I'd like a suggested viewing list of actually "good" contemporary horror movies.
None of this The Shining thirty year old sh!t.
In the last five years.
What horror films rocked your socks off and are now "must see" - farrrr away from closet cult fetishes.
The Descent, maybe?
Let the Right One In is more drama - with supernatural elements to it! than straight horror. But I liked it!
Let Me In - not so much.
The Burrowers was... just above completely retarded. Just semi-retarded.
+1
The Haunting 1963
The Legend of Hell House
Psycho 1960
Night of the living Dead 1968
The Descent
Let the right one in
Horror films I've seen:
The Omen (original) - I love and still rewatch
The Exorcist - I love and still rewatch
Blair Witch Project - I thought it was an okay story, but I really liked it because of the whole idea of the way it was filmed, planned etc.
Poltergeist - Okay
Rosemary's Baby - Not bad
The Shining - Good
Cabin Fever
I know what you did last summer
Psycho - Awesome
Was Sixth Sense horror? I don't remember much blood and gore.
It's interesting how people like to narrow their tastes to specific genres. I've never quite understood that. When I was making CRIMPS I got asked quite often if I was a "fan of horror movies". The question made no sense to me. I'm a fan of good movies; couldn't care less what the genre is. Horror, fantasy, sci-fi, comedy, drama, romance, war, western, historical, crime, thriller, mystery, whatever -- I have examples of them all in my library. A good movie is a good movie.
30 days of night is the only recent (last 12 years) horror movie i can think of that really pulled it off.
Heard good stuff about decent and The Strangers
Sixth Sence not horror ..more suspence.. but an good example of unique storyline and prespective
The Changeling is another one that is a classic and highly recomended.
it might help a little...the ones i gave you are classics so i dont reconmend viewing the trailers...but in this thread you might want to look at the ones listed there even tho they have spoilers...it may help to add to your list.
I'm a fan of good movies; couldn't care less what the genre is. Horror, fantasy, sci-fi, comedy, drama, romance, war, western, historical, crime, thriller, mystery, whatever -- I have examples of them all in my library. A good movie is a good movie.
Awwww Richy. You're so nice. My ego is up in the clouds right now my friend. I don't think I can write anymore, I'm so farklempt.
No, I don't want to make a bad horror film. I want to make a good one. I just didn't want to sound like I knew what I was doing, because, I kind of don't.
I've got an idea for a film, but I want to involve religion and revenge into it. I can work on a story, that to me wouldn't essentially be about horror. But the trick for me in writing would be to figure out how to include blood and gore, which horror film watchers seem to like so much and I don't even understand.
So my goal right now is to try to understand blood and gore and figure out if I can actually write something that I can shoot for a reasonable budget.
I actually was reading about genres that could get money for filmmakers, and horror was EVERYWHERE. So this thread.
Hey Richy, thank you again for those kind words. I can't tell you how much I love you right now
Unlike Ray, I wouldn't dismiss the thirty year old sh!t. But I do like Ray's picks for current horror. And, I would mention Paranormal Activity. I hate that movie. I hate it because it did creep me out and linger with me. I'm not a believer. The movie is almost cheesy in it's sometimes less-than-believable acting. I know it's make-believe and distributed by Paramount. I've heard the story about Spielberg. I know that we're not watching a real snuff film, wherin a demon is doing the snuffing. Etc etc etc. But I have a verrrrry active imagination. So despite all of the above, my imagination can take-off with something like that, and the movie quickly wore out its welcome in my life. I know that it had a similar effect on my Dad with whom I saw the damn thing, and I've heard of other people having similar reactions. Oi. Now unlike the gore stuff, that kind of thing does creep me out. I do not like to be creeped out. I actually regret seeing it, pretty much. It's right up there (or down there) with the Exorcistfor me. I have almost no interest in rewatching the Exorcist either, even after all of these years. Not that I'm suggesting that you make Paranormal Activity 4. And even if you did and it was a great film, I ain't watchin' it!
I was also wondering about a film like Blood Simple. It's been forever since I saw it, but I'm wondering if a film like that would have more down-to-earth budget needs than perhaps even a low-budget horror? IMDb lists it as crime/drama/thriller. How about something like that as an alternative consideration to horror?
Look, if you're just making a movie to make money, or to break in, then you're making the wrong movie. The only reason to make a specific movie is because you love it. Why spend so much effort on something you're so tepid about? What's the point?
