nostril while the pod thing grew next to him and put out those tendrils while huffing and puffing was pretty damned horrific. I was much more impacted by horror when I was younger – I watched Poltergeist, while living alone in the Bay Area, and couldn’t sleep for weeks. But as I get older that stuff doesn’t scare me so much. Things like not being able to live on the paltry amount I’ve saved for retirement is a LOT more scary…. Just sayin’…

  90. That is so strange that you LIKE psychological terror! I’m so unnerved by psychological terror that I can barely even watch Caillou!

  92. I’m soooooo in! I have a pretty gnarly panic disorder and the news will having me popping Xanax like tic tacs, but gimme a good horror movie and I’m happy as a clam (not that I really know whether or not clams are actually happy…..I mean, they smile a lot but it could be catatonia). Let’s get this page rolling! Ima go now…got Audition ready to start. 🙂

  93. OH! And the Gemma Arterton vampire movie, Byzantium, that I just watched the other day. That’s definitely a “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” movie. Really good though.

  95. Yay! Love the idea, and nobody I know will watch horror with me. Orphan scared me so bad that after I saw it in theatre, I bought a copy on DVD and am too freaked out to watch it again. I am a Saw fan, too, which has mostly made my friends afraid of me. They don’t get me, but it is nice to feel like me and my horror-loving brain cells fit in somewhere 🙂

  96. I’ll second the recommendation for “Below” – a haunted ship is way scarier than a haunted building for some reason. “Ghost Ship” is another good example of this. Both of those movies also have great back-stories explaining why the supernatural shenanigans got started in the first place.

    Also, on Poltergeist 3, is it just me or…um, SPOILERS…is it just me, or did they totally just abandon Scott (the boyfriend) behind the mirrors at the end? They had everything they needed to save him, but it DIDN’T OCCUR TO ANYONE to maybe, you know, rescue him from eternal torment. Unless you’re the one who’s saving the day, NEVER be the boyfriend in a horror film – you won’t get a happy ending.

  97. I also forgot to say, I agree wholeheartedly with a previous commenter – nothing beats Korean or Japanese horror for proper psychological terror movies; anything Tartan Asia extreme, like Audition mentioned above. Fantastic stuff.

  98. I adore scary movies, slasher movies, ghost movies, any movie that has me either on the edge of my seat not breathing or watching between my fingers as I cover my eyes! The movies I hate are romance based! My new favorite , had to buy it, movie is World War Z. Suspense from 2 minutes in to it. I watch them in the dark, all alone on the nights when hubby is out of town…and I live out in the country surrounded by woods! My friends think I am crazy but having had Panic Disorder all of my 59 years ( I was born BEFORE there was dirt!) it’s nice to actually have a reason to be scared! Lorazepam is my drug of choice. I am so in if you do a FB page as I don’t know how to do anything else!

  99. I was really impressed with “The Woman In Black”. Really creeped me out, it was great to see Daniel Radcliffe in a non-Harry role, and it’s a great non-Hollywood plot progression. For general genre twisting on horror moments are “Shaun of the Dead”, “The Cabin in the Woods”, and “Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil”.

    And could you do the live-tweet-that-is-not-tweeting, could you use Reddit? Or did I just pull a massive tech faux pas?

    And just watch series three of Sherlock. Just make sure the Xanax is right beside you.

  100. Totally for the private Facebook group. I belong to a couple of them; They are nice because you can go on complete batshit crazy tangents and not freak out your mom. Have you seen “Dead Snow”? Zombie Nazis. ’nuff said.

  101. I know, it’s not a traditional ‘horror’ movie (although I think that it was supposed to be) but I will always have a place in my weird little heart for “Killer Klowns From Outer Space”. At ages 7 and 10, my brother and I were slightly traumatized. And I developed a slight fear of cotton candy. Which is a very cruel fear to develop at age 7.

  102. I, too, get incredibly anxious about everything. I am watching The Strangers right now to calm down. Psychological horror helps with my anxiety. I hate dramas and romantic comedies. They make me feel worse. Let’s make wine slush is and watch the hell out of the Netflix horror genre.

  103. Letterboxd is like social media for movie buffs. You could create an account there, curate a watch list, and exchange messages/move reviews with your followers. It’s like a virtual movie club.

  104. Facebook sounds like it might work. You could post the movie with a watch by date and then discuss…post questions and such…just a thought….have Netflix..will watch!

  105. I don’t have Netflix but if I can get it on iTunes I’m in. I’ve been watching horror since grade school. I’m the only one in my house who will watch it. My husband has nightmares a lot so I think he stays away from horror out of self preservation.

  106. In some ways Dear Jenny, I am envious. I can not watch, or read horror. it sends my brain down crazy paths best not explored. I am right with you on drama and crime stuff. That gives me all kinds of bad too. You know that movie. ‘My Girl’ with Dan Akroyd ? I still don’t know how it ends. Can’t bring myself to watch it again either.

  107. Dear Jenny: DO NOT WATCH TRUE DETECTIVE. I am watching right now and I have panic disorder that is well managed without meds. However the first three episodes have shown me a) nothing supernatural and b) a horrific crime(s) and horribly nihlistic worldview from one of the characters. I believe it would have triggers for you since you are triggered by ‘real world’ issues. I am triggered by supernatural, oddly because I feel I cannot control it. (shhhh, don’t tell me I can’t control real life, I need to learn it on my own). I can watch Silence of the Lambs with no issue but didn’t sleep for two weeks after watching The Shining.

    Anyway, I LOVE reading the threads on what it all means (scary movie plots don’t really scare me, just don’t like to be ‘in’ the moment with the movie). So I would vote for FB because that’s how I’ve read a few of the threads and it seemed to work well. I think it would be harder on here (the blog), but I would be down with that too.

  108. I can watch movies and tv shows about real life axe murderers and stuff, but show me a crazy axe murderer with a leather mask on his face and I am leaving the room. I enjoyed “Warm Bodies”, but that is as “horror” as I get. I tried “World War Z” with Mr. Pitt, but I had to take the head phones off and turn on the lights and ffwd through the stairwell zombie chase scene….and even then I had to wait until it was daylight outside to finish it.

  110. I would totally do this. Speaking of foreign horror that makes you question the meaning of everything, watch Martyrs. It’s one of the most fucked up things I’ve ever seen. I’n lucky that my husband was into horror back when I was only five years old and has introduced me to a wide range of crazy-ass movies I never would have seen otherwise.

  111. Not sure if anyone else has mentioned The Human Centipede. I love horror, but I ALMOST regretted watching that sick flick.

  112. I wanted to watch Oculus (because Amy Pond!) but scary movies based on things with mirrors scare the hell out of me. I already can’t walk past a mirror in the dark as it is.

  113. I watched We Are What We Are because of your facebook post, I thought the ending raised a lot of questions too. I love horror movies, but my husband won’t watch them with me because he says they’re all stupid. Maybe we could make a facebook group for suggestions and discussions?

  114. Long time reader, first time commentor. If you don’t mind subtitles, The Returned, is ABSOLUTELY psychologically terrifying! It’s a French tv show you can find on Netflix and it just got picked up for a second season. Enjoy! 🙂

  115. YES! I am in for whatever is happening here, wherever and whenever it is happening.

    If you’re open to mixing it up with TV shows occasionally, how about a Hannibal watchalong? I need to be held after every episode, but I can’t stop watching. I have had long discussions with anyone who will humor me in which we dissect the meaning of an artfully splayed limb or a stray leaf. And don’t get me started on that damn ravenstag. My mind is BOGGLED. True Detective sounds good too (especially now that someone mentioned Lovecraft in the same breath), but I can’t imagine it comes anywhere close to the beautifully surreal terror of Hannibal.

    (& I know H is not technically supernatural, but in Bryan Fuller’s hands, he is like some sort of demon prince making the best of being cast out of hell. he FEELS supernatural)

  116. I love this idea! But I don’t Twitter, so I vote the other options. Maybe we should start a facebook group or page for this specifically? Or I am good with discussing on yours as well. I haven’t watched a lot of good horror lately, but my all time favorite thrillers will always be Vertigo and Memento.

  117. Just finished reading comments and have to agree, LOVE Slither and Killer Lowns from Outer Space! I can’t wait for this group to start up!!

  119. First of all, let me recommend Isolation – an Irish horror movie about cows. I know, sounds silly and we started watching it for a laugh but then…shudder A FB club to discuss horror movies sounds awesome, and I completely understand the anxiety and being able to watch horror. I have had anxiety attack issues in the past but love love LOVE horror movies for the exact same reason. I know it’s not real, it’s a safe freakout. REAL life is pretty scary shit, though.

  120. How did that happen? 2 seconds ago this page told me there are 0 comments yet. Am I insane or did I just discover a time rift through my browser?

  121. I’m in. All in. Like a book club, but with movies.
    Also, I think I will start a book club…….
    OH!! You can do it in a Facebook group page!!

  122. I can watch about anything as long as animals don’t suffer, but I love a good suspenseful horror or thriller. One of my favorites is Parents, with Dennis Quaid, problem is you would have to buy it as it is not found anywhere. I have tried! If you like to read suspense novels the Dean Koontz is also a good one although his monsters are usually lame at the end, except in this one Phantom, the book is a page turner, the movie crappola. Angel Heart is also a favorite. Then you have all the old school stuff liek Twilight Zone the movie from the 80’s I believe.

  123. I”M IN! I think that a FB group or event is a great idea. Especially an event because then people can plan for it(across all time zones) and then we’d be able to focus on whichever movie or show that event is for. Makes it easier to pick and choose for those who can’t do the gorier stuff.

    If you liked the Descent, check out Dog Soldiers. It’s as much action horror as psychological mystery horror and features a young and still extremely hot Kevin McKidd. I’ll have more suggestions later when I’m not at work.

  124. Watch The Changeling!!! (old George C. Scott movie, not dumb Angelina Jolie movie)

  125. I really liked The Awakening – which I just watched on Netflix. The Orphanage also comes to mind. I saw it years ago and I still cannot stop thinking about it.

