Elsie Ramos
Sports Editor
When the month of October hits, the time comes to put that romantic comedy away and turn off the lights, lock your doors, pop some popcorn, turn up the surround sound and watch your favorite scary movie.
Whether it is blood and gore or a psychological thriller, there is something about scary movies that has people wanting more, especially during the Halloween season.
“People love to get the adrenaline rush from scary movies,” sophomore criminology major Priscilla Venegas said.
Over the years, the face of scary movies may have changed, but the rush of adrenaline that keeps viewers lined up for hours remains the same.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s scary movies were more about the blood and gore, with popular serial killer movies that bank on shock value.
“Halloween,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and the “Friday the 13th” series brought tons of fans, but today the popular movies are either psychological thrillers or a mixture of thought and gore.
“The first ‘Saw’ movie is my favorite,” sophomore business major Peter Careaga said. “It’s bloody and gory, yet it really makes you think.”
A popular mind thrilling movie was last year’s blockbuster, psychological thriller “Paranormal Activity.”
“Its real and it could happen to anyone,” freshman psychology major Anthony Lee said. “It’s so freaky.”
Some students prefer to stick to the classics that kept them up at night as children.
“Chucky was so scary,” Venegas said. “It’s a doll and it doesn’t die. It just keeps going.”
“I love the old Freddy Krueger movies because they’re funny, but the new ones are good too because they keep you on your toes,” freshman movement and sports science major Breanna English said.
When a horror movie does well at the box office, a multitude of sequels usually follow and more often than not, the sequels disappoint even the die-hard fans.
“With the Saw movies it was too much,” Careaga said. “It ruined a good thing and made me not like it. It was just the same storyline, with a different girls getting killed.”
Some students prefer not to watch scary movies at all, not only because they are scared but also because they do not see the reasoning behind wanting to be frightened on purpose.
“I am absolutely terrified of them,” freshman political science major Candice Nunez said. “When they pop out and scare you with their ugly faces. That really gets me.”
“I don’t watch them,” senior business major Daniel Brown said. “I don’t see the point in scaring yourself for no reason. It’s pointless.”
The movie plotlines may vary, but one thing is certain: there is no better time to watch scary movies than Halloween night.
“The suspense factor and not being able to sleep at night are the best,” freshman Steve Reyes said.
Elsie Ramos can be reached at elsie.ramos@laverne.edu.
