I think The Shining is supposed to be something people can relate to, making it scarier. The point of the whole book is to give the readers something interesting and entertaining, while being extremely scary. For as famous as the book and movie are and have stayed throughout the years, it apparently got the job done. I think the author used many key points with the family setup to relate to the reader. No one has a perfect family, and King uses a very dysfunctional family in his novel. The father is a seemingly good man, who has done some bad things and had a problem with alcohol, and the son has some mental issues we are figuring out along the way. The family isn’t perfect but they clearly love each other and are just trying to get it together and be happy in a not so perfect situation, this is relatable.
To write this novel, I believe the author had to know how to relate to the average American. The author had to know the little things that would scare a person. The music that plays in a person’s head, the images that run in the readers mind, and how every word has to be exactly right to keep the reader hooked. I do believe the author knows how to do all these things. King has become extremely famous through his novels and movies and his books have shown to be timeless. However, I do not think I would read another book by Stephen King. I have found The Shining to be extremely hard to read and pay attention to. It takes a really amazing book to keep me entertained, as I am just not much of a reader in general. There are books out there that I would pay a million dollars for and read 1000 pages of, and then read again and again. But The Shining is just not that book no matter how much I want to enjoy it, I just don’t.
The setting of the book has many important things and places that make the book and movie what they are. Most importantly, the Overlook Hotel as a whole. The Overlook hotel had been repeatedly sold and purchased, resulting in a vast history of conspiracy and death. When Danny Torrance came to the hotel, the ghosts of the Overlook's past came to life in the form of the Torrance family. The novel is supposed to be based during the 1970’s. I think the scene where the Father Jack, is chasing Danny throughout the maze in the snow outside the hotel, is the best part of the whole book, and really is what people think of when they remember the book or the movie.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Blog 2, The Supernatural!
Well the supernatural is something that I have no definite answer about or opinion on. I do believe in some supernatural things, but others, I think are stupid and unreal, it all just depends. In definition, supernatural is anything above or beyond what one holds to be natural and exists outside natural law and the observable universe. So this leaves a huge world of things that we could be talking about when we say supernatural.
If we are talking about supernatural in a religious sense, then I do not believe in any god in particular or believe any strict religion. I rather take bits and pieces from all religions that I think work well to fit my life and beliefs, and apply them to me. So even though I do not believe in a god, I do believe in some sort or higher power. I believe in something more then just human life. I don’t know if I believe in a heaven or hell exactly, but I do believe in a different place we cannot see, but we simply know is there. Such a alternate dimensions or parallel universes.
Now, if we are talking about scary ghosts then that’s a little different. I believe that when people die, the energy from their souls and bodies lives on in some form. I do not know if I believe in the white light and the big heaven gates where you see all your past relatives and friends waiting to greet you, and you can look down on all your loved ones still alive, but it is a nice idea. And I suppose everyone needs something to look forward to after life, or death would just be so much more depressing, but that could lead into a totally different topic all together, so lets leave it at that.
Its hard to put my believes on the supernatural into solid viewpoints or values. I do however, strongly believe in science. I think that I use science to explain many of my beliefs if not all of them. I use science to explain my beliefs on religion, the after life, gods and higher powers, other worlds and heaven and hell, and sub natural beings.
I believe for horror film purposes, using the supernatural to scare people works very well. This tactic works so well because the supernatural is exactly that, supernatural. For example, you can talk about wolves all day on Animal Planet, and they are not scary. And people, we see people all day long everyday, we work and live with them and although people can do scary things, in general, people are not afraid of other people. But when you combine the two, you get a werewolf, a classic character used to scare people. The werewolf is scary because it is not natural. It is uncontrollable and frightening in physical appearance. Werewolves are something we see in movies all the time and they scare us because wolves exist, as do people, so why not werewolves? Is it really possible? There is no world wide test to say that werewolves are absolutely not real, and even if there was, would that really do anything to calm our fears? I believe this same theory works for every part of supernatural used in movies; spells, witches, monsters, zombies, demons, ghosts, and many more. People are scared of the supernatural because the supernatural is always perceived as dark, and chilling, and uncontrollable, and stronger, and more powerful then us simple humans.
As far as movies go, the uncontrollable, unexplainable, gloomy side of the supernatural is a good fear tactic for the fact that it is all those things. But as far as religion, and afterlife, and ghosts, and such things go, I believe people need something to believe in. People need to believe in the supernatural whether it is for entertainment purposes, or to help them get out of bed in the morning. People need to have that little glimmer of fear, so that things like Paranormal Activity, or The Sixth Sense can scare and entertain them. And they need to believe in something supernatural to have happy lives. People force themselves to believe in heaven so that they are not afraid of death, or so that they have something good to feel, something to make it all okay when someone they love passes away. People need to believe in hell and sins so they can be the best people they can be. And people force themselves to believe in God, and a higher power, and a grand plan, so that they can explain things like genocide, war, terror, the holocaust, and all other bad things. People make themselves believe these things from the time they are born even though there has never, ever been solid evidence to support it because they are the simple things that people turn to when they need answers and guidance. Whether we all believe in the same thing, it doesn’t matter, because we all believe in something which makes us better people, and all together, makes the world simply a better place.