  127. I’m like you and can’t watch any scary movie that has potential real undertones (Seven and Copycat freaked my shit out!), but the unreal ones (zombies, monsters, etc) don’t scare me a bit. I also don’t find them interesting movies, so you take out the fear factor of them and to me it’s just a boring movie. So I just stay away from thriller movies all together. I DO enjoy fantasy stories, such as Dr. Who, Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc.

  128. I am a horror aficionado as well and I am SO down for this. May I suggest “Session 8” which is major psychological horror and features a non-scenery chewing David Caruso. I KNOW, RIGHT????

  130. Last movie I went to the internet to try and figure out just what it all means was “The New Daughter” with Kevin Costner. —>Netfliks if you haven’t watched it. I usually get horror/thriller movie pyschological references but (spoiler alert if you haven’t watched it) I just couldn’t figure out if his daughter in the movie had ‘relations’ with the creatures in the woods or not and if she was attacked. According to the internet apparently that question didn’t really matter as apparently I was missing the whole sub-theme children growing up. Which I actually did get.

    I’d totally join your horror movie discussion.

  131. Another long time reader, first time poster here. I am in a fairly similar situation, with anxiety disorder but love psychological thrillers and horrors. I love crime tv/movies too (grew up reading Sherlock Holmes), but my anxiety gets triggered in drama or sitcom that involves awkward situations. It’s weird.

    As for suggestions, do you do time travel horror? There is a movie called Triangle that I absolutely love. Also, you should check out the page tvtropes. That’s how I discover shows or movies to watch. Find a show or movies I like, then look up a trope it follows, then find similar shows.

  133. I really, really want to watch Oculus when it comes out, mainly because Amy Pond is in it, but also it looks like a good psychological thriller….but I think I’m too chicken to go see it at the theatre…and maybe too chicken to see it at home too. Last horror movie I watched was “The Ring” and I couldn’t sleep for a week. So someone else needs to go see it and tell me it’s too awesome to miss.

  134. Enjoyed horror movies when I was younger….not as much now. I’m totally with you on the “can’t bear to watch it if it can really happen” bandwagon, though. That’s the whole reason I stopped watching “I am Legend” about 15 minutes into it. Crazy stuff that I know can’t happen- no problem. Stuff that actually COULD happen, but hasn’t yet- way too stressful to watch!

  135. Whatever Happened To Baby Jane…. I tried to scan through to see if anyone recommended this yet, but anyone who likes psychological thrillers must watch the classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. OMG. Goosebumps.

  136. I consider it psychology/suspense not so much horror but you might like Old Boy starring Josh Brolin, personally, I needed therapy after watching it but it was definitely a new and horrifying story line!

  137. On Netflix is a cinematic gem known as “Psycho Gothic Lolita.” You’re welcome.

  138. I liked the twisty ending of “Identity” starring Jon Cusack but it’s not a jumpy-scary, more “what the fuck is going on” type of film.

  139. I love psychological horror. I also love comedy horror musicals though, which are almost always trashy (I’m talking shit like “Repo!: A Genetic Opera” and “Nudist Colony of the Dead”).

    I over-analyse films too, which leads to me kinda hating movies I would otherwise enjoy. E.g. 9 times out of 10, if there’s dialogue in a horror movie car and the speaker’s portrait is framed in such a way that you can see the side window behind/next to them, something scary is going to appear in that window.

    Have you watched “The Hole”? It has a young Keira Knightley in it. Fucking creepy, horrors where you can’t trust your senses just mess with me.

  140. Don’t know if you’ve seen The Awakening (2011, Nick Murphy) but it’s one of those that I had to go look up to see if I understood it, only to find out that it wasn’t meant to understand…

  141. I am completely on board with this idea! This summer we are traveling through Colorado and specifically staying at The Stanley Hotel in room 217. I LOVE horror movies, but movies like Contagion or The Purge make me never ever want to leave my house or open my front door again.

  142. I’m happy to read that others don’t watch Breaking Bad because it makes them anxious! None of my friends/family understand it and tell me to watch it (NOT HAPPENING). I’m totally down for zombies, end of the world, supernatural movies. I think you got it spot on actually – it’s not near the realm of reality so the excitement and entertainment are wonderful deterrents from the drama happening around (and in) me.

    I very much enjoyed The Others (with Nicole Kidman).

  143. Okay, I don’t do horror, but I do read your blog and I read your book, which I loved, can’t wait for the new one, and I’ve been meaning to write to you and tell you about this interesting shop in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, where they had the greatest taxidermy animals I’ve ever seen and well, if I could have afforded to buy you one I would have. (I’m a former English teacher and recognize a run-on sentence when I see one, but what the hell, I’m a FORMER English teacher) I am in England for three months with my husband who is here on business is how I came to be in Wales. Anyway, I just wanted to share with you my post with pics from the shop. I know you will love them! Cheers! http://janeannthompson.com/posts/pubs-flats-heaven/

  144. I watched Devil’s Pass a couple weeks ago and figured I’d have to watch it a few more times to understand it. I watched Heartless and still have no idea what the hell it was about.

  145. The Descent…as if being lost in a cave isn’t enough there are also bad ass monsters.

  147. I don’t find supernatural horror movies entertaining but for psychological horror, it’s hard to beat Polanski’s Repulsion with Catherine Deneuve. I saw it many years ago and found it profoundly disturbing.

  148. Oh wow– I can’t handle supernatural horror, for the same reason someone else said–I can’t control it. I can handle serial killers all day long, but ghosts and demons? Hell no. Plus, I don’t like gore–I feel like its unnecessary and that if the plot wasn’t scary enough without the gore, the directors/writers weren’t doing their job. I do like movies that mind-F with you though– Memento and Identity were awesome. Have you seen The Game?

  149. I actually just watched that movie Monday night and i pretty much had the same thought process as you. I’m happy that I’m not alone

  150. I don’t watch horror myself, but my girlfriend recommends a film called “Funny Games”. Either the US version or the original Austrian one. Creepy horror that breaks the fourth wall and everything, and the ending is entirely: What does that mean?! What happened?!

  151. Suggestions for you!
    “Cabin in the Woods” – Because it is a scary (somewhat gorey) horror movie with dialogue that will make you laugh and a plot twist that you don’t expect. It’s different! It also has redneck Zombies.

    “Mama” – Guilllermo del Torro is the executive Producer on this. Loved this movie as much as Hell Boy and Pan’s Labyrinth

    “Insidious” – Definitely a psychological horror movie. There is a second movie out, but the first is the best.

    I can’t watch things that are too close to real life. However, I LOVE a good psychological horror movie. I got hooked on them with “The Others.”

    “Bubba Ho-Tep” – Bruce Campbell stars as Elvis Presley (he’s really alive!) in a nursing home. Ossie Davis plays a man who thinks he’s JFK. Camp-y (see what I did there?) and awesome. As any movie Bruce Campbell is in should be.

  152. ‘Frailty’ with Bill Paxton and La McConaughey and most assuredly ‘Hannibal’ the TV show if you can! Both wonderfully creepy and delicious!

  153. I love horror. Luckily I’ve got my boyfriend and my brother to watch it with. We do a horror movie/ gaming night every month or so. In fact, my brother is such a horror fanatic he has a blog reviewing horror movies/books/games, and it has some of his own original short stories. Don’t read the one called crawlies though. Unless your some kind of freak who isn’t terrified of spiders.
    http://ragecircus.blogspot.com/

  154. There’s this blog called Snobbery – it’s a book review blog mainly, but once a month or once a week or something, she has movie drink-a-longs on twitter with movies that are on Netflix, I think. I’ve never done one but they seem to have a good laugh.

  155. Although I don’t do horror generally, you should check out markwatches.net if you’re looking for ideas on group live-blogging and discussion. There’s a fantastic community there and on markreads.net, the sister-site, who read books and watch shows one chapter/episode at a time, no spoilers allowed, and ponder what it all means. Some of the books that have been done and/or are on the to-do list would definitely interest you – lots of fantasy.

  156. I don’t do horror, the last scary movie I watched was Poltergeist when it first came out. If you want psychological /creepy then watch American Gothic. One of the most underrated TV shows of the 90s, starring a very creepy Gary Coleman. It should be available on Netflix, it was on iTunes way back when.

  157. TOTALLY IN. I am an utter horror girl (I blog about Supernatural for http://www.headhoverfeels.com, and most of the reviewers at BookshelfBombshells fight over who gets to read the horror novels that come in) so this sounds like the best idea ever. Also, you are not the only one who finds The Stranger to be relaxing. Personally, I blame Robert Smith.

  158. I LOVE horror!! I even have a special place in my heart for the low budget ones that take themselves very seriously! Have you seen “Tucker and Dale VS Evil”? It’s a horror/comedy that made me almost pee my pants laughing. It’s on Netflix if you haven’t seen it!

  159. The Haunting of Hill House (Not the remake) is by far my favorite creepy movie. The Others is another ‘good’ one to pick up too.

    Keep me posted on the group, I would totally be in.

  160. Have you ever watched Pandorum? It’s a sci fi horror movie with Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster. I stumbled upon it midway and was hooked. Ended up renting it so my family could watch it with me, turned into being one of my 15 year old sons’ favorites, which I think lends credit to the genre.

  161. Please do this Jenny! I feel so alone in my love of horror (the good, bad and just plain dreadful)! My friends and family don’t understand!😈

  162. There’s a Korean vampire movie called “Thirst” that’s strange and good.
    There’s also a Spanish zombie movie called [Rec]3 Genesis that’s kind of fun.

    As an aside, I live about 20 minutes away from the town of Pontypool so we had to watch it just because of that. It was such a different take on the whole zombie thing.

    Of course Cabin in the Woods is a favourite here too. “Am I on speakerphone?” Hahaa.

  163. But make it a totally different Facebook group than your regular one… Because I am totally scared shitless by all of the movies and shows you guys have mentioned.

