Yesterday I watched Sixth Sense for at least the 2nd time. I had completely forgotten the ending which was good (both the ending as such and the fact that I’d forgotten it) but that’s not the point. It was a good movie. I felt empathetic toward the little boy, Cole, and his fears. Made me think of children’s fears in general. Made me think how horrible it would’ve been to be in a similar situation as a child. (real dead people or not) That’s really not the point either, but I just wanted to “prove” that I’m not a heartless person.

I am, you see, immune to horror. I mean the entertainment kind (real life kind I have never met, and hopefully never will). Books, movies… nothing “works”. Well, does horror mean scaring people, really? In my opinion, it doesn’t. I’ve watched horror movies seriously (or religiously?) ever since I got my own tv (I was able to watch anything I wanted), at the age of 15. I remember seeing one movie, Bad Dreams, which included a scene where “the bad guy” sticks a knife through a woman’s hand. Back then it was awful and after that I’d always thought it is the worst movie I’ve ever seen — until I watched it again last year. Boy was it stupid. Really bad 70s–80s special effects and the hand thing? Meh, small potatoes.

I appreciate horror movies that have a twist. I love Ring (apart from it’s cheesy ending) because IMHO it’s got a new idea (even though it’s a remake of the Japanese version, Ringu, but I haven’t seen that!). Blair Witch Project was refreshing when I first saw it. I also like splatters like Scream(s), Nightmare on Elm Street(s)…
I also rarely (make that: never) jump at the movies (or watching a movie on tv) when something sudden happens on the screen. People say they get easily scared even when the suddeness is clearly hinted upon before it comes. Tense music… a character walks into a room where the door is opened to form a dark corner… camera pans so that there’s a space for the new arrival — you know the drill.

I appreciate horror books because they can keep my interest. And besides, how can black on white scare the bejesus out of anyone? It goes without saying that Stephen King is my favourite author. Now that I’ve read almost all his books, I’ve come to like the little connections I can find. Makes me proud: “hey, I can remember something about the books I’ve read!” (but about Nikolai Gogol’s Lost Souls, Moliere’s Miser, or most of the 10 Finnish classics we had to read for high school Finnish course I have no recollection) And of course, I love the stories.

Now, would I rather NOT be immune to horror? Probably not. I don’t know what’s so wonderful about having nightmares, being scared of every screech and shadow, jumping at every sudden noise or movement.

I do have to admit: sometimes I startle awake from my dream and clearly see a huge spider crawling above me. But that’s a whole different ball game. Spiders are horrrrrrible. . . . .