Scare me

A couple of years ago, my husband’s 11-year-old brother handed me a Christmas present he wrapped himself. I opened it fully prepared to lie about how much I loved it, but I didn’t have to lie at all. He had given me The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.

“I got this for you, because I know you love the killing,” he said. He wasn’t wrong. I do love horror movies and always have. I’ve loved horror movies since the first time I watched Halloween in 1997, cross-legged on the floor at my babysitter’s house, hoping I could finish the movie before she realized what I was watching.

That was followed by all the Halloween sequels, which aren’t nearly as good but definitely enjoyable. I’m particularly fond of Halloween: H20 when Laurie Strode returns to take on Michael Myers one last time. Then came Friday the 13th and Sleepaway Camp and Scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street. My mom would take me to Blockbuster every Friday night, allowing me to rent a movie or two to watch in my room. She didn’t veto any movie I chose. She said I’d probably watch it anyway.

Thanks to her placid encouragement, I have seen hundreds of horror movies. I watch at least one horror movie during the weekend. This past Sunday, I celebrated my birthday by watching Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead. It wasn’t good, but I’ve become fond of the kind of horror movie you’ll find in the $5 bin at Walmart. It’s like a bad romantic comedy or a thriller with hardly any plot. You can’t help but watch what’s happening on the screen, and sometimes you want to watch it again when it’s over.

Each year, I try to find new horror movies to watch in October. It is Halloween, after all. October was my favorite month as a child, because that meant I could watch horror movies without waiting until Friday to go to Blockbuster. Everything from the classics to modern slashers play on TV during October.

On the weekend, some channels exclusively show a horror movie marathon. That’s how I discovered some of my favorite horror movies, specifically the Sleepaway Camp sequels. I never would’ve watched that series if it hadn’t been playing on TV, and now it’s one of my favorites.

This year, I plan to see a few new horror movies in the theater. I know, I know. Why would I pay $10 to watch some bad movie that will be available for $5 in the next few months? Well, it’s October, it’s Halloween and it’s just pure fun. I’ve already seen the It reboot, which was good but not nearly as good as people make it out to be. It’s possible I feel this way because I’ve got a soft spot for the 1990 miniseries, with its five-hour runtime and horrible special effects. I first watched that movie with my uncle in 1996. From then on, I tried to watch it every time it came on TV. The new movie is good, but it doesn’t have John Ritter or sub-par production value. That’s pretty important to me.

I plan to see Happy Death Day, Tragedy Girls, Amityville: The Awakening and Friend Request before the month is over. For those of you who are interested in watching something scary this month, I’d recommend mainstays like Scream or A Nightmare on Elm Street. You can’t go wrong with Wes Craven.

Then again, I don’t think you can go wrong with horror movies in general, so maybe I’m a little biased.