  165. We just got back from a cruise and I got all turned around and lost one night. No…..the 5 or so fruity cocktails had nothing to do with it. But, I ended up in this long corridor that I swear made me feel like 2 little girls were about to ask me to come tplay.

  167. I don’t know about the demonic chainsaw thing not happening in real life. Have you seen the news or The Today Show today?

  168. I love crazy horror movies! Even bought a region free DVD player about 10-15 years ago so that I could watch the Korean/Japanese movies since they were ahead of the game. We need to do this.

  170. I can only do the Nightmare on Elm Street type of horror… anything psychological gives me nightmares for week and I don’t care for gore all that much.
    I did adore Bubba Ho-Tep though (which IMDb classifies as comdey and drama, but I would call a comedic horror)… “Elvis and JFK, both alive and in nursing homes, fight for the souls of their fellow residents as they battle an ancient Egyptian Mummy.”

  171. The Exorcist still scares the crap out of me!!!!!! Call it fear of the unknown, what-ifs?, and maybe old fashioned Catholic guilt, dunno…But still can`t watch it alone!

  172. Horrible horror movie that needs to be burned = Student Bodies (1981). I think this was the first parody type movie of horror movies, and it was deliciously, hilariously awful. Or “IT” – ruined my childhood at the ripe old age of 8, and still creeps me out. I’m also pretty sure it’s the reason I karate kicked tweety bird in the crotch at Six Flags Great America that same year…

  173. Have you been watching Resurrection? I read the book that it was based on, The Returned by Jason Mott, but no big “But what does it mean?” answers there. He does explain how the idea originated though. I’m curious to see what spin the TV series will take. There is a French TV show that is on Netflix that comes up in several discussion threads and in Goodreads also called,The Returned (French: Les Revenants). I want to watch it next.

  174. really enjoyed ‘devil’s pass’; the ending blew me away and i left it in my queue so i could watch it again. have you watched ‘static’ (with sarah shahi)? it’s also fantastic in that “what the fuck did i just watch” kind of way.

    good horror is really a coping mechanism. there’s no way that any of that stuff is going to happen. but the rest of the stuff going on in my life? yeah, that’s all real and not going anywhere.

  175. Too many comments to get through right now, so forgive me if these have been mentioned. The Orphanage (Spanish subtitles), the 1962 version of the Haunting, The Woman in Black (with the Harry Potter guy), and I seem to remember being really freaked out by a movie with Robert Downey, Jr. and Annette Bening called In Dreams, or something close to that title. I haven’t seen that one in ages, but remember having to stand behind the couch to watch because it got too intense for me to be any closer to the tv. I love horror movies, but can’t get anyone to watch them with me since my daughter flew the coop:-(

  176. The Strain is coming to FX this summer. Its a series based on a book written by Guillermo Del Torro (also wrote the pilot episode). To preface anything by Guillermo Del Torro go watch Pan’s Labyrinth. A total mind bending horror movie.

  177. Oh and Event Horizon with Laurence Fishburne. Scared the poo out of me.

  178. I need to be in a very specific mood to enjoy horror. That mood usually strikes about every seven years after copious amounts of alcohol. So I’m probably out unless that mood happens to coincide with your plans. If that happened, though, it would seem fated, which is a little scary. Hmmm. I’m not going to play with those girls either. Hear that, girlies? Don’t be coming around my dreams.

  179. No time to read all responses so I will risk repeating …..THE CONJURING…The beginning freaked me out and I love horror.

  181. Yes, a Netflix live-viewing horror movie group would be so fun! My wife is also named Jennifer and she gets scared by the opposite things as you and I do – things that can never really happen. I can watch ghosts, zombies, etc. all day long and it’s fun-scary, but no Law & Order: SVU for me, because then I’m really thinking about all the real-life cases that have inspired the scripts, and I’m crying myself to sleep for the rest of the week.

    My point is, I have no one watch to these paranormal horror movies with! Have you seen Fullmetal Alchemist? It is actually a TV series and very fun.

  182. I’m in, but I have no suggestions on how to make this work and, also, I’m afraid of children so I can’t watch those kind of scary movies. Scary people, supernatural creatures, etc., I can handle. But no scary kids.

  183. Re: Hemlock Grove – My sister and I watched the WHOLE series thinking “It’ll all come clear in the next episode……”

    HA! Still have no clue what it was all about!!

    Great blog, Jenny – it is great to know that there are others like me out there 😉

  184. What about the show “Supernatural”. Forgive me if someone else has already suggested it. I believe it was on the WB but I know it’s on Netflix. Those Winchester boys… damn.

  186. I’m ALL OVER THIS!! I LOVE horror films!
    Recent newer ones that freaked me out good were: Sinister and The Conjuring. But I am like you where sometimes I am up all night googling the meaning of what the hell I just watched. Love that.

  188. Trick r Treat – beyond awesomeness – love how they scramble it up. Dead and Breakfast – hilarity and horror are my faves.

    I cannot watch anything dramatic in any way any more, I used to. I just can’t handle it now.

    And True Detective was beyond awesome – just farfetched enough that it didn’t freak me out.

    I could not watch Breaking Bad (teacher, cancer victims in my life – too close to home, to easy to imagine it be real and too sad) but I would listen to it while my husband watched… sometimes, as it was well-written.

    Totally agree with so many of the above suggestions!

  189. I highly recommend the foreign series The Returned that sometimes runs on Sundance. Some kind of Zombie thing, but they don’t eat your brains. So very good!!

  190. Sorry. I cannot do horror. I’m also not a drama fan, but I can watch it from time to time if alcohol is available. Horror I just can’t. I read World War Z and did not do well. I couldn’t read it after dark. It doesn’t help that we live at the very end of a quiet street just like one of the characters. Freaked me out. I had to get the book out of my house. Reality doesn’t bother me as much. Summer 2012 I read a book about the 1918 influenza epidemic and then followed that with The Stand. I’m a pharmacist with an interest in infectious disease. I’m weird. 🙂 I’m more of a comedy and super hero movie fan. Eh, fantasy fan too. Come on, I own four copies of each of the LOTR movies. I am a freak and proud of it. Wait. Five if you include the digital copies. 😀

  191. Not really horror, so it might be yp your alleyish. Secret Window.

  192. I’m not much for the slasher,teens in the woods type things but many years ago I was alone, all my family and friends, out of town. Hot summer night with the windows open watching something “scary” on tv and reallly absorbed in it. From outside my window, ground floor, I heard terrible screaming and snarling, thrashing in the bushes. I jumped up, slammed down the windows, pulled down the shades. Turned off the Tv and the lights (go figure) . I live in woodsy suburbs. I waited and listened. Nothing. Then I thought, I will look out side. Nothing from the windows. Then I thought, I will just open the front door and have a look. I stopped myself and laughed because that is the point in films where I get disgusted with the characters for being stupid. Eventually, I realized it was racoons fighting over the summer fruit in the yard. Still.
    True Detective was compelling to watch but involved hurting children. Don’t even think about watching “Hannibal” on TV. I know it would upset you. I had to quit after the first season. I don’t know how it is on network TV.
    Love you, hope you find a group to enjoy your crazy films with.

  193. If you like to read terrifying zombie books with deeper meaning, I recommend the Newsflesh Trilogy by Mira Grant. First vol. is Feed.

  194. An oldie that still stand up: The Thing.
    And I thought Audition was pretty great, too, as well as the 28 Days/Weeks Later set.
    I liked Identity for making the viewer think.
    Real-life ones that you would therefore hate, but others might enjoy: Dead of Winter and Bedroom Window. Not sure whether (Rec) would be too “real.”
    More current monster flicks that got to me: 30 Days of Night and Cloverfield.
    A last throw-in: The Orphanage. It can be argued from a couple different perspectives, and that makes it interesting to me.

  195. It’s sort of a christmas movie, but I really liked Rare Exports. It’s in Finnish, and about a little boy who is being hunted by evil giant santa 🙂

  196. The Vanishing (the 1988 Dutch film, not the American remake). That movie really creeped me out!

  197. I want to go to there! I love horror and no one watches it with me. My husband just occassionally walks in the room and repeats what they say in a creepy voice and walks out again. No help there. There are too many comments here, I want to read them all to get a good list of ones to watch. I remember being totally freaked out in highschool from watching, what lies beneath. Probably where my love for horror began.

  198. I just read through all of the comments and now I have a full list of new horror movies to watch! One that I would recommend: Troll Hunter. It’s a Norwegian film. It’s odd and not terrifying but really good.

  200. So instead of reading “a lot of spoilers out there” I read “a lot of spiders out there” and freaked out because they are evil and should not exist and this is the incident which has convinced me to get fucking glasses.

  201. HAAHAHA I agree with you on Hemlock Grove. It is not very good but I watch the whole season in one sitting. Just couldn’t stop watching it.

  203. I wasn’t a fan of Cabin in the Woods (what seems to be the most popular suggestion). I didn’t find it scary. A couple startling moments, sure, but that was it. The only horror movie that ever made me scream was The Unborn. I had nightmares for weeks and wouldn’t go near mirrors. After that, I stopped watching horror movies for a while, but my mom and I went to see the remake of The Woman in Black. Other than a few parts where we screamed “RON AND HERMIONE” at a red headed boy and brunette girl, it got pretty good. It ended up screwing up my mentality with the rocking chair scene because I had to use a rocking chair to put a girl I babysat to sleep.

  205. I’m totally addicted to the Fearnet channel. Good horror, bad horror, any and all of it!

    Sorry if this has already been suggested, but what about creating a group on Facebook?

  207. Oh my god, I LOVED Pontypool! Found it in a four-for-one DVD set with Doghouse and Dead Snow- it was like it was made just for me!

  209. I love horror, didn’t get into it until college but love it now. But again, not very many people I know like it too. I do watch some cheesey ones though, have you seen Grabbers? So funny! I also have Return to Horror High in my queue, and cannot wait to see how late 80s George Cloony pulls that off. Just rewatched Aliens, which I don’t really consider horror, but it did reinforce the crush I have on 1980s Michael Biehn. It has been a while since I have seen anything that truly freaked me out though so I would love this group!

