Not scary anymore
If you know me in real life you’ve definitely heard this story. And I swear I’ve shared it here, but I can’t find it, so here it is again!
I saw What Lies Beneath – the ghost movie with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer – with friends when it came out in the summer of 2000. We went to the late showing on a Saturday night.
The movie freaked me the hell out. I was worked up about it afterward, and glad that my friends had picked me up and I didn’t have to drive home alone.
But… I still had to walk in to the house after they dropped me off. Not a big deal, right? Well, my parent’s home (much like our home now) is surrounded by woods with a long driveway. Dark. Quiet. Peaceful during the day… terrifying at night when you’ve just seen a scary movie and your imagination is running wild.
So, even though I was a mature sixteen-year-old (ha), and it was late at night (close to midnight), I decided to call the house and see if my parents were still up, and one of them would meet me outside to walk me in. I was that freaked out!
My mom picks up the phone, and I tell her what’s going on. Sure, she’ll meet me outside to walk me in!
Also, she adds, “It’s a good thing you called, because I was actually about to head outside to wait for you in the dark and jump out and scare you.”
What. The. Eff. MOM!!!!!!
Thank heavens I called! I cannot imagine what would have happened, had she followed through with her original plan! It wasn’t unusual for any of us to hide and scare each other like that, but that really would have been the worst time for it to happen to me.
Ha ha ha.
So my mom walked me in, and I had her come in my bedroom and look outside and make sure there was nothing out there. Then tried to fall asleep.
Until this week, I hadn’t seen that movie since it first came out. I remember how scared I felt that night and never wanted to feel that way again.
But I saw it was on Amazon Prime this week and decided to watch it.
Um… it’s not even that scary. The scary parts are predictable. The effects are cheesy now. So what was my problem the first time I saw it?! Maybe since I was young? And saw it in the theater at night?
So it seems I can handle ghost movies better now. I still do NOT watch torture movies, or most horror though. My imagination is way too vivid and I have nightmares for days.
No related photo for this post… but here’s a photo of Data’s ghost from last October. He claims he sees her inside the house now. Oh, Data.
Themocracy
I am not much of a fan of scary movies. Some Steven King but that’s about it. And I have no desire to see “IT”. When I was a young teenager we were visiting former neighbors in Omaha. Their kids were watching a scary black and white movie. Something about a dead body in the back of a station wagon and the killer was climbing through an upper story window to kill whomever the woman was inside. FREAKED ME OUT!!! Still pretty vivid in my mind. I don’t know what the movie was and have never seen it again. It probably would not be as scary now, hopefully. Many years ago when Larry used to have to travel for work, all of the doors were locked and the curtains closed. The windows that just had a valance got a bath towel over the window. I would hope that I wouldn’t be that much of a “scaredy cay” now. Lol
I wonder how that movie affected the kids watching it!!!! I wonder if it freaked them out too! Sometimes about seeing these sinister things happen in what is supposed to be your safe place – your home – really messes with you!
Ha ha ha, I bet you’re a little less scared 😉
It’s funny how things that we perceived as one way when we were kids (and 16 is still somewhat kid-like!) can be so different from an adult perspective! My “scary” movie at around that time was the Sixth Sense. I figured out the plot twist right away, but the idea of seeing dead people in my house at night FREAKED ME OUT. I was always up until like 3 or 4am (I was in college when this came out) when everyone was asleep, and I’d definitely get spooked for a while after seeing that movie. Even though now I definitely wouldn’t consider it scary!
I think it’s funny that you guys used to hide and scare each other regularly!
And is there a cat behind Data in that picture or something? I don’t see it 😉
It is funny! I bet lots of people have things from their youth that freaked them out that really wouldn’t now. Man, The Sixth Sense was a freaking movie. Some of those dead people were friendly, and some not so much! I can totally see getting spooked about it when you were up late, alone, in the dark!
Ha ha ha. It’s a fun prank 🙂
LOL! Oh, Data, what did you do?! (right?!)
I’m dying to watch The Legend of Boggy Creek again, because when we sneaked into the theater showing that movie as 10 year olds instead of seeing the movie we were brought to see, it scared me to death, and I couldn’t even tell my parents why I was so scared because we’d been bad with seeing the wrong movie! Like you, I bet it wouldn’t scare me now…but dang, those movies sure can get you!
OMG! That is even worse – your parents couldn’t comfort you! Awww. When did you ever tell your parents that was what you actually went to see/ Let me know what you think when you rewatch it!
This story would be soooo much better if your mom did follow through. Dang it, Momma Ilax!
Ha!
That reminds me of when I saw “The Ring” (which is maybe still scary now). My friends and I were walking up to my (city) house in the dark, and my best friend had her long dark hair falling in front of her face. Of course, my other friend got really scared because she “looked like” Samara from the movie.
I used to think scary movies were a lot of fun, but now, I think my sense of mortality (and decorum) has made me a lot more sensitive to them!
I bet that is definitely still scary now. It’s a well done movie though! After we saw it, Steven used to go down the stairs on his hands and knees making a cackling noise. Oh, Steven. LOL at your friend being scared of your other one.
I keep seeing an article on FB about how the actress who played that girl is grown now and “not scary at all.” For some reason, it blows my mind that she’s a blond. Ha.
I wonder if people ever go back to liking scary movies again after deciding they aren’t for them anymore!