Horror Movies

As we discussed in class on Monday: media, art, and literature can be realistic or a bit more abstract. As we were talking, it dawned on me that a lot of horror movies try to make people feel as if they are a part of the action, instead of just being an observer. Horror films make people forget that they are watching a movie because the films can be frightening or simply have people in anticipation. As the video above for the first Paranormal Activity film shows, people were jumping in their seats because they were so caught up in the story and scares of the film. I somewhat enjoy horror films because they are interesting but often I get extremely scared. I did go to see this film in theaters and although my reactions were not as extreme, I did forget that I was watching a movie and felt scared for myself and the characters. This idea of making the audience feel a part of the film is most prominent in horror films than any other genre. It is aided with the shaky cam and other techniques which try to make the films seem more realistic. The use of such tricks could be seen in earlier films such as The Blair Witch Project and then in Cloverfield. There is also a genre of films known as "Found Footage," which tries to show that the clips being seen on screen are real discovered footage from real events. This helps even more so to make the audience feel that they are watching something real as opposed to watching a film. There are many "Found Footage" films, and a list can be found at: Found Footage Films. The list of numerous films, within the last decade, shows how prevalent this idea is becoming and that more people are looking for films that will not only scare them, but make them forget they are watching a movie and put them right in the action.