  210. True Detectives is a brilliant series but I don’t think that you should watch it. It is not supernatural in the least and is very much based in reality complete with child abuse and murder. Much heavier material than anything in Sherlock. I personally only read fantasy because if there are vampires, zombies, ghosts etc then there is no way any of the bad things that happen in the book can happen in real life 🙂

  211. I LOVE good horror movies (although I actually rather love BAD horror movies, too) — so I’m in! The tough part is organizing a “live” viewing, since we’re all over the map and the time zone differences would confuse even The Doctor. In any case, I haven’t seen a good “makes you think” horror flick in a long time, so I will have to check out some of the suggestions here!

  212. I recommend any film by Guillermo del Toro. The Orphanage, Pan’s Labrynth, mama, the devil’s backbone. Excellent ghost stories!!!

  213. I don’t really have any good suggestions, but I’m with you. I love a good thriller about stuff that could (probably) never happen. And I don’t have time to watch bad movies. Yet, I manage to see a heck of a lot of bad movies.

    Also, I had to google the crap out of Donnie Darko and I still don’t get it.

  214. If creepy horribleness that could potentially actually happens freaks you out… then DO NOT WATCH True Detective. It is not supernatural in any way. Everything that happens in it could happen in the real world. It’s terrifying.

  218. Best psych/ horror movie ever made is “SSSSsssssssssssss” or something like that. It’s hard to find but if you ever see it it’s worth watching. Without spoilers, a guy raises snakes for harvesting anti-venom.

    I hate snakes. Especially snakes with blue eyes.

  219. Great plan! None of my friends are horror fans. I love Mama, Sinister and the Insidious films, which have all been mentioned above. Also loved Come Out And Play from a couple of years ago, it has seclusion, creepy kids and a spunky male lead…all winning elements!

  220. THE VANISHING, the original, not the Hollywood remake, still gives me the willies decades later. Not a lot of action or gore, but psychological terror that builds very slowly.

  221. I’m with ocularnervosa. I sit through most horror films and just enjoy the suspense, but don’t really fall for the “scary parts” that should make me jump. I don’t like the ones that get too real like Last House on the Left (I stopped watching at the rape scene). Totally love funny horror too like Shawn of the Dead. The first time I saw the Shining I was 8 months pregnant with my first son. My husband and I couldn’t sleep in the same bed at that time because he said I moved around too much. So, after the movie he went to bed and I went to sleep in the living room. I awoke the next morning to him standing over me saying “Red Rum” in a creepy voice. I jumped and almost fell out of the chair I was sleeping in and thought I was going into labor. Not cool! Haven’t watched that movie since. Another one I can’t watch is Jeepers Creepers. Not sure why, but that thing was just too creepy for me!

  222. god I live for horror movies. rosemary’s baby and the shining are two of my ALL TIME FAVS. have you seen the conjuring? left me jumping to my bed for WEEKS. or foreign supernatural/horror – shutter? it’s Japanese and I really liked it and it scared the shit out of me.

  225. Or what about that movie Teeth, its about vaginas who eat dudes, although I think it is less about getting scared and more about what the hell?

  226. I can watch Hannibal, but I’m about to give up on The Following because it’s too real. The betrayal of trust theme sends me over the edge. I really cannot handle any home invasion horror, no Panic Room, no whatever else is out there that I’ve immediately wiped from my memory. I do like good scary with a twist. Blair Witch and The RIng both scared the bejesus out of me.

  227. On the “how to do this” train, perhaps Reddit would be a good forum – everybody can join for free, comments can be voted up/down based on relevance/awesomeness and the conversations can be really constructive.

  228. Loved True Detective, even with my anxiety disorder. SOOOO worth watching, even if just for the acting. Also, not horror, but a psychological thriller…not mentioned the comments but something reminded me of it…. “Memento.” Great movie!
    Stacy

  229. Please please please watch Contracted on Netflix. It is an amazing new take on the horror movie and it will leave you wanting to see it again. Seriously an under rated movie

  230. I’m not really into horror, but my hubby loves B-grade horror movies. Ack. BUT, I’m loving Bates Motel on Netflix. It’s sort of a prequel to Psycho, which I’ve never actually seen (because of the not being into horror thing). It is spooky, although it’s not zombie spooky.

    And I’m sure you’ve seen this, and it’s probably old and dorky now, but I still think it’s a spooky movie: Something Wicked This Way Comes. And I’m sure you’ve also seen The Blair Witch Project. It was such a dumb movie, but I had nightmares for weeks. And then, when my husband and I were looking for houses, we saw one in which the college students living in it had put handprints all over one of the bedrooms. So I had nightmares again.

  231. Oldboy- the original verson, don’t even bother with the hollywood remake. Suckfest!
    Infernal Affairs- awesome thriller!

  232. Horror — good, bad or indifferent, I can’t do. Suspense, yes. (So surprisingly, a lot of Hitchcock is actually in, I adore Rear Window for instance.) What I have never quite sorted out though is why I can do odd-weird, which is not really horror, just … well …. weirdness. In other words, X-Files is okay. Years ago (I’m dating myself here) my younger brother watched Night Gallery and I … just … couldn’t. But about the same time I watched a forgotten show called “The Sixth Sense” and he never could sit thought it because it dealt with ESP and weird psychic phenomena like deja vu. It wasn’t really scary, just slightly unsettling.

  234. August Osage County: don’t watch this unless you thought Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf was a movie about a nice dinner party. Good haunted house movie: Lady in Blsck

  235. I absolutely love both good and bad horror movies! I only ever watch them alone because my husband loves having nightmares, which is fine, but he tends to mistake me for a zombie / slasher and attacks me with vigour sometimes.

    Once ended up with a bleeding nose and cut forehead because he tried to tear the ‘slasher’s’ face off.

  236. I absolutely love both good and bad horror movies! I only ever watch them alone because my husband loves having nightmares, which is fine, but he tends to mistake me for a zombie / slasher and attacks me with vigour sometimes.

    Once ended up with a bleeding nose and cut forehead because he tried to tear the ‘slasher’s’ face off.

  237. I am a woman on the go (read: in bed about to sleep), so I didn’t read the previous 1,000,000 comments. (I’m not sure, but you may have a future with this blogging thing.) Anyway, I love love love The Cabin in the Woods and think horror fans the world over should watch it. Written by Joss Whedon (THE MAN). Please watch. I would love to discuss!

  239. Pontypool is one of THE BEST horror flicks nobody has ever heard of. How lovely to hear there’s someone else out there who’s seen it! Jenny, you imbue me with hope. : )

  240. Jenny, if you’re not aware of metaphilm.com, you might enjoy that site. They don’t focus on horror specifically, but some of their essays cover it. They will tell you they’re not into reviewing movies–lots of other people can tell you what a movie is about. They try to uncover a film’s meaning. Lots of very insightful, intelligent writing there–check it out!

  241. I’m so in!! I loved 30 Days of Night (gore, suspense and crazy ass vampires! The ending was…meh and the 2nd movie was seriously boring).
    I liked Sinister (actually made me jump)
    Anything with Zombies
    Lets Scare Jessica to Death (British?, black and white, 1975?…scared little me a whole lot!!)
    My Bloody Valentine (the original)
    The Descent (but not the sequel)
    Aliens
    I would love to be part of a group to discuss these and other scary stuffs!!

  242. I just finished Martyrs and all I can say is What the fuck did I just watch?

  243. I do not do so well with things that have copious amounts of blood and gore or inexplicable and unnecessary violence. That doesn’t mean I don’t like movies with some violence in them, but it really has to be plot-driven as opposed to gratuitous violence for violence’s sake. Does that make sense? Psychological thrillers (as opposed to violent gory ones) I’m usually okay with… but I did make the mistake of watching Signs while home alone in the middle of a major wind and thunder storm once. Everything is ten times scarier when there are gale force winds punctuated with thunder claps and flashes of lightning outside!

    I’ve been trying to get up the courage to watch Cabin In The Woods ever since it came out as I’m a huge Joss Whedon fan, and love most of the cast members, but I haven’t quite gotten there yet.

  245. I don’t do horror. I was allowed to watch Poltergeist as a 6 year old and just cannot cope with any of it.

  246. Hummmm, what was the last horror movie I watched. I can’t remember. My favorites though are the Shining and Pet Cemetery. Ah yes , I remember now, The Conjuring. Not really that scary. It seems like new horror movies these days have these really dramatic, unrealistic endings that usually kill it for me. Haven’t seen the movies you mentioned but if you want a real mind f**k, watch Prometheus. It’s sci-fi horror but in a really insane, psychological way. I almost lost it watching it.

  247. I love horror/thrillers. Give me a good horror movie over drama or chick flicks any day of the week. It’d be nice to have a group to share recommendations with and discuss. I’m in.

    A good “B” horror movie is ‘The Shrine’. Another “B” movie is Killer Klowns from Outer Space; it’s so awful it’s good. Oh and I adore Bruce Campbell. ‘Bubba Ho Tep’ is a must see for any of his fans or for that matter fans of Elvis; yep, another ‘B’ movie. My family makes fun of me for watching them all the time; I consider them an acquired taste for those with a discerning palate. Lol. I’m pretty sure all of these are on Netflix.

    ‘The Possession’ with Jeffrey Dean Morgan was definitely worth the watch. I think it’s on Netflix, too. I’m pretty sure these next two aren’t but they’re worth hunting down to watch: ‘Ginger Snaps’ and ‘Frailty’ are also pretty great movies.

  248. The Exorcist is another one of those movies where I am just sitting there thinking “okay, why are we trying to exorcise this kid? I mean, you do understand physics right? Her neck is like TOTALLY broken. So basically when the demon goes, she’s going to be dead anyway because SHE HAS a BROKEN NECK. Why not just put her in a nice cage somewhere and study her as proof of the supernatural? Did the demon FIX her broken neck when it left her? Why would it do that?

