Open Forum Friday: Is it Better to Watch Horror Movies at Home or in a Theatre?
“Don’t see it alone.” This tagline for Paranormal Activity has been repeated over and over again on posters and commercials, and has apparently been very successful at getting audiences out to see this movie. When you think about it, it’s kind of brilliant because it discourages people from downloading a leaked screener and watching it on their own, and it also encourages them to bring plenty of friends with them out to the theatre. But is this movie really more enjoyable to see with a large group of strangers, or would it actually be more effective in the privacy of your own home?
My own theatrical experience for Paranormal Activity was ruined by an unruly crowd who refused to allow themselves or anyone around them to be fully immersed in the film. Although this can be a problem with just about any movie, I’ve noticed it becoming a bigger problem for horror movies in general. I think certain viewers don’t want to let their friends see them get scared, so they avoid it by being loud and obnoxious. That’s just a theory I have, but it seems to be true. It’s a shame because I think that the nervous energy in a theatre can definitely enhance a scary movie, along with screams or gasps (at appropriate times). However, when audience members steadfastly refuse to buy into the movie because they’re “too cool” to get scared, it simply brings everyone else down. Have you had any bad experiences with crowds at horror films? What do you think is the best way to see a scary movie? Is it too hard for movies to genuinely frighten people nowadays? Give us your thoughts here on Open Forum Friday.
Comments (25)
Everything is better on the big screen of a theater, but I’d always rather see a movie in an empty theater, or a mostly empty matinee showing. I don’t need the reactions of others to tell me how to react, and more often than not, their rudeness takes me out of the movie. I saw the original Boris Karloff Mummy in the theater the other day, and loved it, except at the parts where the jackasses around me would laugh at inappropriate times, which was pretty distracting.
Posted by paulm on October 30th, 2009A theater is the best place in my opinion to watch a great horror movie. When I watched Descent I sat in the back against the wall and I really felt like I was in that damn cave. Plus when you’re at home there always seems to be distractions, you can pause it and go to the bathroom whenever you want, unlike the theater where you have to hold and you think you may just explode, which just adds to the horror.
Posted by Itchy-Finger on October 30th, 2009When I saw The Descent in the theater, I got so claustrophobic that I almost had to leave the theater, especially when the woman almost got stuck. It was great in the theater.
Posted by paulm on October 30th, 2009It would have to depend on the particular movie. Surroundings are also a huge factor. If you are in the company of many tools and jamokes in the theater (or your home)the experience of the film will gravely suffer.
Posted by anncine on October 30th, 2009The fun thing about a theater is when the movie REALLY SUCKS (Jeepers Creepers), you simply turn and watch the audience, and the faces they make and the jumps are worth the admission price.
Posted by Laserbeard on October 30th, 2009The shitty thing about horror movies in theaters are the girls that are like “ah hell naw”, “don’t be doin’ that”
“gurl you gonna..ah hell naw”. You tell them to SHUT THE FUCK UP, and then the lobbist asks YOU to leave.
i like watching movies in the the theater because i can yell at the screen and laugh loudly at inappropriate moments and talk during quiet intimate scenes.
Posted by Mike on October 30th, 2009Home. I, like Sean, had an awful experience at the theater during Paranormal Activity with teens laughing during the suspensful night scenes and a senior citizen who kept saying how much she hated he movie behind me.
Posted by Josh on October 30th, 2009I for one, being in England at the moment and given the limited nature of the release (at least initially) downloaded the movie in great quality and watched it with two other buddies. My experience was really great…i can deal with horror movies but there was a bit of nervous chatter from the other two but nothing that would spoil my experience….im guessing this is magnified in the theater and could put a damper on the whole outing.
Posted by Teo on October 30th, 2009i rarely catch a horror movie in the theater unless its a ‘fun’ Drag Me To Hell type movie. For one, I generally dont care about horror movies and usually wait till video to give em a chance. But mostly I think the experience of watching it alone is actually more scary. The end of REC actually freaked me out a whole lot, it hit my scare spot, but I think seeing it with a crowd would have insulated a whole lot of that experience.
Posted by Goon on October 30th, 2009on the other hand, for a ‘claustrophobic experience’ as mentioned, I think of the experience of the buried alive sequence in Kill Bill vol 2 and am very glad I experienced that in a theater.
Posted by Goon on October 30th, 2009I’d say any movie is better at home, especially horror flicks i cant stand when people shout and scream during the movie, it pisses me off even more cause most people tend to do that when nothing scary happens, people tend to scream when theres a build up of suspense and the base starts to kick in and out of nowhere a branch or rock or some random object falls its annoying.
Posted by brugalito on October 30th, 2009I’d rather see a movie in my house on my 50″ LCD with my friends then the dangerously sticky movie theatre where your more likely to step on some biological substance lol.
Posted by brugalito on October 30th, 2009going out to grab a flick is becoming less and less appealing as the outings pass. horror especially. when the collective response to the trailer for sorority goddamn cockbleedin’ row receives gasps and yelps instead of giggles and dry-heaving GUFFAWS (as I am want to expel) something is far from right with the average audience that follows me into every screening. christ on a stick, at a pre-release (fuck, im hip) screening of a serious man, some hippy-haired douchebag spray vomit-fueled laughter at each and every quick-cut pun and obvious sight gag in the trailers leading into the film. anyhow, i had no point.
Posted by that motherfucker from vancouver on October 31st, 2009If I really want to be disturbed/creeped out by a film, I’d rather watch it at home. Some movies are good to watch as a group as long as they play nicely.
