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How Important Are Scares to Horror Movies?

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BOO!

Horror fans were recently graced with the international release of Robert Eggers’ debut film, The Witch, which stunned audiences with its atypical approach to horror, the likes of which we have rarely been seen since Kubrick first tackled the genre. While the film was nearly unanimously praised by critics, and a sly marketing campaign resulted in an unexpected box-office success, general audience reaction was divisive, at best. Many moviegoers were put off by the film’s pacing, and others were even offended by its religious undertones. The most common complaint about what was marketed as one of the scariest films of all time, however, was that it simply wasn’t scary enough.

This isn’t the first time that a film has generated this kind of controversy, nor will it be the last. The celebrated It Follows suffered a similar fate once faced with a wide release. Despite receiving rave reviews from the festival circuit, most moviegoers weren’t impressed by David Robert Mitchell’s retro thriller. Could film critics and general audiences be so out of touch with each other that they would generate these contradictory opinions, or is there something more to it? Though I personally thought that both It Follows and The Witch were creepy films with more than enough menacing atmosphere to haunt viewers long after the credits rolled, the more important question here is: “Can and should horror movies only be judged by how scary they are?”

Horror films are defined by dealing with horrific and unnatural elements like murder and the supernatural, but that’s an incredibly broad classification. There are certain super-hero films that could fall into this category, not to mention most crime thrillers and action films in general. Swarchzenneger’s Commando would obviously be a proto-slasher film if it were presented from the point of view of one of the antagonist’s henchmen. This is why perspective may be one of the most important elements of a horror movie, as fear and horror are extremely subjective and can’t be consistently quantified. Some people are absolutely terrified by jump scares, while others have nightmares about being slowly stalked by immortal serial killers.

Is this not scary enough for you?Is this not scary enough for you?

These differences are responsible for the various sub-genres present within horror, be it the proverbial gothic ghost story or grindhouse slashers. This is where things get complicated, however, as some of these films don’t rely on fear at all to be effective. No one is actually afraid of Jason Voorhees anymore, and ‘torture-porn’ movies like Eli Roth’s Hostel franchise work with disgust and morbid fascination instead of fear, not to mention respect for the special effects work and creative kills. Even horror classics like The Exorcist don’t really hold up in the scare department nowadays, unless you’re a devout catholic. In fact, almost everyone can agree that The Shining is an absolutely amazing film, but it’s not the scares that make so many people remember it after so long, it’s the fact that it’s a well-made movie!

Regardless of horror, “classic” movies have many elements in common. From relatable characters to well-developed plots and presentation, these films transcend their initial release with timeless stories and memorable moments that continue to be appreciated through the ages. Though many of the snobbier critics out there might disagree, horror movies work the same way as other genre pictures, and do not depend on vague definitions of specific emotions or story-beats to be successful. Horror movies shouldn’t just be about scares, so how can we judge them only based on that characteristic?

We remember Young Frankenstein as one of the greatest comedy films of all times (and it certainly deserves that honor), but it stands the test of time due to Mel Brooks’ impeccable direction, not just the plentiful jokes. These directing skills were acquired through an insane amount of love and respect towards the Universal Monsters and what Brooks perceived to be the filmmaking giants that preceded him. Gene Wilder’s performance also further elevates the film, but that could be said about most, if not all of his roles. This amounts to a love-letter towards a certain kind of film, and almost anyone can appreciate this level of dedication to something, despite the laughs.

“Actually it’s Fronkenshteen!”

It may seem that I’m needlessly bashing scary movies here in favor of “superior” intellectual films, but that’s not the case. There certainly is an important place for fear in the film industry, it’s just not the only criteria through which horror movies should be judged (or made, for that matter). Audiences should not be angry at a film because it wasn’t scary enough for them, they should be angry if the film built around said scares was a hollow shell of what decent cinema should look like. If people only want sudden scares with no regard for other aspects of filmmaking or even storytelling in general, there are tons of incredible YouTube videos and other media with jump-scares and gore as far as the eye can see. Even videogames are an option, though scary games have greatly evolved from their primitive survival-horror roots.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t want to be scared by movies, or value the ones that manage to do so. Everyone has the right to like and dislike certain media based on their own personal views and opinions, and that’s a good thing. It makes the medium grow and adapt in order to become what society wants to see. There is a place for every kind of genre or sub-genre, no matter how niche it may seem, and no particular way of making art is inherently better than another. Nevertheless, if we want to break the cycle of generic horror movies that come out every year, pandering to the lowest common denominator and preventing more creative films from being produced, fans of horror should celebrate the release of unique horror films. Even if they don’t particularly enjoy this specific kind of story, it’s important that horror hounds use their voice (and wallets) to help improve the current state of scary movies.

