Horrors at the Movies....

Horrors of horrors ... This blog is about the horror at the movies.... Let me start by sharing some facts that I read on Wikipedia about the beginings of the horror genre. I quote : "The first horror film on record is LE MANOIR DU DIABLE ( mad in 1896), created by one of film's earliest visionaries, georges méliès." Fast forward to 1923, when Universal Pictures started producing films with horror and mostly gothic elements. The first film of the series was the Hunchback of Notre Dame and there on many followed from all over the world. In my country, India, it is said the first real horror movie made was Mahal in 1949 by Kamal Amrohi, but the badge of honor according to me, should go to the Ramsay Brothers who have made more than 30 horror films in India and will always have a place in Bollywood’s hall of fame as the pioneers of horror.

Not everyone enjoys the horror genre because when it comes to  horror films, it is often cited as the reason of  nightmares and  physical reactions such as sweaty hands, tensed muscles, rise in blood pressure or heart rate.  Some people don't like to watch horror movies because they have bad dreams thereafter and there are those too who don't like sleeping in the dark alone. Bollywood and Hollywood films have found their audience and it is not surprising that with the advent of the 3D format the screams are getting louder.  I for one, will never forget the Ramsay films, from  Purani Haveli to Bandh Darwaza and today's films such as Bhoot, Stree and Tumbaad. How can we forget The Nun, IT, The Conjuring, Nightmare  on Elm Street and even Jaws, Titanic or Towering Inferno. Did I say, Jaws, Titanic? You may ask why.. Well it has certainly put the fear of the sea into me and I refuse to take cruises no matter what.  That's scary for me....

The fear of the unknown...the slow buildup of suspense, dead walking, screams and those horrifying faces that pop out of nowhere....that sound or figure that calls out to the friends, walking them deeper and deeper in their own death trap….that nail biting finish when someone manages to escape the jaws of death........ They are  tapping into our fears and doing their best to scare us out of our wits.. That’s horror films for you….

But I wonder what goes on in the minds of those who watch horror movies..  I, for one have a lot of questions to ask especially when it comes to Bollywood …

·         Why does the girl always need a shower in the dead of the night?

·         Why do the lights never work at night?

·         Why is the ghostly woman always in a white gown?

·         Why do they step out of the house at night into the fog or rain? 

·      Why do they go down to the basement in the middle of the night to investigate mysterious   noises

·        Why do they carry that candle to look for that singing voice do they not have a torch...why? if they are not that brave should they not  just go back to sleep!!

·         Why does a black cat always spring out of nowhere?

·         Why do they continue to hang around the bhootia ghar or haunted house the next morning   even after the scary night?

And most importantly, why do they trip and fall for no obvious reason and just can’t seem get on their feet. Why then do they not get up and run instead of crawling backwards screaming “nahin ..nahin” looking up at death.

Besides I would never be caught dead wearing those long nightgowns. How in heaven’s name would I be able to run if I were the victim. Why would I follow the ghostly figure walking at death’s pace. I would have left that haunted place the very next day.  Am I just thinking too much about details. I think I am. The trick is to let the imagination truly let loose in horror movies and I guess the magic would be lost if everyone was as analytical as me. Besides if things got solved at a drop of a hat then the movie would end within minutes, would it not?

I know of many friends who refuse to watch horror or scary movies. Now with the advent of 3D and different types of technology, horror has take a leap straight into the minds of its audience. But where there is good,  there is also the bad. Such as disturbed sleep patterns, keeping you excited and probably distressed too. It could also impact your mood, and your ability to think clearly. So you choose your poison.....Guess what? There are some excellent benefits too of watching horror.... It can help you cope with anxiety... Enhance your brain activity  and makes us more alert for a while.. It is said to even boost  your immune system ... and best of all it can burn nearly 200 calories at a time. Good to know because now I can just hog and hog and then watch one movie and loose 200 calories. No more dieting because apparently the internet says that it is equivalent to calories in a chocolate bar, or a 30-minute walk. So horror films might actually be good for health, after all. How super is that.

Everyone has been afraid of the dark some time or the other and even more so if we are out of our comfort zone, say on a holiday, where the hills are dark and deep and the night sounds are unusual.  Try telling a horror or ghost story to your companions out in the open around a campfire. The changing colour on some of the faces around you will turn more deadly than the ghosts  being spoken about….and don’t forget about that poor old Peepul tree believed to be the home of ghosts especially at night (wonder where they go during the day??). Superstitions have a place in our lives whether we admit or not and it is these that become the masala in the horror movies. Remember the fear of number 13. Hold on,  what do I do now cause I am born on a 13^th. 

Remember that victim who comes tottering in with a knife in his back to deliver a long dialogue and collapse without telling practically anything of value or that dead victim who wakes up to  grabs the ankle. Those yucky creepy, crawly things, that phone never works and neither will the car ever start. Not to forget the spooky music and  most important of all and a must have is the “cross”.....use your fingers to make a cross if you must. You lose that you lose your life.

You know what I have realised watching horror. The last survivor is always a woman. Most men are somehow not capable of surviving in a horror movie.  Is that not just the most awesome thing?  So kudos to all us women out there cause we are always survivors. At home I have my own little horror show, my daughter, who loves the macabre. The more the oozing blood, the more the zombies, vampires, supernatural... the more the ghosts, the more the curdling scream, the happier she is.  And it is not just her my husband too. The possession of just about every damn thing will keep them glued and totally desensitized to fear. Oh my, I just realized that I live among the possessed.

Some people, like my daughter are always wired to watch.. While some like me choose to watch a choice few and some not at all. After all horror is designed to scare, make you  panic, alarm you and summon our hidden worst fears. No matter how many times I try to kill the urge to watch there is no escape now with the onslaught of films available on OTT platforms and as I have said before I have a horror freak at home. Thanks to my daughter, I will be enticed and pulled into the darkness and  mystical world of horror… after all mere bhi bheje mein chemical locha hai!!  and when I am watching that knife in the hand or that person about to step towards the noises coming from the cupboard probably where the unseen horror is hiding, all my analytical skills get tossed out of the window. So until the next film lights up mine and your screen, I guess it's....  “be afraid, be very afraid.”....... “whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.”.....