Horror Movie Love-Hate

I love horror movies, particularly those of the J and K persuasion. Sadly, characters in horror movies have to possess a requisite amount of retardation in order for the plot to move forward, or in some cases, in order for the premise of the movie to be exist in the first place. A certain level of tolerance and a willingness to experience occasional frustration are necessities of the job.

One of the biggest differences between American horror films and Asian ones would have to be the gore levels. American films rely heavily on buckets of red corn syrup and CGI. For better or worse, films like the Hostel series come to my mind first when thinking of modern American horror films. This may not be entirely fair, I'll admit. The Blair Witch Project, The Others, The Exorcist, and The Sixth Sense were all great films that don't fit this mold.

Another thing, by far the worse one in my opinion, is American horror's reliance on what I call 'jump scares'. These are those moments when either the music stops or the violins begin to hold that one high pitched note as the protagonists approach a dark hole or prepare to open a door. AND THEN SOMETHING STARTLES THEM, whether it be the monster or, more often, someone shows up and says, "HEY!" This moment is also usually punctuated by a loud DUN! on the piano.

What I like about J/K horror? Well, that can fill a whole post by itself. Next post will elaborate on the differences between American and J/K.