If we are talking about supernatural in a religious sense, then I do not believe in any god in particular or believe any strict religion. I rather take bits and pieces from all religions that I think work well to fit my life and beliefs, and apply them to me. So even though I do not believe in a god, I do believe in some sort or higher power. I believe in something more then just human life. I don’t know if I believe in a heaven or hell exactly, but I do believe in a different place we cannot see, but we simply know is there. Such a alternate dimensions or parallel universes.
Now, if we are talking about scary ghosts then that’s a little different. I believe that when people die, the energy from their souls and bodies lives on in some form. I do not know if I believe in the white light and the big heaven gates where you see all your past relatives and friends waiting to greet you, and you can look down on all your loved ones still alive, but it is a nice idea. And I suppose everyone needs something to look forward to after life, or death would just be so much more depressing, but that could lead into a totally different topic all together, so lets leave it at that.
Its hard to put my believes on the supernatural into solid viewpoints or values. I do however, strongly believe in science. I think that I use science to explain many of my beliefs if not all of them. I use science to explain my beliefs on religion, the after life, gods and higher powers, other worlds and heaven and hell, and sub natural beings.
I believe for horror film purposes, using the supernatural to scare people works very well. This tactic works so well because the supernatural is exactly that, supernatural. For example, you can talk about wolves all day on Animal Planet, and they are not scary. And people, we see people all day long everyday, we work and live with them and although people can do scary things, in general, people are not afraid of other people. But when you combine the two, you get a werewolf, a classic character used to scare people. The werewolf is scary because it is not natural. It is uncontrollable and frightening in physical appearance. Werewolves are something we see in movies all the time and they scare us because wolves exist, as do people, so why not werewolves? Is it really possible? There is no world wide test to say that werewolves are absolutely not real, and even if there was, would that really do anything to calm our fears? I believe this same theory works for every part of supernatural used in movies; spells, witches, monsters, zombies, demons, ghosts, and many more. People are scared of the supernatural because the supernatural is always perceived as dark, and chilling, and uncontrollable, and stronger, and more powerful then us simple humans.
As far as movies go, the uncontrollable, unexplainable, gloomy side of the supernatural is a good fear tactic for the fact that it is all those things. But as far as religion, and afterlife, and ghosts, and such things go, I believe people need something to believe in. People need to believe in the supernatural whether it is for entertainment purposes, or to help them get out of bed in the morning. People need to have that little glimmer of fear, so that things like Paranormal Activity, or The Sixth Sense can scare and entertain them. And they need to believe in something supernatural to have happy lives. People force themselves to believe in heaven so that they are not afraid of death, or so that they have something good to feel, something to make it all okay when someone they love passes away. People need to believe in hell and sins so they can be the best people they can be. And people force themselves to believe in God, and a higher power, and a grand plan, so that they can explain things like genocide, war, terror, the holocaust, and all other bad things. People make themselves believe these things from the time they are born even though there has never, ever been solid evidence to support it because they are the simple things that people turn to when they need answers and guidance. Whether we all believe in the same thing, it doesn’t matter, because we all believe in something which makes us better people, and all together, makes the world simply a better place.
The Exorcist
Blog 3 – The Exorcist
The Exorcist, though scary and disturbing in its time, is no longer scary or disturbing to the modern teenager or adult. The exorcist used different special effects and scare tactics that were new and frightening for the time, but no longer have the same effect. The exorcist came out in 1973, 37 years ago. For their time, the special effects used were extremely realistic. The styles, the voices, the fashion, the settings, and the plots were all very realistic. The settings and everything in the movie matched the times, so it if the people watching the movie in 1973 could have been the possessed little girl, or the mother, or the priest. All the style and settings from the movie however, are completely out dated. The fact that we cannot relate to the people and the setting in that sense, takes away from the idea that we could be in that same situation, therefore taking away from the terror its self.
The fashion, style, and settings for the movie were not the only thing that modern teens and young adults cannot relate to, or the only thing that would take away from the scariness. The special effects were also very un-frightening. Regan’s exorcist face was not scary at all. It is a classic face, don’t get me wrong, and when you watch a YouTube video and it pops up at the end with a scream or it pops up on television, it will give anyone the chills, and even frighten them a bit, but it is not the type of face to stick with you and give you nightmares. The rough voice from the possessed girl was also very much not scary. It of course added to the effect of the fact that she was possessed and the devil or whatever, but it still didn’t leave you hearing it in your head or frightened by it.