  249. I doubt I can recommend a horror movie you haven’t already seen, but if you ever want to have a bad movie night, I can recommend “Jesus Christ, Vampire Slayer.” It’s a Canadian student musical about, you know, Christ and vampires. There’s an atheist gang. I have no idea what the heck was going on half the time, but it’s a riot. Make extra popcorn to throw at the screen.

  250. OMG!!! I love all things horror. Hell, I even kind of enjoy bad horror movies (its a sick perversion, but its my perversion – don’t judge) so I am totally in for this. My personal favorite horror is supernatural (ghosts, demons,hauntings… Stuff like that) and I have a weird fascination with “bad seed” movies. Show me an evil child living in a haunted house with a demon incubating in the basement and I am happy as Beyonce the metal chicken cavorting around your yard.

  251. I have not seen Devil’s Pass. However, I am familiar with the Dyatlov Pass incident of 1959 which seems to have inspired it. 10 experienced mountaineers made a trip in winter to a place called Dead Mountain and were later found dead from what Soviet investigators concluded was “a compelling natural force”..

  252. 1) John Carpenter’s PRINCE OF DARKNESS is perfect for BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
    2) CUBE and CUBE SQUARED ( aka CUBE 2) could be talked about for weeks.
    The only horror movies that freak me out take place in mental institutions.

  253. Why not just set up a group message board. You can get it free at proboards.com and you can invite anyone you want to be a member. Then you don’t need to worry about spoilers. The boards even have a chat function if you want to do something in real time and you can set up different threads for different movies or boards for different genres or whatever you want.

    Also definitely see Cabin in the Woods if you haven’t already. But my favorite horror movies are those terrible made for TV movie from the 70s where there was always a girl named Jessica for some reason. Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Trilogy of Terror…I know there’s more but it’s too early to think.

  254. I loved The Prestige for exactly this reason. It’s not hard core horror….but for some weird reason, I like open ended movies. I think this has a lot to do with the paralysing fear I feel in making any decisions.
    So, I tell myself my interpretation is right. And so is everyone else’s. So we all win. Yay!

  255. I’m so sorry I can’t help you think of how to handle this because I’m too busy trying to erase the mental image of those two creepy little girls. ~shudder~ I am a big chicken when it comes to horror. I can barely stand it when there are previews or commercials for them.

    Oddly enough, I can watch/read about true crime – even with photos – without batting an eye. What is up with that?

  256. Martyrs! It is a French horror film and it is horrifying. I was so disturbed after watching it! Lots of discussion of the afterlife.

  257. I have always loved horror movies but to me the times have changed the style for the worse..

    I think of horror, my first thought is Hellraiser, blood, gore… ridiculousness to the max! I hate the new generation of movies that seem to plausible or close to reality, I am trying to escape that, not find more fears to think on. I friggen HATE these bombardment of devil child movies..child/evil ..the mommy me hates that shit!

    If I had to choose a “technically horror” movie that makes you think..has to be Jacobs Ladder!

  258. This would be brilliant. And if anyone could point me towards a movie that would actually scare me, I would send them a prize. (It wouldn’t be a very good prize, because I’m cheap, but it would be unique.)

    I HATE dramas (and also really hated Breaking Bad) generally, although I do love silly crime shows. I have never been scared by a movie, and in fact was lovingly invited to not watch anymore horror movies with someone after I burst out laughing during the “scary” parts.

    Having a thriller group (where I’m assuming we will all dress up like extras from a Michael Jackson movie) would be awesomesauce.

  259. The only ones I can handle are the ones that are so very bad that they cross the line to good. Like “Satan Prince of Darkness”, Satan is trapped in a giant green lava lamp in the basement of a Los Angeles church,and he’s been there for 1000 years (and no the church is NOT that old) and some scientists are trying to generate all the names of …satan? god? can’t remember… and if they do, Satan will get loose. You know he’s in there because the lava lamp is leaking, and it leaks towards the ceiling. Homeless man turns into the leader of the zombies. Or maybe he’s just walking in front.

  260. Best idea ever. I’m excited to come back after work and read other people’s suggestions.

  261. You should give Skeleton Key a watch. It’s not really horror, but very supernatural. It’s a bit of a slow and methodical movie, but speeds up quite a lot at the end the ending will catch you off guard, which I really liked. It’s on Netflix.

  262. Definite plusses to Bubba Hotep and Let the Right One In. We’ve moved over to mostly foreign horror any more, actually foreign all films any more. I just can’t watch American film these days this century. The stupid burns too hard. It’s lessened, and bearable, when filtered through a foreign language and a layer of subtitles. The Eye (original), Infection, Premonition, Trollhunter, Rare Exports, and the original Wicker Man (which, a rare thing in cinema, is actually horror* and not just jump-scares).

    *requires the revelation of paradigm shift, that “oh shit i thought it was like this, but actually it’s like THAT.” cf. The Eye’s big kaboom, when they all show up.

  264. I’d love to know if anyone else was emotionally traumatized by The Human Centipede? If you haven’t watched it – DON’T. Gah. I’ve seen it all and could not sleep after that one.

  265. I have the exact same movie watching rules. I also tend to research them first so I don’t get surprised by something upsetting. I really like the classics like Alien, Night of the Living Dead, etc. Everyone seemed to hate Event Horizon but it seriously scared me.

  267. Not exactly horror genre but creepy–did you ever watch Signs? That movie still sticks with me, years later! And I still haven’t quite figured it out:)

  268. I tend to like the subgenre of Horror Comedy, so Shaun of the Dead is right up my alley. Two other horror movies that I thought were completely twisted and snarky and funny and gross are Tucker & Dale vs. Evil and Severance. Tucker & Dale is a spoof on those “teens go into the woods…” slasher films and is simply brilliant (in no small part thanks to Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine). Severance is basically the answer to, “What would happen if you decided to have your corporate team building weekend in the woods where a bunch of crazed killers live?” and does a spectacular job of building tension in part based on workplace stereotypes (the suck-up, the uptight boss, that guy you always think should probably be fired).

    As for the discussion group, perhaps you could create a live chat feature on your website? There are recommendations for widgets here: http://sixrevisions.com/tools/10-free-website-chat-widgets-to-make-your-site-interactive/ but I’m sure that other people would be able to make suggestions, too. It would definitely be fun to watch a movie “together” as a group and be able to share in the terror and confusion.

  269. I love Horror and watch it so much I’m afraid it has warped me a little :/ I tend to laugh at inappropriate moments in the films.

    I would like to recommend 1989 Puppet master, 1987 dolls, A tale of two sisters (though this one may send your anxiety into overdrive), The brood, Ju-on.

    Any of these are a guaranteed good scream fest or a great laugh. Po-tate-o, po-tat-o!

  270. I think as you get older your brain watches the film and just decides the effort in trying to fathom out all the details is just not worth the effort, based on past experience. There’s just too much other ‘shit’ happening so it takes a bit of a holiday, a rest, and lets your eyes take the strain for a change.

  271. I’m not a huge horror watcher, but I do love “Shaun of the Dead.” Your first paragraph made me laugh, because my husband has the opposite problem. He reads and watches political/terrorist thriller stuff like Tom Clancy, “24” etc etc. He was watching Shaun with me and about halfway through had to stop watching because he said it would give him nightmares. I said, “You can watch ’24’ and ‘Clear and Present Danger’ but you can’t watch a zombie movie? The crap in your movies is more likely to actually happen!”

    I still ended up watching the movie by myself.

  272. I call the horror that gets me thinking for days “brain poison.” And it’s horror that I’VE NEVER SEEN. Seriously, every once in a while, I get this urge to damage my psyche so I Google “most disturbing film ever” and I browse the results. When I find ones that seem to have some consensus as mind-rending, I’ll read the plots on Wikipedia and be shattered for days. Seriously. Ones that come to mind are “A Serbian Film,” and “Martyrs.”

    Now give me a good zombie or ghost movie and I’ll watch. But people are the real monsters.
    Your Horror Home Viewing Club sounds awesome. I’ll probably stalk and see if anything develops and then not join because I’m an introvert and no one will probably like me anyway.

    Cheers!!

  273. Ooh, I didn’t see that one, and don’t normally like horror, but wanted to just it just because the subject matter was so taboo (cannibals!). Good to know it’s creepy and has a crazy ending. 😛

  274. My friends laugh at me when I say ‘I’ve had a bad day, I need to watch a horror movie’. Anything with a supernatural twist, as I also cannot watch anything that I think could happen in real life. The movies where someone is kidnapped and tortured/raped/eaten alive, whatever, because that is my worst nightmare in the world! ‘Kiss the Girls’ seriously freaked me out for weeks afterwards, even thinking about it now gives me shivers…

    A huge thank you to everyone’s suggestions as I have a nice list of movies to check out now! I’d like to recommend ‘Midnight Meat Train’. It’s a Clive Barker story and I was totally all ‘wtf’ when it was over!

  275. I see a few people have mentioned “Dead Snow.” Totally agree. Zombie Nazis should be a thing. Also: “One-Eyed Monster,” because Ron Jeremy’s penis going on a killer rampage should also be a thing. A thing of hilarity.

  276. Jenny I just saw your comment about The Stranger… and I had a sudden flash to Victor’s “towels” comments that triggered Beyonce’…. merged with Camus’ discussion of the endless-loop towel dispenser… and … thank you that was quite disorienting in such a pleasant way.

  277. Ooh, and Cockneys vs Zombies for horror comedy. It sounds like it would be awful, but wooooorth it. And Grabbers! Some of the best compositing work I’ve ever seen near the end.

  279. In the “What the hell is going on” genre that sticks with you for days (maybe even weeks in my case) seek out the film “Funny Games.” Make sure you watch the American version with Michael Pitt. The foreign version is by the same director, but the American version (for my money) is FAR more chilling and horrible. Its possibly the most horrifying film I’ve ever seen. It will definitely make you think twice about lending neighbors some eggs.

