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How to Choose a Horror Movie That Will Scare Your Pants Off

Friday, May 09, 2008

Related Tags: horror | movies | serial | killers | mood

Instructions

Things You’ll Need:

Television
DVD player
Popcorn
Disconnected phone line
Computer

Choosing the Horror Movie

Step 1:
Understand that horror movies are the most difficult titles to choose, as they tend to be at the far end of the spectrum. They are either great or terrible, and not usually in between. As such, you must put some time into picking the right one. The first step to picking a great horror movie that will scare you is to tap into those things that you fear. Ask yourself what scares you the most. Let us say for the sake of the article that you fear serial killers. This is a popular subject in horror films, so you have many options.
Step 2:
Now that you know what scares you the most, you are ready to hunt down the right movie. Go to the IMDB website and set the search bar to "Tags" so that you can type in a search for "serial killers." It will return a number of movies, all rated and reviewed by users. Read the plots and a couple of the reviews that do not contain spoilers. This will help you narrow your choices down to a couple of good potential horror movies to scare you. But what if you do not have a computer to do the search? Read on.
Step 3:
Follow this method if you are selecting movies at your local video store. You are now at your local video store and trying to sift through the hundreds of movies in the genre. One of the biggest mistakes in choosing horror movies is when you pick a movie based on the box looking "cool." All the boxes will appear scary, even on the terrible ones. Forget the pictures on the box. The first step should be finding the types of movies that scare you. Find and pick out several movies about serial killers, because this is what scares you.
Step 4:
Once you have picked out a few, ask the folks around you. Generally, there will be a few people browsing the horror section, and they just might have some suggestions for great movies that feature serial killers. Ask the store clerks for any feedback on horror flicks. If you talk to several people, you will probably have some horror movies repeatedly mentioned. This generally means that you have a winner.
Step 5:
If you have tried all the steps above and still have not found a winner, then take an educated guess for a title. Which storyline on the backs of the boxes gives you a chill? As a back up, also pick out a horror movie that you have seen long ago that scared you. Horror movies have longevity, and some classics will scare you no matter how many times you have seen them. Think "Halloween," "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Jaws." Get yourself a backup.

Set the Mood

Step 1:
The next step to scaring yourself with a horror movie is to set the mood in the room. Light four or five candles, and turn down the lights. The mood in the room will change and you will start to get the willies.
Step 2:
Turn the volume on the television up louder than usual. The chills and sudden scares will be much spookier if you have the volume up. Get that theater effect going.
Step 3:
Unplug your phone, and shut your doors. You do not want to be interrupted. If you do wish to keep your phone on, at least turn the ringer way up. That should be good for a quick jolt or two as well.