(the scary face from Exorcist that once created fear in people, but has lost some of its scariness.)There is more even still, that added to the truly not scary effect of The Exorcist. The epic scene, and one of the most famous and reused scenes, the spider walk down the stares. The spider walk I have seen before. The spider walk has been used in more modern films such as Stay Alive, Arachnophobia, The Brood, and many more. I have seen the spider walk done by other little girls, old ladies, little boys, even a dog once, but each time it gets scarier and scarier, so the original spider walk losses its touch. The spider walk from the Exorcist is a very short scene in broad day light, with many people around, so extra things in the scene that may have been able to add some scare to it, were not added, leaving it simple and over used in more modern films.
(spider walk from Exorcist)The vomiting of the pea soup, the raspy voice, the spider walk, and many other things from the movie, truly do not have the power to scare. It has been 37 years since the original Exorcist. All the things that originally scared people and made the movie so epic and timeless are now, outdated. For the movie go-er who is not used to scary movies, or easily scared, this movie does still have some power to scare. However, the Exorcist used special effects and concepts that are no longer new and chilling. Today we have much more gruesome, raunchy, horrific effects and ideas that make the Exorcist seem simply not scary. The Exorcist will always be know for what it did to inspire many, many more horror films and idea for the next 37 years and counting, but the film itself I feel, has lost the epic touch it once had and is no longer scary at all, and simply does not work.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The First Time I Fell In Love With Horror Films
I have always loved horror films. But I do remember the first time I truly fell in love with them. I remember watching movies as a kid like Children of the Corn, or Gremlins, but it wasn’t until I saw one movie in particular that I began to love psychological thrillers. The first movie to really get me into real modern horror was the first Saw movie to come out in theatres. I was young and not allowed to see then. I was so angry because, as every pre teen, I believed I was old then and old enough to do whatever I wanted. But the rules were still the rules, and I absolutely could not see Saw. But it looked so good! My sister told me that she didn’t want to deal with my complaints of being tired and not able to sleep. She said she wouldn’t put up with my wining about how I had to sleep in her bed and couldn’t be home alone because I was scared. It was so annoying to me that my sister thought I would be such a baby, and only encouraged my desire to see the movie ten times more.
I waited weeks while everyone else saw it. All my friends saw it, and even some of my family. It made me so irritated that my friends, almost all my age and if not, only a year or two older, were all able to see it, but not me. I was getting upset that everyone in my grade was talking about it and going with each other to see it, and I was the odd man out. To make matters so much more vexing, my brother bothered me about it forever because he knew I had wanted to see it so bad, and he had already seen it twice. Finally, when it was out of the theaters and on DVD to rent, I was going to rent it! Only problem was, I didn’t know how to rent the movie. I was young and did not have a blockbuster card or the money to rent it.
So I waited some more. I waited until my best friend could convince his brother to rent it. At that point I was so excited. I didn’t know how we were going to get it from his brother, or where we would watch it, but I figured, this was the best shot I had. So finally, one night he took it out of the house, came over, waited for my sister to go to bed and be fast asleep, and we watched it together. It was great! I couldn’t sleep all night. I had nightmares and found that it wasn’t scary with monsters but more disturbing and physiologically thrilling, which was so interesting and entertaining to me. After a while I told my sister that we had seen it and although she was angry, she was surprised I hadn’t asked to sleep in her room the whole time. She soon became more lenient about the scary movies I could watch. She let me see the rest of the Saw movies as long as I didn’t come crying to her when I got scared, and I never did. Ever since then the horror movies I love the most haven’t been the big scary monster movies but more the mind boggling, twisted, and disturbing thrillers.
I waited weeks while everyone else saw it. All my friends saw it, and even some of my family. It made me so irritated that my friends, almost all my age and if not, only a year or two older, were all able to see it, but not me. I was getting upset that everyone in my grade was talking about it and going with each other to see it, and I was the odd man out. To make matters so much more vexing, my brother bothered me about it forever because he knew I had wanted to see it so bad, and he had already seen it twice. Finally, when it was out of the theaters and on DVD to rent, I was going to rent it! Only problem was, I didn’t know how to rent the movie. I was young and did not have a blockbuster card or the money to rent it.
So I waited some more. I waited until my best friend could convince his brother to rent it. At that point I was so excited. I didn’t know how we were going to get it from his brother, or where we would watch it, but I figured, this was the best shot I had. So finally, one night he took it out of the house, came over, waited for my sister to go to bed and be fast asleep, and we watched it together. It was great! I couldn’t sleep all night. I had nightmares and found that it wasn’t scary with monsters but more disturbing and physiologically thrilling, which was so interesting and entertaining to me. After a while I told my sister that we had seen it and although she was angry, she was surprised I hadn’t asked to sleep in her room the whole time. She soon became more lenient about the scary movies I could watch. She let me see the rest of the Saw movies as long as I didn’t come crying to her when I got scared, and I never did. Ever since then the horror movies I love the most haven’t been the big scary monster movies but more the mind boggling, twisted, and disturbing thrillers.
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