    On a personal note, its strange to me how your original post is “the zeitgeist” currently. I feel like this psychological horror film question is totally in the air right now… Way to tap into what’s happening now……

  280. Oh my God I’m the same way… psychological horror is so much more interesting to me, and so much more adrenaline-rush-inducing for some reason. I’m sick of endless hack-and-slash gore flicks- they’re a novelty the first few times, but they all have the same plot. I want to be confused and vaguely (or not so vaguely) disturbed by a horror film.

    I personally loved Orphan. Really good twist ending, uniquely disturbing, and not gory.

  281. Sign me up, PLEASE!! I love this genre, and everyone else in my life gets nightmares from watching scary movies. I prefer ghost movies. To that end, here are some of my favorites:
    1. The Changeling (a movie from the 70s….not the crappy Angelina Jolie movie that came out a few years ago)….TERRIFYING!
    2. The Devil’s Backbone (oh my goodness sooooo well done and terrifying)
    3. The Others (most people have already seen this but it is still worth a mention)
    4. The Wicker Man (CLASSIC movie from the 70s….honestly, I feel like most good horror movies were made several decades ago)
    5. Grave Encounters (a little cheesy with the special effects, but totally terrifying. There’s also a sequel, which I do not recommend….)

    Enjoy!

  282. DAMN… the only thing I should add is that “B” horror movies should be left where they are… don’t try to fix stupid. Japanese horror movies should be left in Japan. Remaking them here doesn’t do it for me. Give me some traditional good spooky shit…

  284. Loved Mulholland Dr. Not supernatural, but also not the kind of thing you can imagine happening to you. Really weird.

    Could we add a caveat? I can’t stand to watch a movie where a pet is murdered. Could we agree to warn each other if a pet is murdered so I can skip it?

  285. I’m awful at watching horror movies! Also, Breaking Bad is making me too anxious to carry on with (and I’m only into the first season). That brings us to The X-Files… I can handle the X-Files! Until one of my cats runs out from the darkness somewhere and scares the heck out of me. At which point I need to put something funny on, like Archer… or soothing and super-light, like The Lion King. Shawn of the Dead is really fantastic though, I’ll agree on that one! Go forth and be horror-able, because I am farrrrr from it!

  286. I watch all the horror movies. As many as I can. As often as I can. Foreign, zombie, global outbreak leading to complete breakdown of the world, alien invasion, psychological, thriller. I’ll watch it. I want to be scared. Only thing that’s ever scared me is the whole BEK idea….and thinking I hear something knocking at the door in the middle of the night. (happened. twice. this week. EEEEEP!!!)

    Sinister is incredible. The Conjuring was pretty good, except for a little bit of lameness in the ending. Insidious…nah. Don’t waste your time.

    Wishing Stairs (Korean movie), The Sisters (Thai), The Locker (Japanese), Pulse (either version)….also pretty spooky.

  287. I am the same way when it comes to realistic things giving me anxiety fits, where as horror never does. Although, even though zombies are one of my favorite sub-genre types, those movies always make me start to wonder and worry about the aspects of humanity in a situation like that. I am way more anxious over how people would act than how a zombie would try to eat me. I watched a movie called Six Souls on Netflix the other day- not a psychical type horror movie (not much anyway) but still a really well crafted and well acted supernatural horror flick, with some other genre elements thrown in.

  288. I’m a huge fan of horror movies, but not slasher movies. And apparently according to most of the comments on here, I need to check out True Detective.

  289. Oh man, horror movies give me such (weird) warm fuzzies! I love them wholeheartedly. Not the torture-type ones, but all the others? Hells yes.

    Best “what the what?!” horror movie I’ve seen in the past few years: Ti West’s “The Inkeepers.” So, so good. Best “I’m slightly hungover and want to eat 5 buckets of popcorn” horror movie recently? John Carpenter’s “The Ward.”

  290. I’m all for this club! I love watching movies like that, but I’m terrible at understanding movies. It seems like there’s always at least one aspect of the movie that I don’t understand. So sign me up! I think this is a genius idea!

  291. Jenny – I can’t believe you didn’t comment on the “Creepy Things Kids Said” link! OMG – too funny and way too creepy! I love your idea but I can only read about scary movies, not watch them. Which just means I’ll spend more time on your site. 🙂

  292. I’m in! Love horror movies. I recently saw the Korean monster flick The Host, which was killer.

  293. Totally unrelated, but did you see that a Chupacabra was “allegedly” found in Texas??? Couldn’t help but think of you. Maybe you could have him stuffed after he dies from natural causes.

  294. I seriously thought that I was the only one who could not watch those crime dramas or anything that could happen in real life. The sound of that DAMN Law and Order sign on…CREEPS me out!!!

    Thank you for bringing me back into the circle of friends.

  297. I have some internet friends, i.e., what some call imaginary friends, who simultaneously watch a bad movie and live tweet it. One lives in Vancouver, on in Calgary, and one on Long Island. It is hilarious reading their tweets on a Friday/Saturday night. Do it!

  299. I’m so glad that others have this problem! Lately I’m always asking my hubby wtf is going on in movies and shows. I thought it was because I’m getting old/have ADD lol

  300. Psychological horror is without a doubt, the greatest of all the horrors. I really dug The Jacket. But I’m kind of an idiot and can’t focus on anything more than an episode of Dora the Explorer because my attention span mimics that of a toddler.

  301. True Detective is really good. For a film I enjoyed Orphans, thought it had a good twist at the end compared to the conventional. Having said that I do like to watch a film and not try to work out the ending or it’s meaning until after the film so that helps. My daughter cried at Orphans she was that disturbed by it.

  302. I second the recommendation for Session 9.
    Mirrors
    Sinister. This one had me sleeping with the lights on.
    Feast. Extremely disgusting.
    Quarantine
    Dawn of the Dead (2004)
    28 Days Later
    The Grudge
    30 Days of Night

  303. “The Cube”. So creepy.

    I was creeped out for days asking myself “why” over and over again. I’m sure there’s a great deal I missed and one day I’ll watch it again…but not yet…and not alone. 🙂

  304. Man, I’m the same way. I love horror, but hate dramas for the very same reasons as you. And why yes, I do have anxiety disorders!

    I can’t watch psychopath horror, because psychopaths exist. I’m tired of zombies. I particularly love giant creature horror, especially bad stuff like Sharknado. But my favorite horror movie is Deep Rising and it has the best ending for a horror movie ever. If you haven’t seen it, do watch it.

  305. I just finished The Returned (streaming on Netflix). It’s French, it’s creepy and I cannot rave about it enough!

  306. Holy cow you scared the crap out of me! I hate horror movies and so i purposely ignored the picture of the twins until I got to the end because I’m sure there was something scary there, but then something in the picture caught my eye anyways and I freaked the hell out, because oh my god that girl was moving, which totally made me think of The Ring and her coming out of the TV and shit and oh I hate that movie and will now not be able to use the restroom at work today or probably the next week, because it’s creepy in there!

  307. I don’t know what your trigger was for Sherlock, but if it was the last episode of season 2 you should have less trouble with Season 3 I would think (especially the second episode). Hopefully. Because it would be a shame to miss out on more Cumberbatch. But taking care of yourself is way more important than gazing upon those amazing cheek bones.

    But I can totally understand not being able to go back. Back in high school after my ex-boyfriend had been stalking me for a while I was at a friends house watching American Beauty and had a major-freak-out-panic-attack during one scene that inexplicably reminded me of him. My friends had to stop the movie to calm me down and we never did restart it.

  308. I know you’re talking movies here…but since the Shining got brought up…have you read Doctor Sleep yet? Best thing outta King in YEARS! I lurved it!

  309. I just watched the first season on Hemlock Grove (Netflix Original) and I have never been more confused in my life!!! But I need more!!! It’s about werewolves and Frankenstein like creations and other creatures that confuse me to no end and I cannot stop thinking about it!!!

  310. You are not alone. I prefer my horror supernatural. Zombies. Vampires, werewolves – check. Psychopaths. No thanks.

  312. If you want confusing, awesomesauce horror type stuff, YouTube director Casey Malone’s Blood of the Witch trilogy. He’s my buddy and he’s amazeballs. Also, the main character (the witch) is my BFF. Enjoy!

  313. Martyrs for sure. It’s got a handful of horror stereotypes in there and then pulls a pretty hard punch at the end. Should give you plenty to discuss.

  314. I’ve loved/watched horror movies since I was like 7. Except now I’m going through this weird spell where they’re FREAKING ME THE HELL OUT. I’m almost 32,I have no idea why this is happening and it sucks ass cuz my partner is all mad that I can’t/won’t watch them with her anymore. Anyways. Have you seen The Serpent & the Rainbow? I don’t know why but it’s the only movie that ever scared me (up until recently).

  315. I don’t think I’m stupid per say, but I do think I’m getting a bit slower on the rebound. I watch a lot of horror movies, from the box office “hits” to the easy-to-forget indies. “Devils Pass” wasn’t that great, but it was interesting in a way. A couple of “But what does it mean?” horror movies people might be interested in…”Martyrs” – !Warning! This film is brutal and more than a bit disturbing. Also try “Contracted” – I thought it was a pretty cool variation of the zombie film!

  316. A couple of people mentioned “A Serbian Film” as a recommend! DON”T DO IT! Unless you REALLY want a movie to fuck you up for life! It includes some VERY repellant sexually deviant scenes including something called “Newborn Porn” – if you have to ask, don’t! However, the movie is very well made and the acting is good, it’s just the subject matter is pretty fucked up!

  317. Donnie Darko – After it ended I was like, “WTF?!” It was weird, you’ll love it.
    The Cube – I liked it. Totally had me thinking, “yeah, I’d be one of the first ones dead.”

  318. We watched Pontypool because the real town is 15 minutes from us. I still have no idea what it was about, though I knew all the place names… We watched the Woman in Black last week–perfectly understandable, except for the stupid way the characters behaved. It’s hard to find a horror movie that doesn’t disappoint in the end. Shaun of the Dead is still a favourite.

