For Halloweenies Like ME

                 Let me start off by stating that I am in no way a fan of horror movies. I severely dislike the feelings they cause the viewer to have, and the plot as well as the acting is nearly always abysmal. That being said, I greatly enjoy haunted houses because I feel as though the experience is completely different. Because during houses I laugh, while during movies I freak out; I jump and scream at every little noise or sudden movement; I flinch away from any suspenseful moment; I’m overall just a huge chicken when it comes to watching them. I know, I’m quite odd about the whole “scary situation”, but I do indulge in a horror film annually on Halloween, as long as I’m in a group of close friends who won’t judge me for my reactions.

                This past Halloween I was at a friend’s house with a group of people, and they all decided to watch Insidious. I agreed, because I didn’t want to run the mood, but I was extremely nervous as the opening credits started. Scary movies trigger my anxiety. Anyways, I pushed aside my hesitations, clutched a pillow to my chest, and snuggled up to one of my best friends.

                Just as I suspected, I shrieked quite often. One of my more annoying habits is that I have to talk myself through the movie in order to keep somewhat calm. This movie started off relatively interesting, and full of potential. It was creepy, but the acting was still not the best, and as the plot progressed it became downright stupid. It touched base more with the sci-fi genre than horror, and wasn’t even frightening in the slightest by the conclusion of the film. The only part that actually made me scream at was when a face appeared by the baby’s nursery window, and that was only because my other friend squeaked first.

                I was disappointed, and coming from someone who can barely tolerate scary movies, that’s saying something. At the end I found myself wishing there had been more opportunities for us all to jump or scream, simply so we could laugh about it later. That element was missing from the movie, and does not encourage me to watch the sequel at all. For future reference, any of you that are looking for a true thriller for the holiday spirit, I would go with something more “traditional”, like The Grudge or The Ring.

                

Taken

                Liam Neeson is a badass, and I think that anyone who has seen his movies can testify to that. Way back in 2012, a friend convinced me to go see Taken 2 with her in the movie theater. I explained that I hadn’t even seen the first one, but she assured me the plot wasn’t hard to follow: Brian’s daughter had been kidnapped, but he tracked her down and saved her. Since it seemed simply enough, I agreed, and we went and saw the sequel.

                I was hooked from the beginning. It seemed that the relationship between the father and daughter was genuine, and understandably so from the little I knew from the original movie. It didn’t take long for the plot to kick in—within the first few minutes the mother was taken and Brian was at it again. The fight choreography in this movie was almost beautiful; every move was precise and intricate, yet easy to follow, and extremely impressive. There was a perfect balance between the emotional ties to the story and the action, which kept me interested throughout. All in all, it was a pretty epic movie, and I wanted to watch the first one right away.

                I didn’t own the first one, however, and somehow never managed to make it to Family Video to rent it. It wasn’t until this past Friday night that I got to actually watch it. Luckily for me, it did meet my high expectations. Normally, in the majority of the movies that I watch, there is always a time where I get a little bored and think, “When is this going to be over?” Not with this movie. It had me anticipating every next scene, and had me going “ooh” and “ahh” at all of his butt-kicking. His “I will find you” speech was iconic. I even flinched a couple times at the sheer brutality that he possessed. I found that I definitely didn’t want the movie to end, and I was shocked when it did. I thought there must have been at least another hour left! I was surprised the two hours had passed so quickly. At the end of it all, I had one main thought bouncing around inside my head: Liam Neeson is undeniably a badass.