Genre film is actually really difficult to do well. And before taking a stab at any genre, you should know it inside and out.
I love horror, have written and am writing horror scripts, and watch horror movies all the time (as well as every other type of movie I can get my hands on). I have professionally published articles about film history, including about horror film. Yet I still feel like I have a lot to learn about writing and shooting this genre.
You, on the other hand, seem to know next to nothing about the genre. Which basically tells me that you don't love it enough to be working with such material, and that you're setting yourself up for failure before you even start. Again -- you've GOT TO LOVE IT. Because making a movie means spending months or years with your material; if there's no love, then it's simply going to be a long, hard slog -- a grating, endless chore that you'll wish you'd never started.
I suggest that if you want to make a horror film that you spend the next six months watching at least three horror films a week. That's 78 horror movies, just enough to put a very small dent in the genre. Watch classics for background and context, newer films to track current styles and trends, and especially look at micro-budget horror movies made in the last decade. And read up on the genre and its history (which will also help you pick which films to watch).
Then at that point, you can better know if this is a genre you really want to work in. If you're enthusiastic about horror at that point, then that's a good start, and you can move forward from there. But if it's still just a way to further your career and you have no real feel for the genre, you'd best drop the idea. Because making a crappy horror film won't help your career any better than making no film at all.
I have to say this - I love horror and I really don't like that so many people make it a worse genre by making something crappy to make a buck. I just watched MOTORHOME MASSACRE and it's a perfect example. Where do I start...
I've come to the sad conclusion that given my limited capacities, it will be impossible for me to break into the film business in any way other than by making a really bad horror film.
What about comedy (NAPOLEON DYNAMITE), action (EL MARIACHI) or a genre that you do like? I'll let you in on a secret - it's got to be something we haven't seen before (something unique to your experience) and it has to be done well, as in written and executed well. It also has to be well paced. Keep the talking (bad indie dialogue) to a minimum and move the story along!
The problem is that I don't like most horror films and I don't really watch many. So I don't know much if at all about them. That is why I'm trying to be an expert at this by next week
There is a lot of this, lately - THE LEDGE, THE RIVER MURDERS, END OF THE LINE. The second title stars Ray Liotta who's past girlfriends are being murdered (in the name of religion)
by his supposedly aborted son!
I can work on a story, that to me wouldn't essentially be about horror. But the trick for me in writing would be to figure out how to include blood and gore, which horror film watchers seem to like so much and I don't even understand.
Not necessarily. Someone mentioned THE SIXTH SENSE, which is a prime example of a plot driven ghost story, much like THE CRIMPS, which is now one of my fave guerrilla movies. ROSEMARY'S BABY is bloodless. You certainly don't see a lot in BLAIR WITCH, OPEN WATER and PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. Amazingly, HALLOWEEN is bloodless, except for one POV glimpse at the beginning. Do not add violence/gore just for the sake of adding it. It should be motivated.
The trick to writing a story is the story and characters themselves.
So my goal right now is to try to understand blood and gore and figure out if I can actually write something that I can shoot for a reasonable budget.
To understand this, you need to think of a scene from a movie that you liked - that really affected you. You said you like war movies, so how about SAVING PRIVATE RYAN? The beach assault has a lot of horror elements to it - shaky POV camera and lots of body parts. However, these elements were put in to ramp the realism of the scene - to put the viewer in the middle of it. Like horror movies, this is a "visceral" type of experience.
Definition of Horror: an overwhelming and painful feeling caused by something frightfully shocking, terrifying, or revolting; a shuddering fear
Spielberg is a master of horror. Other viscerally terrifying scenes - the T-Rex attack from JURASSIC PARK, aliens abduct the little kid from his house in CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, Hooper attacked in the shark cage in JAWS, Germans hunting Jews in their houses in SCHINDLER'S LIST.
Spielberg is fantastic at coming up with gleeful violence. Just look at any scene in RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK - the truck chase, fighting the bald guy that gets killed by airplane propeller, spikes sticking out of bodies in the cave. If you didn't find this stuff rather fun, than don't go any further.
Before murder thrillers got labelled as horror movies, the genre started out with fantastic monsters - the Phantom, the Golem, Frankenstein's monster, Dracula, the Wolfman, the Mummy, King Kong, the Fly, undead zombies, ghosts and witches. Many of these characters you actually felt sorry for as mobs of torches hunted them down out of fear. My point being - there was a lot of makeup!
