What right-minded, mature woman’s idea of date night is to binge-watch horror movies? I emphasize mature (or senior women, if you prefer), not teenagers and young adults because many in the latter group enjoy blood and gore films. Granted, some older folks do, too, but I prefer dramas, romance, or a good action flick over a gruesome horror show.
My tolerance for scary movies began to wane decades ago when moviemakers decided that scaring viewers half to death wasn’t enough. Instead, they started blitzing us with enough blood and guts to make you holler for your mama. Psycho spooked me. Rose Mary’s Baby sent shivers down my spine, and Freddie Krueger cost me many sleepless nights. When I discussed this subject with my daughter, who I consider a connoisseur of movies, she reminded me that the Nightmare on Elm Street films had plenty of bloodletting by the razor-handed villain. Okay, scratch that one from the scary minus the bloodletting group. Still, there is no denying that horror movies have progressed from extremely frightening to highly gruesome. Nothing is off-limits, meaning anything goes.
As I was saying, recently, against my better judgment, I binge-watched the Final Destination films with my SO. Afterward, when I told my daughter, she said, “Mom, those films are old.” Then, I reminded her, “So are we. We catch up when we can.”
For my readers who haven’t seen the Destination films, the theme is about people cheating death – or so they think. I am not exaggerating when I say the death scenes are disgusting. After watching the first four movies (I know – I can’t believe I made it through them either) and needing a break from seeing bodies beheaded, crushed, and disemboweled, we decided to hold off on watching Destination 5 for a few days.
A week later, we watched number 5. I admit the screen watched more of me than I did it because, as I often do, when I anticipate gore coming, I covered my eyes or turned my head. And, to my surprise, even Mr. Macho SO found some sights horrifying. I know this because on a couple of occasions, when I refused to look at the screen, he shrieked, “Whoa! Oh, my God,” and I know his scream had nothing to do with pleasure.
Folks in the film industry who rate movie popularity claim a vast audience for pictures depicting horrific incidents of physical violence and psychological terror. Hollywood seems so hooked on including unpleasant occurrences in movies, including those not in the horror genre, that nearly every film is likely to show at least one repulsive scene. Think about it. How often have you been watching a drama or side-splitting comedy when, as if the director decided that the movie was too clean, a character pukes? Who wants to see that? Not me.
My SO suggested that movies like Final Destination should be rated G for gruesome. I reminded him that there is already a G category. According to the MPFA (Motion Picture Film Association), there are currently several categories of films based on content. Those are rated as follows, with my slightly inflated descriptions.
G – General audiences. Come on. Come all. Everybody’s admitted.
PG (for parental guidance) and PG-13 – These films could have some moderate violence and mild sex scenes that you may wish your preadolescent darling had not witnessed.
R – Restricted. Under 17 must bring a parent or adult guardian. In addition to disturbing violence, films in this category may contain risqué sex scenes. Call me prudish, but at my age, I’ve grown tired of seeing naked people on screen sucking faces and booty bumping. However, I prefer implicit sex scenes over murder and mayhem.
NC17 – means no one under 17 is admitted (even if you drag along an adult).
M – for mature audiences. These extreme films show butchery, intense violence, and torture. Reportedly, some movies in this category are so shocking that viewers have been known to faint or vomit. Films like Raw, Martyrs, or We Are the Flesh are a cup of blood for anyone inclined to the macabre. I’ve never watched them, and I won’t, but I read that some scenes include cannibalism and excessive torture. So viewers are advised to skip the popcorn and the cherry Slurpee!
I think people who enjoy overdosing on psychologically disturbing films have one foot on the dark side, but that’s just me. An article on Health.com expresses a different opinion of people who enjoy having the devil scared out of them.
In the meantime, I thought of a category for films depicting grisly scenes. How about DG (D-disgustingly G-gross)?
I don’t care how filmmakers categorize them because I’m done with horror films. I find them as repulsive as a urine-soaked floor littered with wads of toilet paper in a gas station restroom. Picture that. On second thought, don’t!