Most directors and actors have had something to do with comedies at least once in their career, and they will very often tell you (in those propaganda-esque, short making of features that you often see on TV) that making people laugh is "like the hardest thing in film business" and "so much harder than making people cry" bla, bla. Professional writers tend to come up with something similar in interviews.
However, in my opinion, it is so much harder to scare an audience in a way that is actually physically exhausting, to make them shed tears of fear, not joy or amusement. If you don't believe me, you should try and watch SPLINTER. Hilarious - but not in the slightest scary.
If I watch a bunch of "comedies" - the term doesn't always prove to be fitting - years of practical research tell me that I will like at least 50% of them; most comedies get a rating around 6.0 from me, and a rating above 5.5 means I at least like parts of a film. Now, if I watch a bunch of "horror films" - producers are not being very canny with this term either - I reckon I'll like, say 20% of them, and maybe another 9% of them I will consider to be decent comedies.
So what makes me - and I believe I'm not the only one - sit through these hours of boredom?
It's hope. The undying hope for an adrenaline nirvana. We don't know if anyone has ever underwent it, nor do we know what waits at the end of that experience. Eternal invincibleness, infinite wisdom... or maybe just a never-ending paranoia. Chances are small one of us will ever live to see.
But: we can come close to it, sense its divine being, if only we sacrifice a tiny portion of our time on
this earth.
Take me as an example: I'm only 16 years old, still I've had the [horror] time of my life just recently, trembling and cringing on the sofa, scrunching a bunch of pillows and the hand of my guest mom. Which reminds me of another thing: unless you're completely out-of-your-mind/ insane/ extremely hard-boiled, you should never watch a horror film on your own. Not even if it's rather un-scary - trust me, I watched RAGINI MMS alone without a single light on. Another tip: Indian horror films are, generally speaking, bad. I haven't seen a very good one yet, neither have my sources, however there is one film I just have to watch, namely BHOOT BUNGLA from 1965. You won't believe it, but they say there's a song in it with skeletons dancing. Must-watch.
All of this being said, you might be asking yourself whether there really is no way of narrowing down your search for the perfect horror film, a question I have often found myself brooding over. You'll easily get a few lists of cult-classic horror films from the internet or (the fortunate ones) from your fellow film-loving friends. There will also always be over-hyped newer releases like PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and similar, you won't be able to miss those. As for insider tips and unknown pearls... I'm not the best one to ask. Watch TV at night once a month or something, that's something I can recommend. You might stumble upon a really nice horror gem between the late-night pornos. Of course, you can also try and find other bloggers and/ or friends that are in to horror films and can recommend you some films.
This, for instance, is a great site for horror film addicts: www.best-horror-movies.com
Last but not least, I'd like to tell you that even though I call myself a die-hard fan of horror films, they only represent a tiny percentage of all the films I watch, mainly due to my rule #1 about not watching a horror film all by myself. Sadly, most of my friends and family are scaredy-cats. This is probably not important to you, but I want to be honest with myself - and you, so... don't think I'm a horror film expert or anything.
Finally, my Top 5 Horror Films.
NB: Sweeney Todd, one of my favorite films, wasn't included because I don't consider it a horror film.
5. Scream (1996) Wes Craven
Very close to the comedy/horror boundary, but as far as I remember, it was scary enough to scare me. And hilarious at the same time. I've seen the first three in a row when I was 13, but I'm not sure if I want to watch the latest one, even though it's supposed to be all right.
4. Dawn of the Dead (1978) George A. Romero
The idea/ question of what happens to a bunch of more or less random people who are forced to be together in a certain area for a long time, has always fascinated me. Which is why I enjoyed THE KILLING ROOM, for example. But even those who are not as much a philosopher as I am, will surely enjoy this feast of blood fountains and creepy zombies.
3. Poltergeist (1982) Tobe Hooper
The good ol' ghost living in the closet - invented by Germans by the way (as you can hear). Scared the hell out of me as a kid.
2. The Shining (1980) Stanley Kubrick
After watching OF MICE AND MEN, in which Jack Nicholson plays a retarded, in school, I thought I'd never be able to take him seriously again. That proved to be true, until I watched THE SHINING. Like all my choices, this is a good film even beneath the horror-surface, and there's much more to it than some blood and some thrills. I also know now, where Peter Jackson got his inspiration for the character of Gollum/Smeagol - Shelley Duvall?
1. The Exorcist (1973) William Friedkin
The horror film above them all. Once you've seen it, it will never leave you. And your expectations for a horror film will sky-dive. But it's definitely worth it.
Happy Halloween and...