Horror is my favorite genre because of the great makeup artists - Rick Baker (AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF), Rob Bottin (THE THING), Tom Savini (DAWN OF THE DEAD), Dick Smith (THE EXORCIST), Stan Winston (THE TERMINATOR) and many more. Between all of this cool makeup and Spielberg-ish scenes of violence, you got this amazing hybrid of gory effects. Peter Jackson's DEAD ALIVE revels in comedic gore.
Out of the possibilities of cinematic uber-violence there came all of these preposterous, but highly entertaining gags, such as a body holding it's detached head, licking his lips and working his way between a woman's thighs in REANIMATOR. In THE EVIL DEAD 2, our hero, Ash, fights with his own possessed hand - beating himself up, pulling his hair and doing backflips, until he finally saws it off and says, "Who's laughing now?"
Many movies are now known for their amazing makeup gags or "that one scene."
ALIEN - the chestburster scene
EXORCIST - 360 head spin
JAWS - head falls out of the boat
SCANNERS - the head explosion
THE THING - dog transformation & spiderhead
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS - dog with a man's head
CREEPSHOW - roaches come out of a man's body
TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE: THE MOVIE - a cat comes out of a man's mouth
PHANTASM - silver ball in a guy's head
FRIDAY THE 13TH - Kevin Bacon has an arrow come through his neck
PSYCHO - the shower attack
THE HOWLING - an amazing werewolf transformation
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF - amazing werewolf transformation
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET - Freddy's long arms
THE FLY - acid vomit dissolves a man's arm and leg
DEAD ALIVE - a woman swallows a German Shepherd
XTRO - a woman gives birth to a full grown man
NEAR DARK - vampires in a shootout are wounded by holes of sunlight
This kind of stuff isn't limited to horror movies. What's the coolest scene in THE TERMINATOR? A lot of people would say the police station attack ("I'll be back"). THE DARK KNIGHT? For me, it was the Joker's "pencil trick."
Does anything scare you??????? Answer that and you might have your horror movie. Work your story and characters into a damn good plot that has something scary at the center of it. Add something supernatural to your bad guy and that could be horror worthy. There's a chance that your point of view can bring a different angle to the genre.
In the meantime, I made a list of some horror conventions. Scary things:
POV shots (killer's point of view - think JAWS!)
Claustrophobia
Falling
Smothering
Drowning - stuck in a sinking car, with a small pocket of air.
Being eaten
Slime and Drool (see DRAG ME TO HELL)
Noises - scrapes, breaths, bumps, screams, growls.
Things that jump into frame, accompanied by.....
Music - John Carpenter made the term "Stinger" famous - a shocking, stinging sound, often used for "false scares".
Darkness, shadows, night - howls in the dark, something outside your window.
Obscured visuals - use of light, shadow, darkness and fog.
Insects - spiders, scorpions, centipedes, tarantulas.
Beasts - sharks, crocodiles, snakes, bears.
People - large men, little children, cloaked figures.
Water - oceans, murky swamps, lakes.
Big houses/buildings - nothing scarier than the hospital ward scene in EXORCIST 3: LEGION.
Precipices - cliff sides, deep dark wells, elevator shafts.
Bondage - being tied to a pole, a chair, in a basement.
Basements/attics - dark, dusty places.
Caves - I refer you to THE DESCENT.
Staircases/stairwells
Parking garages (P2 was fairly good)
Unbalanced people - happy one minute, maniacal the next.
Sharp objects - knives, stakes, razors (the mere presence of which can be suggestive).
Solitude - alone and far from people or help.
Smothering/trapped - buried alive in THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW.
Dead return to life
Apocalypse/end of the world - 2012, Y2K
Revelations - THE OMEN
Someone behind you - even worse when you can see it, but the main characer can't.
Clowns - yes, clowns, dolls and puppets.
Dreams/nightmares - Ever see A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET?
Hell - demons, Satan, fire.
Burning
Disease
Religious cults
Cannibal rednecks
Stalker boy/girlfriends - FATAL ATTRACTION, anybody?
Organ stealers
Laboratories
I just learned so much about this genre. I think for whatever reason, when it came to this genre, I had always been a snob about it, as if I were better. So I just stayed away from it.