  319. Okay this is related but off-topic at the same time (yeah, it’s been one of those kind of days). The horror/anxiety doesn’t get to me too much, but I cannot stand to watch someone get humiliated. I don’t care if it’s a paid actor following lines in the script and the other paid actor knows it’s coming because they read the script, too. I can’t take it. I get so embarrassed for the “victim” that I have to leave the room, or thumb through a magazine, or check FB on my phone for the millionth time. I just can’t watch it.

  320. We are a house divided. I like horror/supernatural movies but have a hard time, like many of you, with stuff that can really happen. My husband, who is a cop, totally loves the real stuff but loses his shit at anything supernatural (except zombies. Zombies aren’t supernatural). I can’t get him to watch anything with me and they scare me too much to watch them on my own. So sad.

  321. And “Newborn Porn” sounds horrifying. I don’t do well with movies about weird sexual stuff, rape or movies with a lot of hard core drug use. They both freak me out and some things (like the rape) hit WAY too close to home. Also, I am getting more wimpy as I get older and since I had my son. I used to be able to watch movies like the “Saw” series with no problem but you would have to pay me a shit ton of money to watch anything like that again!

  322. I can totally relate to being able to watching horror movies and either getting a good giggle out of them or wondering what the point was? But when it comes to NCSi or shit like that it has my brain going crazy BC that could totally happen to me and prob will now that I watched it!

  323. I have movie nights with my friends on Facebook sometimes. We start a thread in our closed group for movie discussion, and all hit play at the same time.

    Or sometimes if there are less than 10 people, we watch together on google hangouts with screen sharing so we can talk about it in there.

  324. I totally get it, and for the same reason I can watch Sci Fi, Horror, dumb comedies, spy flicks, and even twisted stuff like Dexter, Six Feet Under, and Dead Like Me, but I can’t go near things that are too close to home.
    Zombies, vampires, werewolves, sea monsters, aliens, mass murderers, psychos bring them on, but real life drama; I’d rather stick an ice pick up my nose!

    My wife absolutely loves David Tennant, and tried to get me to watch “Taking Over the Asylum”, but having been hospitalized in a similar setting in my teens even watching one episode brings all my uncomfortable and unpleasant memories of the experience flooding back, not to mention the anxiety!
    I’ve watched One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest numerous times to try to desensitize myself, but all it does is amp up my anxiety and depression each time!

    I also can’t watch anything where there is a family split up, (being a recycled divorcee myself), emotional or psychological abuse of children (having been made the black sheep in my family), or anything too reminiscent of my strict religious christian upbringing.
    As for real life injuries or death (as opposed to re-creations or dramatized versions), well lets just say I often turn my back on or just plain don’t watch the news – having unexpectedly seen a few dead bodies in real life, and been first on the scene when I still thought being a First Aider was worth it!

    I guess based on recent experience I’ll also have difficulty watching anything involving amputation, since my daughter’s recent and ongoing cancer experience, and her new status as a one legged teenager.

    Meanwhile my wife, who has had numerous operations can’t stand to watch House or other medical shows without risk of a feinting spell, – which in turn of course gives me an anxiety attack! Whereas I can watch these things just fine, in fact I recall watching the Jeff Goldblum version of The Fly, and eating a chocolate doughnut as the human fly regurgitated something that looked similar with no ill effects.
    Go figure, we’re strange creatures us humans!
    Just because we all have brains, doesn’t mean we really know how they work!

  325. All of the Cube movies. They’re just… so much of everything, creepy, confusing, everything
    Cabin in the Woods (gore, horror, lots of comedy, typical Joss Whedon really)
    Let Me In or the original Let the Right One In
    For really confusing ending: Cloverfield
    Sinister

    I like horror that is either terrifying because it plays on things I was afraid of as a kid (mirrors, people coming out of the tv, things hiding in the dark) the Poltergeist movies, The Ring, and Wes Cravens New Nightmare.

    I’m all in for this club! I like movies that let me ignore reality!
    Personally vote for a twitter watch with a hashtag for the movie so people can follow along.

  326. Series 2 of Sherlock. ..shudders thanks for reminding me. I’ll be seeing dramatically coated , smooth voiced English men splatting all over the pavement in my dreams again tonight. Probably being carried away by those creepy ass twins from The Shining. Good times….

  327. Also, you need to watch Swimming Pool…if you haven’t already… 🙂 I think you’ll like it.

  328. Watching several X-Files episodes back to back throws up some of these little surprises for me. Rivers full of human bones? People dissolved alive by alien fungus? Ooh, fun. Some kidnapped kid locked in a dark basement? AAAAAHHHH! DO NOT WANT! I also got nowhere with this Stephen King book that just starts with a huge psychopath policeman pulling people over so’s he can murder them.

  329. If you want a good horror movie watch The Conjuring. Although, if you believe in supernatural stuff that may set off your anxiety, so then don’t watch it. Or watch it until it’s too real, whatever. Also, This Is The End. It has a few jumpy parts but most of all it’s hilarious and everybody should see it. Really who doesn’t want to see James Franco?

  330. Do you like foreign psychological thrillers? Because if you don’t mind subtitles, I can recommend El Habitante Incierto (The Uninvited Guest), which had a couple flaws, but was REALLY GOOD. So tense. And another one that was kinda a psychological thriller was Intacto, which was surprisingly good and also very tense.

    The Uninvited Guest is about an architect who becomes convinced someone unseen is living in his house with him after a man asks to use his phone to report an accident and then just disappears when the architect turns his back. The paranoia and creep factor is high, but it was really good, and it sticks with you.

    Intacto is an examination of chance and personal luck. A man is the sole survivor of a terrible accident and is approached by a mysterious group and asked if he would like to participate in some games for a BUNCH of money. He agrees, and then the games become increasingly dangerous, until he goes up against a man who has never lost a particular game of chance. Also really good.

  331. I’m wayyyyy too late to the thread for my comment to be of any use, mainly because I stopped to read many of the excellent suggestions above and add them to my Netflix queue, but check out Dorm, a creepy but also sad and sweet ghost story movie from Thailand. Yes, it’s very similar to The Devil’s Backbone, but see both anyway.

    Neither one will leave you asking “What do they mean?” but they’re good anyway.

  332. Wait, I got this (if someone else hasn’t already)! Just watch for the entire first 4 seasons of The Walking Dead, on dvd and watch 2 episodes a week-done! Zombies, plague like horror, with meaning in the survivors-DONE!

  333. Jenny, I never comment but DO NOT watch True Detective. It’s amazingly good but it is NOT supernatural and not only could this happen in real life, it most likely has (somewhere/sometime). Yes, the character has an obsession with the idea of the King in Yellow, but the crimes in the show are not supernatural in the least. Have Victor watch it and judge. I don’t know you personally (obviously) but, from your description, I think this show will really, really upset you.

  334. Victor needs to come out some “IT’S JUST A DAMN MOVIE AND DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN ANYTHING” t-shirts so you can come out with the meta/rebuttal “I WISH MY LIFE WAS JUST A DAMN MOVIE SO IT DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN ANYTHING” t-shirt.

  335. Psychological terror = Session 9. I’d describe it, but the nightmares will start up again. Also, Josh Lucas looks delicious in it.

  336. I know a lot of people with anxiety disorders who like horror movies. I’m the same way, and I think it might give me some sort of weird sense of control over my levels of anxiety or something. Like HA! I’m terrified right now because I WANTED TO BE, not because someone just approached me in a social setting or I saw a porcelain doll.

  337. I don’t like horror, but I adore Sherlock! The new season had some pretty creepy moments-but it was funnier & had more character development (I think). And lots of nods to the fans. If you get up the nerve, it’ll be so worth it-I promise! If not, that’s OK too. We can still be friends because of our shared love for the Doctor. 🙂

  338. My 10 yr old, who doesn’t watch horror, says that horror movies are ridiculous and have cheesy names (titles), and she wants one made called “The Old Grandfather Clock”. 🙂

  340. I’ve lost my taste for gory horror films as I’ve gotten older, but the psychological horror film versus ye olde hack-and-slash still calls to me.

    If I were to stick my oar in and recommend my ultimate favourite movies, however, I’d definitely rave about John Carpenter’s classic, The Prince of Darkness. Yes, slightly dated and a little cheesetastic, but it freaked me out when I first watched it about 20 years ago, and I still think about it to this day.

  342. Hey! You know what’s completely trenchant to this conversation?!

    First, you should watch “The Haunting of Helena” on Netflix. It’s a little gory, but mostly in unsettling ways related to loose/missing teeth. It’s a great one, very ominous, very dark, and the end doesn’t lose its nerve. Highly recommend.

    But also? The Morbid Anatomy Museum, which is being crowdfunded RIGHT NOW at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1038582734/the-morbid-anatomy-museum is going to be doing an exhibit of the Victorian taxidermy collection/works of Walter Potter, who did “Kitten’s Wedding”, with which I believe you are already familiar. Just a heads up. Because I love you.

  343. ok I was previously a person who DID NOT watch horror movies. oh yes I watched some of your more psychological thriller flicks like Rosemary’s Baby or that Audrey Hepburn blind one that I can’t remember the name of right now. And I did venture into The Exorcist when it was out but I just thought it was stupid (atho my Catholicly brainwashed husband-to-be was terrified). I have now discovered that I like things like The Village, The Sixth Sense (only just watched it last year & forced my horror movie afraid daughter to watch it tonight with me via bribery with pizza) & other movies by M. Sha…….. can’t remember his name BUT none of those are real horro movies. I have a best friend who is really into them & I thought, wow, do I really know you? But then I ventured a little further – watched some zombies movies (some are clever – the one with Billy Connelly – can’t think of anything tonight apparently, it’s Saturday which means wine drinking) & then Insidious – true horror, the first one not bad, the second one, not so much . The Woman In Black with Harry Potter all grown up -pretty good. And then recently I watched You’re Next which is what I am sure you would classify as a true horror flick – really all no name actors (Leanna Love From the Y & R if you watch that), everybody dying in a mansion, seemed really cheesy I the beginning but then it grabbed my interest & the kickass Aussie woman who had some sort of survivalist training was quite a good actress & so I was hooked & there was a nice little twist at the end & yes I did find myself thinking about it after & the next night I retold the whole story at the dinner table. Me. Who doesn’t like horror movies.