Whether or not you enjoyed and/or were scared by The Witch, and other similar films, is entirely up to you, and there’s no right opinion on the matter. However, it’s important to realize that horror movies are so much more than just the sum of creepy atmosphere, jump-scares, murderers and other scary elements. They’re a tool through which artists can tell terrifying and sometimes even thought-provoking stories. Like any tool, it can be used to make good or bad things, but it’s up to us to gently push the genre to where it can grow and become even better. Whether or not we’re scared by these movies shouldn’t be the only thing we care about.

Born Brazilian, raised Canadian, Luiz is a writer and Film student that spends most of his time watching movies and subsequently complaining about them.

Editorials

The 10 Scariest Moments in the ‘Ghostbusters’ Movie Franchise

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scariest Ghostbusters

WARNING: The following contains mild spoilers for the Ghostbusters franchise. 

Yes, Ghostbusters is a horror movie – gateway horror to be exact. Setting aside the fact that the title literally contains the word “ghost,” a foundational element of the scariest genre, the franchise follows a group of paranormal researchers who battle entities attacking from beyond the grave. After countless rewatches, the classic films and newer sequels may not scare us much anymore, but how many times have we as genre fans asserted that a film does not have to be “scary” to be considered horror?

Genre classification is nebulous and any film that centers on ghosts has a place in the sprawling house of horror. Yes, it’s true that most viewers over the age of thirteen will find more to laugh about than scream while watching a Ghostbusters film, but each entry contains a handful of terrifying moments. With Gil Kenan’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire uniting three generations of the parascientific warriors, perhaps it’s time to highlight the most frightening moments from each phase of this legendary franchise. 


Ghostbusters (1984)

A Haunted Library

scariest Ghostbusters movie

Ivan Reitman’s original film begins with a campfire tale come to life. We follow an unsuspecting librarian as she ventures deep into the stacks to reshelve a book. With her hair blowing from a spectral breeze, we watch a hardcover float across the aisle to the opposite shelf. A second book follows, but the librarian remains unaware. She finally notices the disturbance when card catalog drawers open on their own spewing cards into the air like literary geysers. She flees through the maze of narrow stacks only to come face to face with a mysterious force who blows her back with a powerful roar. We won’t see the Library Ghost (Ruth Oliver) until a later scene, but this introduction firmly positions the film that follows in the world of horror. On first watch, we can only speculate as to the ghost’s malevolence and whether or not the librarian has survived the encounter. It’s the perfect introduction to a world in which ghosts are not only real, they will pounce on unsuspecting humans at the drop of a … book. 

Shaky Ground

The original finale may not be the film’s most terrifying moment, but it has become the franchise’s most iconic image. When faced with choosing a form for Gozer (Slavitza Jovan), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) inadvertently conjures up an image from his childhood. Moments later, a set of once-cheery eyes peer through the skyscrapers. The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man towers over the city, stomping and destroying everything in its path. While there’s definitely something terrifying about a jovial mascot turned deadly killer, what happens moments before is arguably scarier. 

The Ghostbusters arrive at the luxury apartment building to throngs of adoring fans. Peter Venkman (Bill Murray) plays into this hero-worship and promises an easy solution to a supernatural problem. But before they can enter the building, lightning strikes the upper floors sending massive chunks of brick and cement raining down on the barricaded street. The ground begins to shake and a giant fissure swallows the entire team. It’s a destabilizing moment made all the more terrifying by its shocking reality. Speculation about the existence of ghosts may vary from person to person, but there’s no doubt that sinkholes are very real. It’s entirely possible that the ground we’re standing on right now could spontaneously begin to crumble, sucking us down into a seemingly bottomless void beneath the earth. 


Ghostbusters II (1989)

Runaway Baby

Ivan Reitman’s sequel begins with a sly update on the life of a beloved character as Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) pushes a baby carriage containing her infant son Oscar (Henry and William Deutschendorf). When last we saw the attractive cellist, she was kissing Venkman in the wreckage of Gozer’s demise and the thought of this loveable lady’s man becoming a father may be more nerve-wracking than anything contained in the first film. We never learn much about Oscar’s real father, but we do discover that fate has a sinister plan for the adorable child. While Dana chats with her landlord, Oscar’s carriage rolls a few feet away. Dana reaches for the handle, but the buggy begins speeding down the sidewalk careening through the busy crowds. As if guided by unseen hands, the carriage twists and turns, then abruptly swerves into oncoming traffic. Cars honk and veer out of the way, but the racing carriage marks a collision course with an approaching bus. The wheels screech to a halt moments before what would surely be a deadly crash and Dana rushes to embrace her vulnerable child. This harrowing scene is likely to terrorize any parent who’s experienced the fear of trying to protect a baby in an unpredictable world.  