Now I feel like I've offended people just by raising this question
I swear it was not my intention. I just assumed, like a fathead, that since I don't like this genre, it must be crap, and since it doesn't make sense to me, I can also make another movie that doesn't make any sense, but kills people in a very graphic way, and I will become a superstar horror filmmaker. You see now?? I'm actually just a simpleton. That's my crime.
I now see the error of my ways. And I sincerely apologize for this kind of behavior and denigration of an entire genre, simply by bringing my own personal taste into it. And I can go on and on with this apology believe me, but please forgive me
Paranormal Activity[/B][/I] I know that we're not watching a real snuff film, wherin a demon is doing the snuffing. Etc etc etc. But I have a verrrrry active imagination. So despite all of the above, my imagination can take-off with something like that, and the movie quickly wore out its welcome in my life.
That is sooooo interesting. So while I spend most of my time thinking "oh this is too unbelievable, why am I here? this is a waste of time" somebody else has their emotion worked up just through their imagination. Unbelievable. Wow.
Yet you watch it once. You must be the ideal horror film viewer. The viewer who is actually affected by the film.
I actually regret seeing it, pretty much. It's right up there (or down there) with the Exorcistfor me. I have almost no interest in rewatching the Exorcist either, even after all of these years.
I could watch Exorcist over and over again. To me just from a storytelling point of view, I learn a great deal watching the mother's character as she finds out something is wrong with her daughter, and the priest's character who is beginning to lose faith, come to terms with the actual existence of a demon. I find both characters awesome and love it every time I watch this movie.
I was also wondering about a film like Blood Simple. It's been forever since I saw it, but I'm wondering if a film like that would have more down-to-earth budget needs than perhaps even a low-budget horror? IMDb lists it as crime/drama/thriller. How about something like that as an alternative consideration to horror?
Yeah, it's been on the back of my mind for a while. But one has to be able to write something that good, execute something that good, and have actors that good. And from what I was recently reading, the distribution market ain't what it used to be. In the 80s and 90s, there were so few movies, distributors were chasing filmmakers. Since the 2000s, there are so many filmmakers and so many films and so few films actually make money, the distributors are looking for genres that have made them money in the past. Regular horror seems to be what they're looking for. It's sad, but it seems that you can actually make a good movie nowadays, and it will come and go and nobody may notice. There are tons of other movies to keep the industry busy. So if you're a nobody like me, regular horror may be a better idea (at least that's my conclusion).
I take everything back. I'm so sorry. I'm a terrible person. I deserve to be punished.
Look, if you're just making a movie to make money, or to break in, then you're making the wrong movie. The only reason to make a specific movie is because you love it. Why spend so much effort on something you're so tepid about? What's the point?
The point is to sell a movie. To make some money. I can either pay the bill to fix the leaky roof by making a movie I don't really enjoy, or I can work in a coal mine. But the roof has to be fixed, and that bill has to be paid. So why not make a movie instead even if I don't believe in it. I would find it more agreeable than working in a coal mine. No?? Of course I'd ideally make a movie about international espionage and intrigue, but how the hell is that supposed to happen. God doesn't like me.
Genre film is actually really difficult to do well. And before taking a stab at any genre, you should know it inside and out.
Any film is really difficult to do well, don't you think. I come from a position where I don't know any genre inside out. Actually I don't know anything about filmmaking inside out. I just know that I like certain films more than others. And then I try to figure out how to do something similar within a limited budget. I really have no idea how else to approach filmmaking, given my limited resources and experiences.
But sometimes I think it's my strength. I just think that if think about it long enough and ask enough random questions where my thinking can't fill the gaps, I'll figure it out. I'm sure its not a great approach, but I have no other approaches available to me.
I love horror, have written and am writing horror scripts, and watch horror movies all the time (as well as every other type of movie I can get my hands on). I have professionally published articles about film history, including about horror film. Yet I still feel like I have a lot to learn about writing and shooting this genre.
You, on the other hand, seem to know next to nothing about the genre. Which basically tells me that you don't love it enough to be working with such material, and that you're setting yourself up for failure before you even start. Again -- you've GOT TO LOVE IT. Because making a movie means spending months or years with your material; if there's no love, then it's simply going to be a long, hard slog -- a grating, endless chore that you'll wish you'd never started.
I suggest that if you want to make a horror film that you spend the next six months watching at least three horror films a week. That's 78 horror movies, just enough to put a very small dent in the genre. Watch classics for background and context, newer films to track current styles and trends, and especially look at micro-budget horror movies made in the last decade. And read up on the genre and its history (which will also help you pick which films to watch).
