Topic: Can I Do it?

[Najemikon]

For me horror is something that is supposed to be scary. I'd consider something like "Evil Dead" as horror, even though it's trashy.

The things Buffy faced are mostly born out of (popular) mythology, no more scary than let's say Scylla and Charybdis.

For me Buffy and Angel are fantasy series, jsut like Xena.

The only real horror movie I've got in my collection is "It".

In terms of mythology and storytelling, unsubstantiated (officially ) creatures like vampires, werewolves, demons, robots, aliens and super-powered beings are all fantasy, so I agree with you there. But classic monsters are horrific by definition, born of metaphors for uncontrollable human desires and the consequences thereof. Bram Stoker's Dracula is actually a right mucky book about sex! They should be scary on a subliminal level at least, even if not aesthetically. For example, how Angel's personality changed after sleeping with Buffy is a "scary" stage of many relationships.

All this aside, you then have the strict rules of film genre and Buffy/Angel use all the classic mise-en-scene to be defined as Horror. Action-Horror, Comedy-Horror, doesn't matter if it's not scary. You have a graveyard, you have a creaking door, it's night-time... that's German expressionism, AKA Horror.

I shouldn't be typing at bedtime. This post is officially designated 'Brain Fart Class'...

[Najemikon]

The only real horror movie I've got in my collection is "It".

Even this one is not an horror movie if we use your definition, since a child murderer morphing clown is a fantasy too. It leave only the movies about the serial killers : scary and certainly not a fantasy.

Sorry, Jimmy, we posted almost at the same time and I almost "hid" your post on a previous page! Corrected.

[Achim]

But my collection will keep growing!

Using DVD Profiler makes sure of that 

What is DVD Profiler??

I can't believe nobody asked the obvious question: Do you use any software to catalog your DVDs at home? (I feel 349 DVDs is too many to have them uncontrolled walking about your living room...) ...and if you do, what do you use?

[addicted2dvd]

to get back on topic a little... I am sitting here staring at a shelf full of unwatched horror movies... I have to admit... it is getting a little tough again.

[RossRoy]

Only three weeks to go Pete! Don't break down now! You can do it! Only 21 days left!

[Najemikon]

Three whole weeks, Pete. Three weeks! That's near enough a month. You might as well go ahead and say "month"... 21 full days of fluffy sitcoms and sunshine. No vampires! No blood! 504 hours ahead of you and not one of them can be horror! 20 midnights to pass without so much as a cackle. How will you cope? CAN YOU COPE? 

[Achim]

I am sure he can.

Otherwise he'd have to make sure Brittany never reads this forum again so she won't laugh at her weak father...

Go, Pete, go! As Jon pointed said, it's only a couple more hundred hours. Piece of cake.

[addicted2dvd]

  believe me Brittany is already laughing at me for attempting it. She is with most of you all thinking I will never be able to do it.

As of today I am 45 Days horror free. another 21 days means I have to make it to 66 days without horror... talk about cruel and unusual punishment! 

But I refuse to give up! I just need to drape a blanket or something over my unwatched shelf! 

[Achim]

As of today I am 45 Days horror free. another 21 days means I have to make it to 66 days without horror... talk about cruel and unusual punishment! 

Just 66? No problems then, it's less than 69!

[addicted2dvd]

  yeah... but 69 is such a fun number! 

[lyonsden5]

but just think.. 5 years ago you started you month long marathons, that will make this one your 6th one.

so we have abstained from horror for 66 days then start your 6th marathon

Does anyone else feel there are dark forces at work here? 

[RossRoy]

but just think.. 5 years ago you started you month long marathons, that will make this one your 6th one.

so we have abstained from horror for 66 days then start your 6th marathon

Does anyone else feel there are dark forces at work here? 

Don't know about dark forces, but does that mean Pete will have to go for 77 days next year, since it'll be his 7th marathon ?? 

[addicted2dvd]

Hey.. wait just a minute... I think we are getting a bit carried away over here!!!!

 

[DJ Doena]

The only real horror movie I've got in my collection is "It".

Even this one is not an horror movie if we use your definition, since a child murderer morphing clown is a fantasy too. It leave only the movies about the serial killers : scary and certainly not a fantasy.

For me horror is something that is supposed to be scary. I'd consider something like "Evil Dead" as horror, even though it's trashy.

The things Buffy faced are mostly born out of (popular) mythology, no more scary than let's say Scylla and Charybdis.

For me Buffy and Angel are fantasy series, jsut like Xena.

The only real horror movie I've got in my collection is "It".

In terms of mythology and storytelling, unsubstantiated (officially ) creatures like vampires, werewolves, demons, robots, aliens and super-powered beings are all fantasy, so I agree with you there. But classic monsters are horrific by definition, born of metaphors for uncontrollable human desires and the consequences thereof. Bram Stoker's Dracula is actually a right mucky book about sex! They should be scary on a subliminal level at least, even if not aesthetically. For example, how Angel's personality changed after sleeping with Buffy is a "scary" stage of many relationships.

All this aside, you then have the strict rules of film genre and Buffy/Angel use all the classic mise-en-scene to be defined as Horror. Action-Horror, Comedy-Horror, doesn't matter if it's not scary. You have a graveyard, you have a creaking door, it's night-time... that's German expressionism, AKA Horror.

I shouldn't be typing at bedtime. This post is officially designated 'Brain Fart Class'...

You might be right, but I am still not really convinced. For me it's about the intent of the movie. The Frankenstein and Dracula movies were movies about scary monsters, It was about a very scary clown and so on.

And even though BtVS has the title "Vampire Slayer" do you really think it's intended to be a show about things that are supposed to scare the viewer? For me it's about the life of Buffy and here friends and how it develops around the slayage, it's about the characters and how they lived, fought and died. The cemetery and the vampires are just scenery. They are creepy but I don't think even Joss hat the intention that they would be horrific. You can way too often bond with these creatures of the night and that makes them anything but horrific.

[Najemikon]

You might be right, but I am still not really convinced. For me it's about the intent of the movie. The Frankenstein and Dracula movies were movies about scary monsters, It was about a very scary clown and so on.

And even though BtVS has the title "Vampire Slayer" do you really think it's intended to be a show about things that are supposed to scare the viewer? For me it's about the life of Buffy and here friends and how it develops around the slayage, it's about the characters and how they lived, fought and died. The cemetery and the vampires are just scenery. They are creepy but I don't think even Joss hat the intention that they would be horrific. You can way too often bond with these creatures of the night and that makes them anything but horrific.

Ah, but you are still saying Horror=Scary, and that's not necessary. Thriller=Scary, and if the Thriller happens to feature monsters then you have a Scary Horror. A standard serial killer film is a Thriller because it's supposed to be scary, but there has to be a lot of visceral content for it to become a Horror (sub-genre Slasher).

In it's classic sense, I think of Horror as Fantasy with Attitude. Also, the basic idea of Buffy is an underworld of demons, right under our feet, that we know nothing about. Add the idea that they've been there longer than us and the balance is very sensitive and liable to collapse at any moment, that's horrific.

Anyway, The Master in season one was pretty scary. And The First isn't coming to any of my parties, that's for damn sure!

I find the idea of genre fascinating. In the classic sense, Comedies don't have to be funny. With Shakespeare, if most of the main characters were still alive at the end, it was probably a Comedy, if not, more likely a Tragedy, but in either case what we assume to be essential content for those genres is often not.

EDIT: I just thought of another thing of what I'm trying to say: Horror should be big and impressive in scope. Huge ideas that the mind shouldn't be able to comprehend if it were real.