Posted by Tommy on October 31st, 2009I saw it last night and although I had a Ritalin kid next to me that couldn’t sit still nor leave his phone alone, the only thing that saved the movie for me was the screaming girls as I didn’t find it that scary. I didn’t see the appeal of this film and couldn’t figure out how this was getting as much word-of-mouth as Blair Witch. I chalk it up to the undefinable aspect of filmmaking were the public is just ready for a type of film at a certain time.
Posted by rus in chicago on October 31st, 2009Overall I think movies are meant to be seen in public with strangers. People here that are saying stuff about “people laughing at inappropriate moments” and such are clueless. You talk to any filmmaker and they will talk about the “happy accidents” of people reacting to things differently then they ever intended. Movies have so may layers of information and each audience member brings their own experiences to each film – judging them on reacting differently then you is an act of foolishness and narrow mindlessness. All of society is so quick to judge anything outside their own perspective, why not open yourself to other possibilities. Go see a movie you like twice and see the different reactions of two different audiences. Going to movies is one of the last communal things we do as a society why not embrace it?! Do you really want sports to be the ONLY communal thing? I think not.
Posted by rus in chicago on October 31st, 2009I don’t think anyone is arguing that movies should stop being shown in theatres permanently, but certain types of movies seem to bring out the worst in people. Sometimes that’s okay, but usually it’s not.
I understand what you’re saying about different audiences reacting to things different ways, but I think if people are laughing at something that you personally find scary or absorbing, then that is going to seriously detract from your enjoyment.
Posted by Sean on October 31st, 2009aaah, that’s life. I don’t want to live in a world were the crazy drunk girl doesn’t lift her top at a rock concert, nor we never experience the couple at the restaurant breaking up and the woman goes crazy. Why does everyone take stuff that happens in movies so personal?! Maybe I’m able to multi-task but rarely does another person’s reaction affect my appreciation of a film. Sometimes disturbances in a film ADDS to your appreciation, case in point, at my screening of The Aviator a very old lonely man walked in late and sat in the front row, alone. He literally became a child watching the biopic on Howard Hughes unfold on the screen. He even went so far as to talk to the screen as Hughes fell into madness. Was it distracting, yes, but what I experience was a very old man’s response to a film character that was very personal to him due to his age and growing up in another time. On top of that, this man seemed to be slipping in to some of the mental instability that Hughes had. But guess what, this crazy guy didn’t ruin the film for me AND I think of him (and his story) every time I watch Aviator.
Posted by rus in chicago on October 31st, 2009Laughter is a release of fear.
Posted by Tommy on October 31st, 2009I am the general manager of a movie theatre. We are showing Paranormal Activity in a couple of auditoriums. I fully realize how awful it is when disruptive patron behavior ruins the film. I do my best to remind the offenders of our policies and to remove the most flagrant scofflaws, but there is just such an overwhelming number of oblivious, disruptive idiots…
Short of positioning staff permanently in the auditoriums as Jay suggests, I don’t think this situation is going to improve. I think for most locations this would be totally impractical as well. A good sized multiplex can’t afford to have 14 to 16 employees doing nothing but standing in an auditorium all day instead of selling tickets, cleaning, selling concessions, etc. I think this type of usher position would have been more practical in the 500+ seat auditoriums of the 1 to 3 screen cinemas of the past.
I think the bottom line here is just a simple acceptance of the utter failure of humanity. I mean even when shows don’t sell out, when they just get close, say maybe 25 seats left, you still get 10-15 people telling you there are no seats and that you’ve oversold the auditorium. You literally cannot set up 300 chairs and tell 275 people to find a seat without there being problems. Trying to get them to shut the hell up for two hours and to stay off their cellphones, good luck.
Posted by Ovenball on November 1st, 2009If given a choice, I’d always go see a movie in the cinema, in its original intended venue of display. Of course, you have to deal with the idiots who go to a movie and then decide to snore as loud as possible, the people who come late, and then leave to go out multiple times, the people who bring babies to rated-R movies, the people who keep staring at their cell phones, and the guy who keeps kicking the seat. Other than those distractions, I love watching movies in the theater. Now if they could only do something about the jacking-up of prices…
Posted by Maopheus on November 1st, 2009Sure, a movie can be scary in the theater, but you can’t really get comfortable in a theater, you can’t draw the curtains, you can’t hear wind howling just outside your window or see lightning strike. Bottom line, you don’t live in a theater, watching at home brings the horror and fear to where you live everyday. I remember watching Body Weapon in my unheated apartment, the air was cold and damp, my teeth were chattering, that sure adds to the viewing experience when you have to hold your jaw shut while you are watching something spooky.
Posted by Duke Togo on November 1st, 2009I watched this in the cinema over the weekend as part of a 24hr movie marathon festival so everyone who was there was a fairly hardcore movie-goer and it definitely made a great atmosphere with a large crowd all in silence waiting and allowing themselves to be drawn in, wanting to be scared. Although ultimately this film is bit lame and really slow so I probably would have lost interest by the end if I’d watched it at home but with this crowd it was a far more enjoyable experience.
Posted by Noah on November 1st, 2009At home. Every single horror movie I have ever seen in theater, the experience was completely ruined by immature teen girls.
Posted by Slushie Man on November 1st, 2009I’ve always held the position that movies that are trying to create an experience like horror films should be seen when you’re alone or with one other person. I mean it’s kind of hard for me to suspend my disbelief and be scared when there are people sitting all around me.
I have a 7.1 Dolby Digital home theatre in my basement. I’ve stopped watching horror movies down there after midnight ever since I got spooked when I heard a noise and realized that the noise came from upstairs rather than my speakers. (I live alone.)
Posted by Reed Farrington on November 2nd, 2009Leave a Reply