"Re-sensitised" - has this happened to anyone else here?

[Kandarian Demon]

I guess it's common knowledge among us horror fans that most of us get desensitised to the genre as we watch more and more movies - and I've definitely experienced that myself, as I've rarely found myself spooked out by any movies in my adult life.

But... recently, something has changed for me. Suddenly, I am being scared by horror movies again!

Violence is one thing... that is a part of "real life", and as we grow older and experience pain, I think it's kind of logical to be more disturbed by stuff like that.

But... ghosts, monsters and other stuff that a nearly 40 year old woman shouldn't care about anymore? Who does THAT suddenly scare the crap out of me again?!

Not that I'm complaining... I've always wished I could watch horror movies through the eyes of the kid I once was again, and although I'm not the coward I was back then :D, I guess this is the closest thing I'll get to it.

Suddenly, even the scary pics on the DVD covers get to me. When watching a movie, I am sometimes tempted to cover my eyes... the jump scares are suddenly working on me again too. And when the movie is over, I feel slightly paranoid... it's a lot of fun!! :D

I suspect that it's probably just a phase, caused by something, whatever that might be, that is going on in my crazy little brain at the moment.

But I'm wondering if any of you experienced horror fanatics have had that happen to you too? And if it did... did it last? :D

[MichaelMyers]

Lucky. I have become so de-sensitized to films that I actively seek out horror to view on the mean streets late at night.

[realdealblues]

When I was young nothing really bothered me. I had seen pretty much every Horror/Disturbing/Controversial film by the time I was 18. Every Extreme Gore Film out there to things like Salo and In A Glass Cage.

Now being older, I honestly don't have any interest in watching things like that. It's not that I couldn't watch it, I just don't feel interested in seeing it anymore. I don't want to see someone eat poop or get tortured for an hour.

As far as actual Horror movies, creepy atmosphere is what creeps me out so I look for things with strong atmosphere rather than gore or violence or whatever. Jason, Freddy, Monsters in general, those things don't scare me, they never did. Even when I was 6 years old. Jump scenes make me jump because they are designed to. Loud noises and things flashing in front of you will do that. Walk out to get the mail and have a car race by me and honk it's horn and I'll do the same thing. It's not fear so much as a reflex action. But a good movie with creepy atmosphere will get me every time.

[Kandarian Demon]

Originally Posted by realdealblues

Now being older, I honestly don't have any interest in watching things like that. It's not that I couldn't watch it, I just don't feel interested in seeing it anymore. I don't want to see someone eat poop or get tortured for an hour.

I can relate to that. Well, I still love gore, when it's a part of a movie I enjoy... but violence just for the sake of violence really doesn't interest me.

[realdealblues]

Originally Posted by Kandarian Demon

I can relate to that. Well, I still love gore, when it's a part of a movie I enjoy... but violence just for the sake of violence really doesn't interest me.

That's basically what I was saying. Cartoon gore like "Dead Alive" is fine and general gore is fine. I love Lucio Fulci who was call the Godfather of Gore at one point. But trying to be over the top extreme hardcore gore for no other reason to just do it doesn't interest me. I remember watching something where a chick was like dissecting a guys testicle or something for 15 minutes. A simple scissor snip would be enough for me to cringe but 15 mintues of agonizing over it just to be "extreme" does nothing for me.

[knife_fight]

It has definitely happened to me. I also get grossed out a lot easier.

One thing that is strange to me is that I used to love going through Haunted Houses, now I have no interest in it. I will admit that I'm scared. In my old age, I hate being startled, which also means I don't enjoy horror flicks with a lot of jump scares. I can tolerate a few, but I've always thought it was kind of a cheap trick anyway.

[Sculpt]

I haven't gotten re-sensitized. But I hope it happens. After seeing Exorcist, Jaws, Amityville and Carrie at a young age, there's been none for me. I plan on seeing some of the modern films that have been rated very high in scariness, like REC, and see what happens.

[Bastion1023]

For me the part of some ghost stories that gets to me now that didn't before is the tragic storylines/deaths of children. It didn't bother me much before having my two sons, but now it hits close to home. Devil's Backbone for instance really got to me because of the tragic story of the ghost.

[anicat]

I've never cared for the torture side of the horror genre, so don't have much experience in that. And agree with Kandarian Demon, violence for violence sake is a turn off for me.

Absolutely agree with realdealblues, I LOVE creepy atmosphere. I don't need to see the monster graphically spelled out to the smallest detail, my imagination can do that just fine, thank you very much. Or if the VFX has created something awesome, then use it with an eye to not play ALL the cards, leave some unseen to build the mystery, the drama, the scare.

I might be a bit desensitized, in that having seen SFX/VFX/SFXMUA in action, it takes away some of the magic. "Is that a box of exploded person? Cool! And geez, three gallons of blood? What are we doing that you need so much?" But give me the new Headless Horseman on Sleepy Hollow, that uber-creeptastic Undead Deputy...and that horrible half-seen demon...and I'm right back in the drama moment, enjoying those dark scenes every bit as much as I ever did. :)