Scared Yet: Gory flicks continue to scare

Horror movies: Whether people think of monstrous figures such as Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees, or more suspenseful films like “The House at the End of the Street,” there have always been plenty to choose from.

Recently, there have been several horror movies released in theaters. The suspenseful thriller “Sinister” gave audiences chills while the petrifying “The Posession,” made people jump. Either way, University of South Dakota students have plenty to be frightened about this October.

But when it comes to horror movies, there tends to be controversy over whether the movie was spooky enough to have a friend walk you to the bathroom, or if the movie had such terrible acting that it was a waste of money going to watch it. Since it’s the season of things that go bump in the night, film appreciation professors and students at USD sound off about horror movies and thrillers.

Film appreciation professor Genna Raimondo said horror trends are constantly changing.

“As far as current trends, while there are numerous types of horror movies,” he said. “The two somewhat dominant trends now are zombie movies and ghost stories.”

Zombie movies that tend to deal with a post-apocalyptic world after a terrible epidemic or infectious disease are one of the more popular trends. They grasp the attention of students because they feel engaged in the movie. There are also shows like “The Walking Dead” that keep this creepy, undead movement alive.

According to Raimando, ghost movies became especially popular after the Japanese film “Ringu,” which came out in 1998 and had a plot that focused on the idea of the avenging spirit; thus, bringing on different popular movie franchises such as the “Paranormal Activity” series and various other possession movies.

Although there are two trends that clasp the students’ attention more than others, there is one more that has been with us for quite some time — the “slasher” film. They are not as popular as they once were, but they are still around due to remakes and television showings.

“These films too often deal with grotesque acts of violence that shock us rather than disturb us and in many ways have desensitized audiences to acts of violence on the screen and our expectations of horror,” Raimondo said.

Christopher Moser, 25, is a student with a minor in film appreciation who is also a fan of the flicks.

“I was obsessed with horror and dreamed nothing but horror,” he said. “When I was growing up, I wanted to be a director and most of the movies that were floating around in my head were horror

movies.”

But not every person loves the gory genre.

“I do not like horror movies because they have a negative impact on youth,” first-year Jordan Heideman said. “Children should not have to grow up afraid of the dark or afraid of a figure in a scary movie.”

Whether they are loved or hated, it appears that horror movies are here to stay.