I don't like movies where people get cut up into little pieces by sharp object wielding maniacs. There. I said it. There is nothing amusing to me in sitting on the couch and watching people get murdered. It's not so much that the movies scare me, in and of themselves, so much as I really don't like where my mind goes when my eyes are viewing gore.
As an example, I will give you the first Hostel. Without giving too much away, I will say that it was masterful in both cinematography and casting. It was also extremely violent. Because the plot took place in Eastern Europe, the suspension of disbelief held out all the way through. I think though, that considering the impossibly high number of serial spree murderers we have in this country, it could have taken place here too.
I was furious for about two hours after watching this movie. The anger comes from a feeling of helplessness that you feel when you see or experience something you are unable to prevent, for whatever reason. Your blood is pumping, your heart beat is rapid, your blood pressure high.
It's not like this for everyone. People process stimuli in different ways depending on their own life experiences, and sense of security. The more secure you feel as a person, the less likely you are to become deeply disturbed by such things.
The movie, The Strangers, really got to me. More than it should have. It wasn't scary in the traditional sense of Friday the 13th, or one of the other popular gore franchise films. It was a mind-trick, the entire way through.
If you've never had the unfortunate experience of someone breaking into your house, whether or not you were home at the time, The Strangers probably won't scare you. It's more suspenseful than truly violent, in parts. It's the idea that someone could come into your house, anytime they want, and get you, for no valid understandable reason whatsoever.
Because I have had my fair share of drama in the past, up to and including having an ex boyfriend break into my house, trap me in my closet, and beat my head against the wall while simultaneously trying to strangle me, I am probably more sensitive to these things than the average person.
No matter what kind of experiences you have had in your life, it is normal to have aggressive feelings after watching a violent movie. Something that might help you to process what you have seen without taking it too much to heart is to talk about the film, if you saw it with a friend or boyfriend, or to think about what specifically about the movie most bothered you.
