Flickr/Mr Thinktank
I have been watching scary movies for as long as I can remember. When I would stay overnight at my Grandparent’s house my Grandma would always have them on. I was probably 3. I was hooked. The first scary movie I remember seeing was something about gargoyles. It may have been called Gargoyles. And to make the whole experience even more interesting, my Grandma used to go outside the bedroom where my aunt and I were sleeping and scratch on the window. It was always a trip when I stayed with Grandma.
And as I got older my enjoyment of horror movies continued. I was a ‘watch it alone at home with the lights out’ type of viewer. The first time a watched ‘When a Stranger Calls‘ I was babysitting. Not cool. But it’s a great story!
I saw this survey the other day on how people watch scary movies. See where you fit in here.
1. 92% of people who watch them prefer to watch them at home, as opposed to going to a theater. I agree. Especially these days when, on the off chance that you might scream like a baby, someone will have a camera on you.
2. 73% turn off all the lights to make it scarier. I also agree with that one. It adds to the thrill for sure. Although the skull mug my parents had in the bar when I was younger needed to be placed into a cupboard during these times because it would catch the reflection from the TV and that was a bit more than 7-year-old Shelly wanted to deal with.
3. 52% of us refuse to watch them alone. I am undecided on that one. Most of the scary movies I have watched have been a solo venture. But there is something to be said about fear in numbers. Plus if a friend squeals out before you, you can feel better about yourself.
4. 50% sometimes get spooked by random noises after watching one. SOMETIMES?!?!?!
5. And 31% of people have stopped watching a scary movie because they got too scared. I am tempted to pull out ‘wuss’ here, but I can’t because I have been known to have to take a bathroom or snack break at a key point in a flick. But I have always returned to pick up where the horror left off!
By the way the survey also showed that in ranking, the scariest movie of all time was ‘The Exorcist’. Followed by A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Shining, Halloween and The Silence of the Lambs. All solid choices. I would have to stand by the original ‘The Amityville Horror’ and ‘The Hills Have Eyes‘.
Enjoy this week of prime scary movie watching!
