Scary Movies Have No Backbone

Now, I don't consider myself a horror movie fanatic, but I do enjoy them. I'm no buff now though mind you. I haven't seen all the Halloween movies (though I want to), I haven't seen the 20 million remakes of Nightmare on Elm Street, and I really haven't seen a scary movie that was made before 1990 (except The Exorcist). I have even been told I have crappy movie taste when it comes to thrillers. But hey, I can appreciate a bad movie with good intentions. But, I will say, this: Paranormal Activity was like Blair With Project shots inside of a house. I'm quite upset I wasted $20 on the damn thing. When they said "scariest movie of the year" I was expecting to be rocked to my core, disturbed and unable to sleep. So I coerced my boyfriend into watching it with me. We poured ourselves a drink, cuddled up on the couch, and then wasted 2 hours of our time being mildly entertained.

I will admit that there were part where I was like, "ohh, that's pretty creepy." But that pounding music that started before each "paranormal activity" only made it seem cheesy and anticipated. I like not knowing when things are going to happen. Makes it scarier I think. But the parts I did enjoy was when the footstep appeared in the baby powder. The ones that went only in one direction. Cleverly done. And I most enjoyed watching her get dragged out of the room by her ankles by the invisible demon. That was just weird and made me shudder. And at the end, her screaming? Tore right through me. I didn't know what to expect. However, it seems as though there are three alternate endings to this interesting tale. While I do appreciate this, I think it gives up an awful bit of credibility to the story being somewhat "real", don't you think? My favorite ending is the one where she throws him against the camera and then proceeds to turn into the creature and attack the camera. Artfully done, and great perspective.

Overall, I would give the movie an A for effor, C- for execution. I think I'm especially upset because the trailers looked so promising. Is this what we have to look forward to? Scary titillating trailers that and sub par movies? That's just too depressing to think about. I haven't been genuinely freaked out by a movie since The Ring. I was younger yes, but the air of mystery in that story is just too disconcerting for words. Especially when crazy deer attack your car. Not the best way to die. And, for anyone out there who wants to write and produce scary movies, please, with the blood. Blood is creppy and violent, not scary. That's gore. It can be done effectively in combination with horror, but they are not the same thing, ok? Stop telling me movies are scary when they're actually just bloody and horrendously violent. Not to knock blood and gore, for if you've seen the latest Halloween that came out over the summer, you will know that blood and gore has it's place. Just be careful of the techniques you use. People want to be scared out if their wits, not nauseated.

So please, for the love of mercy, someone make a decent scary movie. One in which after viewing, I will be scared to close my eyes for more than 2 minutes at a time.