We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes

I love horror movies. People keep asking me why. "Why would you watch something scary, why would you want to be scared?" they wonder. I don't think I've ever given anyone a proper answer.

      I've always been fascinated by scary things. My mom never actually denied horror movies from me, but as a child I didn't get my hands on any horror flicks so I didn't have a chance to watch them. So I read stories instead. I borrowed all the kids' horror books several times from the local library and I read them again and again. 

The Usborne Book of the Haunted World by Caroline Young used to be one of my favorite books.

                                          

Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids used to be my favorite television show. It's actually quite hilarious!

I wasn't safe from horror movies for long since I have an older brother who would always show me the scariest scenes from the horror movies he was watching. I remember I was never scared, I just laughed. Gosh, that makes me sound so disturbed. 

      By the time I reached the age of ten I had read pretty much all the books from series like Goosebumps and The Nightmare Room. One of the very first horror movies I saw from the beginning to the end was The Grudge. I was about ten years old when I saw it and, I gotta say, even today that's the movie I'm afraid of the most. The Grudge movies aren't very good movies in general, but at least the first two scared the crap out of me. Maybe it's because I first saw them when I was so young or maybe it's because I instinctively draw back from white ghostly women with long black hair and a nightgown, who knows. However I'm traumatized for life by Mrs. Kayako. 

      Surely you're waiting for my answer to the question already. I am going to answer, but I just wanted to tell you that my love for horror is not a recent thing. It's more like I was born this way, baby. Actually the truth is that I don't even know myself for sure why I like horror so much. I've been thinking about the reason and I have a couple theories. 

1. The adrenaline. 

Even though I'm not too shaken by horror movies, I'm still a little bit...on the alert. (Can I say that, is that correct?) I notice that while watching horror movies, and a few hours after, I'm much more sensitive to movements and sounds. I feel like I can see every little flake of dust and hear even the most silent noises. It's a very nice feeling. 

2. Interest in movies.

I like movies in general, not just horror movies. However horror is my favorite genre and I figured it's because it's the most difficult one. At least I think it's the most difficult one. I've seen a lot of horror movies, but only a few were actually good. Why? Because it's so damn hard to create a movie that scares the crap out of people, but still holds an interesting and clever plot. Oh so often horror movies only have the other or, sadly even more often, neither. It's like a hunt for the king of horror movies. The feeling of discovering a scary horror movie with a brilliant plot it amazing.

3. Facing your fears.

"Fight your fears and you'll be in battle forever. Face your fears and you'll be free forever." You can never win your fears, they will always be there. Although you can learn to live with your fears and it's easier if you face them first. I'm not so fond of this theory, because I don't think it applies on me. At least I've never thought "well, I'm afraid of dolls, let's watch a horror movie about dolls" just to accept my fear. 

What kind of movies you like to watch? Why do you think you prefer that genre? Let me know!

Talk to you soon!

- Sara

Its Not What a Movie Is About, It's How It Is About It

Hello there!
Let's talk about movies!
I love movies. I'm not sure when my enthusiasm for movies started, but it's been going on for at least a few years now. I mean yes, I've always enjoyed watching movies, but not until couple years ago I realized how amazing movies actually are.
I'm not one of the kind of movie lovers who has seen all the classics and knows every line from them. Nor am I the kind of person who watches every new movie that comes out. Sometimes I just hear about a movie, no matter how old or new, and I get this need to see that movie.
Of course I have my preferences in movies, I don't care much for example romantic comedies. My favorite genres are definitely horror (especially psychological horrors/thrillers), fantasy and sci-fi. I find that in these genres all the dimensions of movies show the best. There are basically no limits to what you can do with the special effects, sounds, sets etc. in a movie where everything can happen. That is why 100% realistic movies are not something I like as much.
Now I'll tell you some of my favorite movies. I have a lot of favorite movies and it's impossible for me to put them all in to a list. Anyway, here are some of them. (By the way, not all my favorite movies fall under the categories I told to be my favorite genres. Those really are my favorite genres, but I love movies outside the genres too!)
Okay, here we go.

White Oleander is simply such a beautiful story. What I like most about this movie is the characters and their growth. Also, as I already said, the story is very beautiful. I've also read the book and I think they really captured the feeling of the book into the movie. 

This is a funny one. Once I was visiting a friend and we decided to watch a movie. We ended up watching Clue, which (as you may have guessed) is based on the game of a same name. Clue might not be a masterpiece, it definitely has flaws (what movie doesn't?) but at least so far this movie has entertained me the most. It is amazingly funny! I must have watched it about twenty times, but I still love it and it still makes me laugh.

If you want to cry your eyes out at the end of a movie, watch Hidalgo. I think many people are fooled by the fact that this movie has a lot to do with horses and that's why they decide not to watch it. Sure, it is also about horses, but that is not the point. I know people who don't especially like horses, but who still liked the movie. As an equestrian myself, I of course love this movie. But seriously though, it is not a horse movie, watch it. (If not for anything else, then for Viggo Mortensen, who is hot as hell!)

I started watching House at the End of the Street thinking that it's going to be just another horror movie that I will just eventually forget. No way! House at the End of the Street turned out to be something I have actually never seen before. In a horror movie I always look for a good plot and, well, horror! Usually, if a horror movie is scary, the plot is lame and if the movie has a good plot, it lacks horror. House at the End of the Street, however, has both. You'll never know what happens next and the plot will definitely surprise you, I promise! Even after the movie I caught myself thinking about the plot, because it can actually be understood in different ways. I think that if the movie won't leave your thoughts alone, it's a good movie. (And of course, Jennifer Lawrence is one of my favorite actresses!)

Last but definitely not least, the Lord of the Rings -trilogy. I adore these movies from the bottom of my heart. They are beautifully done, they have beautiful characters, beautiful story to tell...simply amazing. I can't watch of these movies without being completely confused by everything they still have to offer me, even after seeing them so many times.

So there was some of my favorite movies. Like I said, I have so many favorite movies, but if you ask me what my favorite movie is, I'm most likely to answer these five. Now that I've made the "top 5" I realize how I would've wanted to add some more to the list...well, maybe someday I will write a second part of my favorite movies. Who knows!

Talk to you soon, bye!

- Sara