Then at that point, you can better know if this is a genre you really want to work in. If you're enthusiastic about horror at that point, then that's a good start, and you can move forward from there. But if it's still just a way to further your career and you have no real feel for the genre, you'd best drop the idea. Because making a crappy horror film won't help your career any better than making no film at all.
That's the idea my friend. I promise that I will spend the next 6 months following your advice and learning to appreciate the horror genre. I swear it. I already have developed a certain amount of respect for the genre, just by reading all the sincere stuff you guys have been writing. Really, my attitude towards horror has already changed. I promise that I will try to learn as much as possible before making any attempts at this genre.
@Scoopicman
I wanted to respond to your post also. I really really appreciated it. And I have to say that it was a very eye opening post. I wanted to respond in detail, but now I have go and buy some clothing for my actor for a shoot tomorrow (which is more exciting to me). So as much as I'd like to chat with you guys about how my eyes have been opened, and they have, and how I understand that I will never be an expert at horror by next week (it was a joke. I didn't mean it. It had a smiley face), I still have to get going.
Also, the point of the thread was to understand how the horror film buff's mind and emotion worked. I think I got some of it out of the outrage that you guys feel at a poser like me.
Good talk. I appreciate everybody's time. I appreciate all the things you guys are teaching me.... DirtyPictures, in 6 months, I hope to ask you to grant me my first yellow horror belt
I was reading this thread getting more and more crazy. The very
worse thing that has happened to low budget horror is beginning
filmmakers who do not like and do not understand the genre - and
feel they are "better" then the genre - trying to make a horror
film just to make money. As you now know, horror fans can see that
a mile away. We know when the filmmakers has contempt for the
genre we love so we do not support those films. Thus they do not
make money.
Why not? A social drama is very inexpensive to make. I suspect you
know social dramas do not sell, not that you can't afford to make
one. But a war movie? Why can't you make an inexpensive war movie?
You do not need huge battle scenes to tell a war story - the really
good ones are about the people. Why can't you combine the two types
of movies you like? A social drama during war time.
It all cool dude..dw about this thread..you set the forums on fire in the last 24 hrs....
i honestly would start with the classics and work your way up if you want to study this genere. You dont have to watch every classic but a good 3-4 good ones then start with recent good stuff. You have already seen some classics so your not that far behind...if you want gore i give you 5 movie that has lots of style and gore!
Friday the 13th 1980..... its an important movie but most of the mainstream only focuses on the hockey mask....do not watch any previews it will ruin it trust me on this one! also watch it at night!lol
Susperia..... This Dario Argento classic has a unique look and style while the killings are brutal.
City of the Living Dead or The Beyond.....lots of blood and guts..the spx are outdated a little compaired to now but they are messy endevours..Lucio Fulci was a master of gore. The Beyond's spider secen is laughable but thats the only secene thats holds this movie back. Story line is typical italian confusion so sit back and just enjoy.
Alien..... scary and messy..this movie has it all.
Jhon Carpenters The Thing 1982.... this movie scared the shyt outta me! and that was because the spx was crazy amazing.....
these movie use the gore card in several different ways...study them then see if you can make the gore work for you so you can have your own sense of style.
I read with a lot of interest all the above comments. I agree with many.
First, I love horror films as well as science-fiction (but, yes as so often pointed out by so many, most horror films are derivative and mediocre at best). I have a long history of watching em, trying to write them, finally, I gave it a shot and tried to make a full-length feature with a touch of comedy, contemporary drama building to horror and science-fiction. Ha. Ha. Ha.
The plot was about a guy with no money trying to make a horror, science-fiction film AND the movie he is making...
Let me throw in here, I am not high-jacking your forum thread -- I am hoping I can add to it by my experience in making a horror, science-fiction film... LOL. Experience of trying hard and ending with a WTF just happened 'movie'?
Thinking I might only get one shot in 2000, I gave it all I could with no-budget, putting a little 'bit' of everything into it (religion, drug culture, politics and need-for-greed cause film-making is a business). Ha! Yeah, it sounds like a mess. Maybe. It is truly a very-complicated story, while confusing at times -- by the end of THE HAUNTED MOVIE (the final version of haunt -- the first version was a total disaster) -- everything comes together into a neat packaged ending.
Man, I PUSHED the envelope to the MAX. Tried so hard to avoid being derivative. Created rich characters with arcs.
