What was your gateway into horror?

[rogueslayer452]

There was this question I saw being circulated around asking what was your first horror movie you watched that got you into the genre, and I thought about it and honestly it's a tie between Scream (saw the beginning of at a sleepover in junior high) and I Know What You Did Last Summer (was on television when I was visiting a relative for Halloween), as I do believe it was around the same time frame. I remember those made a big impression on me specifically. Also because I know that I was interested in seeing I Still Know What You Did Last Summer when it came out in theaters because of Brandy who I knew from Moesha and loved her music, and actually I saw the film several times in the theaters because I became a bit obsessed with it.

I do think they were definitely influential enough to be the biggest gateway for me to look for more movies like those, I would go to the video rental store and look for horror and I was intrigued by the horror movies coming out whenever I saw previews of them on TV at the time. A lot of them were of the slasher category and b-movie types, and many quite underrated, imho. But yeah, I do believe it really took off from there.

(Of course, if you really want to go even further back I guess you could trace me interest in horror to all the nightmare fuel that I watched and was exposed to as a kid. Anything that was weird and bizarre and slightly unnerving I was fascinated by. I mean, Gremlins and Gremlins 2: The New Batch are among my top favorite childhood movies, and they are classified as horror-comedy, so y'know, it was definitely a early personal taste that just naturally evolved overtime.)

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_profiterole_/]

I've seen all of these. I've never watched much horror, but another big franchise I enjoyed was Final Destination (I don't think I've seen them all, but I've seen at least 3).

[haebin.livejournal.com]

I guess the first horror movie I've watched (secretly) was 'Poltergeist'. I was very young and very afraid. Next one would be Pet Sematary. I was sooo scared for weeks.

Stephen King's Carrie would be the movie which brought me into the Genre I guess because I watched it when I was a Teenie and not a kid anymore.
And I watched all the movies you've mentioned. And of course Final Destination; every single movie - but the first one was the best. I came back from the cinema, went to bed and the shadows from the tree outside was seen in my room and oh my god, I was so god damn scared. O_O''

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I only watched the first two of the Final Destination franchise, I remember when they came out so I was invested in them, but I haven't seen the rest of the series. I know that it became more or less about the thrill of the kills and less about the mythology, but the last one in the franchise seemed to tie them all together somehow. Perhaps one day I'll sit and watch the entire series all the way through.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

I've only watched the first two of the Final Destination franchise, but perhaps one day I'll actually sit down and watch the entire series. I know that supposedly the last one they made ties everything together. But I agree, the first one is a classic in its own right.

[verdande-mi.livejournal.com]

I saw those films too, in my teens, but I was introduced to horror much earlier and watched films not suited for children at all, like Aliens and different Chuckie films.

I used to love horror as a teen, but with each passing year I feel like I handle less and less of it. I scare so easily these days!

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

A lot of the stuff I watched were definitely not suitable for the age I was when I started really getting into the genre proper, but that didn't stop me from renting them or seeing them in the theaters, lol.

I'll be honest, I don't really get scared that easily. Like, at most I'll be deeply unnerved (especially the psychological ones where it really just messes with your head and stays with you long after) or scream when a jumpscare happens (that I laugh at quickly afterwards from the adrenaline rush), but otherwise I don't think I've been scared of horror. I think my morbid curiosity and fascination with the genre overrides any kind of fear I may have, and it's also partially the reason why I'm attracted to the genre in the first place. Like, there are certain things that I know that I cannot handle so I either avoid those completely or I don't watch those parts, and that's mainly just knowing my own limits and boundaries as I've gotten older.

[haebin.livejournal.com]

The last movie of the series had a really surprising ending. Liked it a lot. :)

[impala-chick.livejournal.com]

What a fun question! Gremlins is such an A+ movie :D Can you believe I still haven't seen Scream or I know What you Did Last Summer? I need to, though. I can't remember what film was first, but I know my interest in horror came later on in life. I think I went from fantasy to witch-related books, and that's what got me into TV/film.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

There are some horror classics that I haven't gotten around to watching, myself. I've never seen the original Halloween (though I did see Halloween: H20 the year it came out, go figure) or Friday the 13th. Although I feel like I've seen them because they been talked about and referenced so much.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

Both Scream and IKWYDLS were big ones for me too in the genre. I didn't really watch slasher movies etc. from the 80s. I was also a big X-Files fan back in the day and while that's not a movie that probably was a gateway for me as well.

I liked scary things as a kid and at the same time was terrified by them yet refused to stop watching. So things like Return to Oz made a big impression on me.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Return to Oz was another childhood favorite for me, as well. Definitely a massive influence since it was very nightmare fuel-ish. I had a lot of those kinds of things growing up, now that I'm thinking about it. Then again, though, a lot of 80s and 90s stuff was very dark and weird and had a lot of nightmare fuel.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

Absolutely the stuff I grew up on seems to be a lot darker than what's out there for kids today. Not sure if it's better or worse but it certainly affected my tastes as an adult.

[impala-chick.livejournal.com]

I wish they would all the classics up as a pack on Netflix or Hulu etc, that would make it so much easier to watch.