by Caitlyn Jones

Created on: June 30, 2009

Ah, horrors. What else is there to say? The words 'new horror movie' set images of blood and gore, crying girls, and scary men running through the minds of just about everyone. But have horror movies gone too far? The answer is simple: no. We're just getting started!

Horror movies are an American tradition. It is common place to get a group of friends together and get scared out of your minds all night while you scream and throw popcorn to horrors on the T.V. screen. As time has passed, and many horror fans have grown up, passed on, and new horror movie buffs are born, the horrors themselves have grown up, passed on, and new ones have arisen in their place. Times have changed and so have people. It is only right that the movies change as well. In truth, they have become more gruesome; more realistic and in their entirety, more frightening. But that is what we crave isn't it? We want everything to be better, grander, more lifelike. We struggle and strive to go above and beyond what we have today to have a more advanced tomorrow.

Whether or not horror movies have gone too far is all a matter of opinion. For some who do not enjoy the genre, they will answer a quick yes. For avid fans, the answer is definitely no. And of course, horror movies have to be viewed for an older age group. They are not meant for children and that should be kept in mind. For children, today's horror movies are too much, but for the adult, no way.

Fear releases adrenaline; and the adrenaline is what often draws people to horrors. The fear is not the same if what you are watching is not realistic. Here's an example. Elmo comes on screen and begins stabbing Big Bird with a plastic knife. Creepy: yes. Horrifying and realistic: no. Okay, enough of that. But really, horror movies need to be scary; that's the whole point! So in no way have they gone too far.

There is also the art aspect which is often overlooked. People go to school for years to learn how to create realistic blood and gore and scary masks. After that, it takes years, sometimes lifetimes to perfect. Horror movies are a showcase of those few people's works of art. The difference is that their work is being worn and thrown around while being filmed; not sitting safely on a shelf in a museum. The scarier the movie is equates to how good their artwork was. And with that mind set, I hope horror movies take it even farther; showing that someone in this world is getting ahead doing what they are good at.

So, Hollywood, keep up the good work. We're just getting started.

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