He's Behind the Door!

I like scary movies about as much as the average American. As to the type of horror movie, I probably differ in that I revel in the thought provoking psychological thriller. Hack 'N' Slash is an okay way to go about making a movie. Blood? Check. Guts? Check. Creepy guy sitting in the corner talking to a potato he carved to like an odd combination of Marilyn Monroe and his mother coming up with new ways to torture and kill people? Three. It takes a talented writer, director, cast, and crew to pull of something that haunts the recesses of the mind.

H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allen Poe are two of my favorite writers. Without these two, the horror genre would not be nearly what it is today. I just saw a remake of the House of Usher on t.v. the other day and it was from 2006. Yeah, they did it without Vincent Price. I know what you may or may not be thinking, probably the latter due to disinterest. Poe was the first writer to write horror in the mind. Lovecraft wrote about the "Great Old Ones," creatures from beyond the stars, aliens who took up residence on Earth to cause chaos. Most people may not consider Lovecraft's work to be all that psychological. These same people probably didn't know that Lovecraft's writing actually spawned two religions: The Temple of Set and the Church of Satan. The Necronomicon was Lovecraft's doing as well.

Why do I like psychological thrillers for my horror movies? The effect of the movie stays with you for a while, or until you finish dinner, maybe not at a decent restaurant, but drive-thru cheeseburgers, because, hey movies ain't cheap, the economy is still down (see bank account), and those burgers were only a dollar each. You get more for your investment. That's money and time I'm spending to watch a movie and I demand the movie meet certain entertainment expectations!

Psycho-killers leave a mark on the people who watch them. I will argue my points with three of the most terrifying things I have ever seen. Two of these are classics, the third is beyond description. All three have been burned into America's culture and psyche.
1. Norman Bates killed a woman in a motel. As if motels weren't sketchy enough to begin with.
2. Dr. Hannibal Lecter ate piece of a man's brain while the man watched. Great. I used to be afraid of my medical bill, now I have to fear the person telling me to turn my head and cough.
3. Rebecca Black ruined all the fun I had trying to decide which seat to take. She only had one choice in the video and yet she persisted on asking the question. Then she leaves us with a cliff-hanger. What comes after Sunday? Bitch!

Let me break this down for you. I'm not saying this is right or wrong. This is how I feel about each of the following stock-characters (alphabetically of course):
Dracula: very good
Frankenstein (Creature): two decaying thumbs up
Frankenstein (Doctor): overused, but appreciated when done right
Mummies: having toilet paper stuck to your shoe is always funny (see zombie)
Psycho Killer: Yes, please.
Vampires: so long as they don't twinkle, take 'em or leave 'em
Werewolves: good
Yankee Fans: NO (see toilet paper)
Zombies: okay (Depends on the type of zombie. Are we talkin' foot-draggin' brain-devourin' Dawn of the Dead zombie or are we talkin' only-go-out-at-night-hunting-in-packs I Am Legend zombie?)

If only the main character from The Tell-Tale Heart could have heard the Call of Cthulu, then maybe we could all do the "Thriller" dance to "Friday."

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0522454/  H.P. Lovecraft's entry on IMDb
http://www.churchofsatan.com/  Church of Satan is looking to recruit. Who'd have guessed? Trust me. The first page is pretty scary, but it's worth a look inside. You have to apply to join, too. Geez, I thought regular paperwork was Hell! (It's okay to laugh even though that joke was horrible)
http://www.xeper.org/ If you thought Church of Satan was fun, check this out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VP5jEAP3K4 The SHOWER SCENE from Psycho (1960)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQKs169Sl0I Silence of the Lambs trailer (1981)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0 This is unacceptable. I didn't want to do this to you, but there's a bird on my window repeating himself over and over while I sit here typing weak and weary. Quoth the raven, "Friday."