Avoided that BLAIR WITCH look and style (that has surfaced in so many low-budgeted horror films).
If I found an overused cliche in The Haunted Movie - I removed it quickly.
Stayed away from not-needed gore and blood (until the end where it WAS necessary).
No rubber monster masks... or vampires (beyond the haunted house's owner's commercial Lucy Fear) or werewolves.
With NO budget, trying to make the limited SFX work, I edited it tight, so the actors shined as much as possible and the stories pace was kept fast -- tried sooooo hard to make the story (and movie) SMART.
In the end, many hard-core horror fans didn't like it.
Most hard-core science-fiction people didn't like it.
Hey, even many DIY film-makers were like, HUH? Several Indietalk members have seen it (LOL, then they never talked to me again).
So my point is this, trueindie, DON'T worry about making the next WOW horror film. JUST make your film as good as you can. Push the envelope if you feel the need. Avoid what you want to avoid in your script an on to your final edit. LEARN as much as you can. If you spend all your time worrying about what others think, or might think, you'll never get to first base
Just take the leap, write and make the best movie you can (but keep an eye on the money you spend)!
Feel free to E-mail me with any specific questions, I learned mountains without going broke. Of course, I am not rich or famous.
You know, there's something to be said for stepping outside of your box. It forces you to learn new techniques, think in ways you wouldn't and changes your perspective not only as a creator, but as a viewer. The way to do it, like everyone else has said, is to study. Learn what works, what doesn't, WHY things work, why things are done the way they are. Learn the rules of the genre, the tropes and cliches. It will definitely help you become a more flexible director, and learning is never bad.
Another thought is, do the same thing, but don't worry about writing. Find a script and make it. Still study horror films, still learn from them, you'll just be learning 6 things instead of a dozen (simplification there).
Great stuff. Thanks for the input and for educating me.
Rik, you're right, I'm not considering social dramas because I think if I make a social drama, nobody will notice, good or bad. But if I make a horror film, maybe some distributor will. We'll see if I can make one, and if anybody notices.
I'll definitely be in touch with you guys regarding this.
2001 - how can I see Crimps?
Don - How can I see your movie?
Good. I'll summarize by saying that the lowest budget movies can be the hardest to watch. At least with horror, you might get a few jumps, chases and some pretty girls - giving the viewer some excitement that is not dependent on good acting or camera work. Of course, the movies are even better when quality and entertainment come together!
I think you should make the movie you want to make. If you stylize it with some horror elements, then you can also call it a horror film.
I mentioned killer Thrillers, one of the oldest genres around. If you look at HALLOWEEN (Carpenter's version), Michael Myers is supposedly just some guy who escaped from the asylum and wears a William Shatner (Captain Kirk) mask.....until the end, where he gets up after being shot several times. All of a sudden, he is more than human. That ending really did elevate him to Boogeyman status. Point being - along with some scares, it's fairly easy to turn something into a horror film.
I wouldn't write something so cliche that it can be funny as mentioned before. The movie world has become so ridden with cliches, that the safest bet is to write something totally original. Cliche is probably more of a risk.
Damn, Scoopicman, that was like a love letter to the genre. Who doesn't want to make a horror film after reading that? I know I do.
Trueindie, oh heck, now I'm gonna have to watch The Exorcist again. I suppose it's about time. I know we're all telling you that the ideal is for you to make a film that you're passionate about. But it is understandable knowing that at some point a person just wants to work. I hope you figure out the right move that's best for you.
I hate it because it did creep me out and linger with me. I'm not a believer. The movie is almost cheesy in it's sometimes less-than-believable acting. I know it's make-believe and distributed by Paramount. I've heard the story about Spielberg. I know that we're not watching a real snuff film, wherin a demon is doing the snuffing. Etc etc etc. But I have a verrrrry active imagination. So despite all of the above, my imagination can take-off with something like that, and the movie quickly wore out its welcome in my life. I know that it had a similar effect on my Dad with whom I saw the damn thing, and I've heard of other people having similar reactions. Oi. Now unlike the gore stuff, that kind of thing does creep me out. I do not like to be creeped out. I actually regret seeing it, pretty much. It's right up there (or down there) with the Exorcist for me. I have almost no interest in rewatching the Exorcist either, even after all of these years. Not that I'm suggesting that you make Paranormal Activity 4. And even if you did and it was a great film, I ain't watchin' it! 
