Yesterday was October 1st, and that means Spooky Season has officially arrived. But as excited as I am for haunted houses, Halloween parties, and changing my Instagram username from "hgpuckles" to "hgspookles," this time of year (specifically October 1st-October 31st) is always super stressful for me, and the reason is quite simple:
Horror movies.
Namely, the fact that even though I hate horror movies and they never fail to terrify me, I keep watching them. For example, last night, some friends and I went to the Gateway Film Center to watch a late-night screening of "The Shining." I was so psyched- what a killer (no pun intended) way to kick off Spooky Season!
And yet, as I sat in the theater watching little Danny ride his Big Wheel around the corner to reveal those iconic creepy twins, I thought "Why on Earth did I think this would be a good idea?"
Actually, I do have some answers to that question. Here's why I watch horror movies (even though they give me the heebie-jeebies):
1. I'm a sucker for good filmmaking.
I'm a film major, so I can be easily persuaded into watching anything that's highly regarded in the world of cinema. I saw "Midsommar" because I was blown away by the cinematography in the trailer; I gave in to watching "Get Out" because my friend, a scary movie enthusiast, told me it was the best thing she had ever seen; I watched "The Exorcist" because my then-boyfriend raved about how it changed the world of horror movies forever.
2. My decision to watch a movie happens during the day.
Usually, I'm feeling pretty confident when I decide I'm going to watch a scary movie. Maybe it's 2 in the afternoon and bright and sunny, or I'm surrounded by loads of friends to keep me safe. I think, "Horror movies? I could eat them for breakfast." However, the nighttime inevitably comes, and as I sit alone in my room surrounded by creepy shadows, I think, "Dude, Pennywise is going to eat me for breakfast."
3. All I want is to celebrate Spooky Season.
If you couldn't tell from the beginning of this article, I think Spooky Season is THE BEST, and even though I technically could get into the spirit by carving Jack-O-Lanterns and listening to "Spooky Scary Skeletons" on repeat, everyone knows one of the best parts about this time of year is watching scary movies.
So, bottom line: even though I end up covering my eyes for most of the horror movies I watch, I do have some pretty good reasons for watching them in the first place. Which is why I'm going to defeat the status quo and do the unexpected:
Watch even more!
It's like immersion therapy- Theoretically, if I watch a bunch of super scary films, eventually I'll just get used to them and they won't be so scary anymore. My hope is that one day I'll be able to sit down and watch "The Conjuring," analyzing the cinematography and reveling in the spookiness, without batting an eye. Although I am currently writing this in the afternoon when it's bright and sunny, and I'm surrounded by friends to keep me safe...oh well, I'm sure this time will be different, right?
Happy Spooky Season!
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