  344. I keep thinking of more. The Awakening was really well done, I thought, and while Below is kind of eh, it takes place on a WWII sub and the way it functions was utterly fascinating. I liked 6 Souls quite a bit, though it did leave me very sad. There’s a Thai film that I think translated to The Screen, and the Japanese version of Shutter I absolutely adored. Should we continue this thread, Jenny? I suspect I’m not the only one that keeps thinking of more.

  345. There was a Korean (I think) movie called “Vortex” I’d bet you’d enjoy. But I’ve not seen it on Netflix.

  346. Thank you for posting a picture that even makes ME afraid of identical twins…and I have an 11-year-old set of them. Luckily, mine suck at being identicals.

  350. I’m totally in! I love watching a movie/tv/etc. then going to IMDB to see what the trivia is, then try to read the comments. Unfortunately, it’s mostly teenagers that wouldn’t know symbolism if it bit them in the butt. It would be fun to have a weekly movie club with some live tweet action. Could turn very Mystery Science Theater if the movie turns out not so bueno, which would make a crappy movie far more entertaining and not a waste of 2 hrs.

  352. Ok. I love me some good horror and syfy. If it has an 80’s icon in it or involves neuclear subs, bonus. I watched “we are who we are” this weekend. The one thing I didn’t get was how the father could be like almost dead than the next minute get up and be a raving lunatic. And it creeped me out when he kisses the older daughter… but what can you expect from a canabalistic family carrying on tradition. Anyway, if there’s a club starting somewhere, I’m totally in….

  353. For the love of God, please don’t watch A Serbian Film. Unless you’re prepared to forcefully remove your own eyeballs afterward.

    You’ve been warned.

  354. I sat here trying to think of a movie to suggest but realized that all the ones I was thinking of suggesting were mainly ones that disturbed me so greatly that I feel the need to get other people to see them, like Antichrist or A Serbian Film. Therefore I no longer trust myself to leave a movie suggestion but are totally down to do a group watch with you all.

    Also, You really should watch True Detective. It’s Lovecraftian hard boiled detective goodness

  355. I attached links to a couple of my IMBD lists for horror movies. Please enjoy…..
    Ive, watched far too many horror and thriller in my lifetime. You know, instead of doing anything particularly useful. The IMDB lists are for horror movies I liked and would actually recommend to someone without fear of reprisal!

    http://www.imdb.com/list/ls055757382/
    http://www.imdb.com/list/ls055755700/
    http://www.imdb.com/list/ls057017133/

    Check them out and give a couple a try….you might want to read the reviews first though.

  356. LOVE LOVE LOVE Horror/Suspense. My husband doesn’t so I have to watch all by myself!

    Here are a few faves…
    Insidious
    Predator and Predators
    Pet Semetary
    1408
    Event Horizon
    Identity
    First 15 min of When a Stranger Calls Back….scared me b/c of my old babysitting days (could happen in real life so maybe not a good choice for you)
    Hide and Seek
    Nightmare on Elm Street: A New Nightmare
    And mostly everything else that others have suggested.

  357. I’m in. Do I have to make a facebook account or could you just email me?

  358. Maybe we could also do the same type of thing with porn. Just saying…. (kidding)

  363. Have you seen Moon? I’m not sure if it’s on Netflix, but it’s a good one! I’m also a huge fan of Shutter Island if you haven’t seen that one. DiCaprio has turned into a really good actor. The Beach was an awesome movie and started my interest in him as an actor.

  364. Lake Mungo. Not sure how I forgot that one- that might be one of my favorite films period. It was on Netflix, but not sure if it still is.

  365. And I second the warning against A Serbian Film. I was told that if a boyfriend ever suggested I watch it with him, I should dump him immediately, ha.

    But seriously, no on that one.

  366. I watched Pontypool on Saturday and all I can say is terrible. It did leave me saying wth just happened so if that is was the plan, they succeeded. I also watching Insidious 2 – Loved it!!

  367. I usually resort to TVTropes.org, my older brother, or in most cases I will go out and buy the damn book the film is based on (they usually are) just to see if it’s any clearer. I need to know things.

  368. I completely agree with your sentiment about not understanding horror movies, especially the endings. I often find myself watching the credits of a movie I thought I understood completely and saying what just happened? I don’t know whether it’s because moviemakers like to leave audiences to their own interpretations or because ending a horror film on a confusing note makes it all the more creepy, but I frequently find myself lost at the ends of scary movies. However, I’ve found that reading books the movies are based off of can be really enlightening. For instance, I thought The Shining was phenomenal when I watched it, but I was a little confused by its ambiguous ending. After reading King’s novel, though, it was far easier to see the main character’s fall into madness and made everything make a lot more sense.

  369. I am late to this party, but HELL YES on Lake Mungo. I watch it whenever I can just to see the end again and every single time I go, “WHAT THE FUCK.” I love it. They recently took it off NetFlix though so I guess I should just go ahead and buy it.

    Totally in on the horror club.

  370. “Take Shelter” from a few years ago had an AMAZING ending that my husband and I discussed for days. Stunning. It’s a great psychological drama, too. And it features the very hot (imho) Michael Shannon. It didn’t get a lot of attention when it came out, but I loved it.

  372. That would be awesome to get a group together and talk about this! I never really get the full experience of a psychological terror, because I do not understand half of it. Even when you are watching the movie with someone else they might have a different understanding of it than you do. Terror movies really scare me, but I love to watch them. For you guys who watch them by yourself, that is a little crazy, but the more power to you! I did some research and here is a link for the most 50 Genuinely Creepy Horror Movies.

    http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/21744/50-genuinely-creepy-horror-movies

    Enjoy!

  373. I too love Supernatural Horror. I went to see Oculus last weekend in the theater. The one with Karen Gillan and the haunted mirror. I really enjoyed it. Since you’re busy with the book and everything, you could wait until you’re not busy and by then it will be on OnDemand or maybe Netflix.

  374. You should use IMDB.com (internet movie database). If you see a movie on Netflix that you think looks interesting, you could search for it on IMDB and see how many stars other users gave it. You can even read user-written reviews on the movie. Then if you decide to watch it and are confused, you can go back to IMBD and look up the Synopsis, Trivia, or even the Message Boards and see what people are discussing or pose a question there. IMDB is fantastic in uniting people under a common TV show or movie. You need to check it out!

    Side note: have you ever played the phone game “Candy Blast Mania”? Because the prince character shown on the opening screen reminds me a LOT of Victor. Any chance he posed for this cartoon without your knowledge? 😉

  375. Most recently, I found myself frightened & (more) disturbed by “Sinister”… It’s a complete mind twister that ends exactly the way it should!! For once a creepy film that ends as creepy as the movie leads to!! The husband & I constantly compete for who can DVR a great movie – I finally won this one! Plus, a scruffy whiskey drinking Ethan Hawke, I mean come on now, it can’t be bad, right?!?!

  376. I am so late to this party, but had to thank you for the insight into why people might like horror films. I don’t, but your post makes so much sense, as in a “slap yourself and say of course that’s why they’d be appealing” kind of sense.

    But I do love Sherlock and agree with those encouraging you to watch Season 3. Xanax or a BIG wine slushie only needed for the last episode of the season (as someone who was also shaken by the end of the second season, I’ll attest that the end of the third, while extraordinary, might just require help to get through).

Leave a Reply

MY BOOKS:


shop

Subscribe to the bloggess, y'all.

Enter your email address and receive notifications of new posts by email. It\'s like I\'m stalking you, but more efficient.

Archives

ALL THE COOL KIDS ADVERTISE HERE:

I fucking love these people & not just because they support my wine-slushee habit:

Flourish in Progress: (T)hug Life: Part hood. Part good.

Pregnancy Calendar at Alpha Mom: Amalah’s week-by-week guide to the miracle of pregnancy and all the various indignities that come with it.

The Mack Files: Digesting life in bite-sized pieces through the lens of clichés, quotes & “truisms”.  Often irreverent, always honest.

Barking at the Moon: If your dog is your furry child, you will laugh out loud at Tracy Beckerman’s book about her family & a one-dog wrecking ball named Riley.

Kieran’s Humor: Not suitable for children, the sensitive or those hoping to get into heaven.

Go Doc Yourself Podcast: When a good doc ends, the klatch begins… Join hosts, scientists, and friends, Erin McCourt and Erin McCartt in weekly documentary dissection.

Welcome to xanaru: A mostly funny blog about the quest for happiness through authenticity, Great Danes and indiscriminate swearing. Plus hand-painted, custom artwork on bags, jackets, backpacks & more.

How the Hell Did I Not Know That?: Humorist Lucie Frost shares daily Instagram reels with learnings of the day—words, music, whatever–with plenty of laughs and all the curse words.

Beautiful Writers book: Writers! This coming-of-career memoir (w/ the BEST advice from celeb authors, real shit you haven’t heard) is life. A page-turning beach read doubling as how-to. #Magic

The Dating Days of Marta O: When I told my sister I was building a blog she said: “Do people still read blogs?” I do not know, but if YOU want to read it, here it is. Keep in mind, my stories about dating after 40 are for the brave.

Where Do I Belong? A memoir of Sarah Carrington: The unbelievable story of growing up in a religious cult in the mountains of Northern British Columbia. What happens to you in life doesn’t make you strong; rising above it does.

CONNECTED: A Personal Journal for Ketamine Therapy Created by writer & patient Katherine Davis for this powerful clinical treatment. If considering ketamine for major depression, check out this essential tool.

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh: SO GOOD.

Discover more from The Bloggess

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading