I love scary movies. Well some scary movies. The ones that have some artistic value, and more suspense than slashing. I'm talking Psycho, Halloween, The Legend of Hell House, anything with Christopher Lee, or Boris Karloff.
One of the movies I loved in my younger days was Pet Semetary. An adaptation of a Stephen King novel, it was a classic "Steve knows what scares you" work. Without going into too much detail, in case anyone hasn't seen it and plans to, lets just say something very bad happens to a small child in this movie. In my younger days when I watched it I cringed a little when I watched the scene, but enjoyed the movie in general.
Then I became a mom. The next time I sat down to watch the movie I fast forwarded through the scene in question. I haven't watched it since. Its just too traumatic as a parent to watch.
I found myself deliberately avoiding other movies that feature children coming to harm. I have never watched The Deep End of the Ocean, Mystic River, or The Lovely Bones. Although I like the cult classic Pumpkinhead, I have to skip or look away from a certain scene in which, you guess it, a small child comes to harm. I know they are all artistically amazing films, but I just can't take it. Between my experiences as a 911 operator and my experiences as a mom I find myself in empathy hell.
I find there are limits to my dislike. Realistic violence (intended or accidental) disturbs me far more than fantasy. For example I have no real qualms about watching It, an adaptation of one of my 2 favorite Stephen King books (the other is The Stand). For some reason I am only mildly upset by a predator clown that keeps abducting and killing children in a town. Its partly that what is going on is clearly fantasy violence and not realistic that my empathy doesn't kick in. It's also because I always find myself totally in awe of Tim Curry's performance that I forget to be disturbed.
But for the most part police procedurals and scary movies that put kids in peril will have me reaching for the remote. I just can't watch them anymore.
This post is part of Finish the Sentence Friday. To find out what other writers used to love, click here.
Oh Meg, I know I read The Lovely Bones before I had kids and then I tried watching the movie after having my kids and I cried so much I had to turn it off. So, yes I can't watch movies at all like this since having my girls. Thanks as always for linking up and have a great weekend now!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Janine. Of course being a 911 operator makes it worse. I can't watch most police procedural shows either. Too much reality.
DeleteOMG I am THE exact (!) same (!) way (!). Seriously, I used to thrive on sad and scary stories. Now, I don't even watch the "don't text and drive" videos because I just know that there's going to be a baby or child hurt in them and I simply cannot stand it. We are so on the same page here. Great way to finish the sentence.
ReplyDeleteThose text and drive videos make me crazy. I always turn to my teenagers and say "You do know not to text and drive, right?" Then I hit the mute or fast forward button depending on what we are watching.
DeleteOk - I read the first sentence of your post and that scene from Pet Sematary popped into my head.
ReplyDeleteSo right there with you before you even wrote it.
Every now and then it unwittingly flashes into my head when my preschooler gets too close to the end of our driveway (on a very quiet side street off a side street).
Totally creeps me out. That said, I'm still a Law and Order junkie - so no issues on that front yet.
You know exactly what I'm talking about then. And yes it does flash into my head occasionally. There is a similar scene in Pumpkinhead, that I have to leave the room or fast forward.
DeleteYes I can imagine why you wouldn't be able to watch scary movies now. It takes on a new meaning once you are a mom!!
ReplyDeletehttp://sweepsgoround.blogspot.com #ftsf
It certainly does. But more fantasy, this cant happen in real life stuff is less disturbing. I have watched Frankenstein dozens of times and it never bothers me to watch Boris Karloff accidentally drown the little girl. It bothers me more to watch the Monster become distraught when he realizes what he has done.
DeleteI totally get it. I gave up watching Law and Order Special Victim's Unit several years ago for the same reason. My life is all the better. I'm less paranoid that everyone that rings my doorbell is a predator.
ReplyDeleteI don't watch shows like SVU either, but that's also professional. I'm already paranoid from my job without adding fictional examples.
DeleteIt does make sense doesn't it? But its a perfect example of how one's perspective changes as a parent.
ReplyDelete