Ok, this is inspired by the other thread about the Exorcist where it's being debated where Karras regains his faith. I popped the DVD in just to reference certain events in my reply by skipping to those chapter. Even doing this frightened the hell out of me! (No pun intended.)
I love horror movies. I'm never really scared by them, outside of reflex reactions when a sudden yell happens or a sudden loud noise, but that's not really fear, just reflexes that make you jump. And even that is rare.
But the only movie that has ever truly terrified me is The Exorcist. To this very day, 30 years later, it scares the hell out of me. I mean, scared in a manner where I cannot sit with my back to an open closet door or window while watching it, where any little sound or noise makes me jump, where afterwards I feel like I have to shower and pray and make sure everything in the house is secure. I dare not watch it late at night because if I fall asleep watching it, I fear the nightmares it will induce.
Now I'm not easily scared. I've been in horrendously terrifying situations, life and death combats in far away hell-holes against people who were evil through and through and who would think nothing of torturing me to death. I've seen things in life that would make many grown men nauseous. It's very difficult for me to feel true fear, pshycological terror. Even in a life and death situation, it's just adrenal and excitement, not fear.
But watching the Exorcist freaks me out to no end. When I hear about people laughing at the movie, all I can think is "are you people mentally disturbed or something?". I can't for the life of me see how anyone could laugh at that film.
And it's not that I'm spectacularly religious. I was brought up Catholic but my beliefs have changed radically since I was a kid. I don't see things the way I used to. So it's not a matter of being horrified via religious beliefs. I do believe possession can take place though. Maybe that's why the film affects me, because I truly believe possession can happen.
But even so, that still seems hard pressed to account for the terror of the movie. I know for a fact that serial killers exist, but slasher films don't bother me. I believe that it might actually turn out to be true that aliens exist, but alien abduction movies (with one exception) do not bother me.
Only The Exorcist freaks me out so badly.
Does anyone else feel this way? I routinely rank the Exorcist as the scariest movie ever made, and whatever the #2 scariest movie would be, it would be light years away from being anywhere near as terrifying as the Exorcist.
All I can say is, I am so glad my mother did not let me go see it when it came out and I was only 8 years old. God only knows how it would have affected me then!
Is anyone else here that terrified by this film? I can't even imagine another film ever being made that tops this for pure terror. Nothing I've seen before or since holds a candle to it.
I love horror movies. I'm never really scared by them, outside of reflex reactions when a sudden yell happens or a sudden loud noise, but that's not really fear, just reflexes that make you jump. And even that is rare.
But the only movie that has ever truly terrified me is The Exorcist. To this very day, 30 years later, it scares the hell out of me. I mean, scared in a manner where I cannot sit with my back to an open closet door or window while watching it, where any little sound or noise makes me jump, where afterwards I feel like I have to shower and pray and make sure everything in the house is secure. I dare not watch it late at night because if I fall asleep watching it, I fear the nightmares it will induce.
Now I'm not easily scared. I've been in horrendously terrifying situations, life and death combats in far away hell-holes against people who were evil through and through and who would think nothing of torturing me to death. I've seen things in life that would make many grown men nauseous. It's very difficult for me to feel true fear, pshycological terror. Even in a life and death situation, it's just adrenal and excitement, not fear.
But watching the Exorcist freaks me out to no end. When I hear about people laughing at the movie, all I can think is "are you people mentally disturbed or something?". I can't for the life of me see how anyone could laugh at that film.
And it's not that I'm spectacularly religious. I was brought up Catholic but my beliefs have changed radically since I was a kid. I don't see things the way I used to. So it's not a matter of being horrified via religious beliefs. I do believe possession can take place though. Maybe that's why the film affects me, because I truly believe possession can happen.
But even so, that still seems hard pressed to account for the terror of the movie. I know for a fact that serial killers exist, but slasher films don't bother me. I believe that it might actually turn out to be true that aliens exist, but alien abduction movies (with one exception) do not bother me.
Only The Exorcist freaks me out so badly.
Does anyone else feel this way? I routinely rank the Exorcist as the scariest movie ever made, and whatever the #2 scariest movie would be, it would be light years away from being anywhere near as terrifying as the Exorcist.
All I can say is, I am so glad my mother did not let me go see it when it came out and I was only 8 years old. God only knows how it would have affected me then!
Is anyone else here that terrified by this film? I can't even imagine another film ever being made that tops this for pure terror. Nothing I've seen before or since holds a candle to it.