Sewer Screams

scariest Ghostbusters scene

While investigating the second film’s primary villain, Vigo the Carpathian (Wilhelm von Homburg), three of the Ghostbusters venture into the sewers hoping to find a growing river of slime. Ray, Winston (Ernie Hudson), and Egon (Harold Ramis) trek down an abandoned subway line while speculating about the hordes of cockroaches and rats they hear scurrying behind the walls. These vermin may be scary, but there are more malevolent monsters lurking in the dark. Ray and Egon both amuse themselves with the tunnel’s echo but Winston’s “hello” goes unanswered. Moments later, a demonic voice bellows his name from the dark end of the corridor. Waiting behind him is a severed head floating in the empty tunnel. As he tries to retreat, the team finds themselves surrounded by dozens of ghoulish heads that disappear faster than they materialized. Moments later, a ghostly train hurtles towards them, swallowing Winston in its spectral glow. Egon theorizes that something is trying to keep them from reaching their destination with effective scares designed to frighten the Ghostbusters and audience alike.  


Ghostbusters (2016)

Haunted Basement

Like its predecessor, Paul Feig’s remake opens with a spooky vignette. Garrett (Zach Woods) gives a tour of the Aldridge Mansion, a 19th century manor preserved in the middle of the busy city, and walks visitors through a troubling history of excess and cruelty. Hoping to inject a bit of excitement, he pauses near the basement door and tells the horrifying story of Gertrude Aldridge (Bess Rous), a wealthy heiress who murdered the house’s many servants. Hoping to avoid a public scandal, her family locked her in the basement and her restless spirit can still be heard trying to escape. Garrett triggers a trick candlestick to fly off the shelf, hinting at the spirit’s presence, but a late night incident shows that the deceased murderess may actually be lurking in her ancestral home. While closing up for the night, Garrett hears ominous noises from behind the barricaded door and watches the knob rattle against the heavy locks. An unseen attacker hurls him through the house and eventually drives him down the basement stairs to a sea of green slime pooling on the floor. The stairs crumble leaving the tour guide hanging on to the door frame for dear life as a spectral figure glides toward him with menacing hands outstretched. Once again, we won’t see the fully revealed ghost of Gertrude Aldridge until later in the film, but this terrifying opening sets the stage for a dangerous showdown with an army of the dead.

Mannequin On the Move

The scariest moment of the 2016 remake is arguably the vicious online hatred sparked well before the film’s release. In response to brutal comments posted to the first official trailer, the cast returned to film an additional scene in which they react to dehumanizing negativity. But another sequence may cut closer to the heart of this upsetting experience. The Ghostbusters respond to a call at a concert venue and split up to cover more ground. Patty (Leslie Jones) enters what she calls a “room full of nightmares” and immediately reverses course to avoid a multitude of mannequins stacked haphazardly in the dark. As she walks out the door, one of the faceless creatures turns its head her way. Walking on its own, this sentient prop follows her down the hall, pausing the moment she turns around. Eventually breaking cover, the mannequin chases Patty down the hall to the rest of the team. They unleash their proton packs and make quick work of the gargoyle-like ghost. Though this connection is surely unintentional, it’s a terrifying parallel to a faceless monster sneaking up to attack a woman simply trying to do her job. 


Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Smoke and Monsters

While Ghostbusters: Afterlife is nowhere near as scary as the horror films playing in the local summer school science class, Jason Reitman’s legacyquel does contain its share of frights. The film opens with a harrowing scene as we join Egon (Oliver Cooper) in the last moments of his life. Racing away from a sinister mountain, Egon’s truck collides with an unseen force and flips upside down in a field of corn. The elderly scientist races back to his crumbling farmhouse with a trap in hand, intent on ensnaring this invisible being. Unfortunately, the power fails and Egon has no choice but to hide the trap under the floorboards and wait. He sits in a comfortable old chair as a horrifying cloud of smoke drifts in behind him, momentarily forming the shape of a fanged beast. Demonic hands grab him from within the chair, likely causing the heart attack that will be listed on his death certificate. But his abandoned PKE meter below the chair activates, reminding us that Egon may be deceased, but he is far from gone.  

The Terror Returns

scariest Ghostbusters moments

Ghostbusters: Afterlife turns out to be a touching tribute to Harold Ramis as his friends and family unite to complete the beloved scientist’s heroic mission. In addition to a tearjerker ending, Reitman also includes a bevy of callbacks to the original film. Not only do the Spenglers square off against the team’s first enemy, Gozer (Emma Portner), the nonbinary entity brings back the Terror Dogs that once possessed Dana Barret and Louis Tully (Rick Moranis). These demonic beasts first rear their ugly heads while Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) stops by Walmart to buy a midnight snack. While the horde of mini marshmallow men are eerie in their gleeful self-destruction, the ghostly canine that chases him through the store is the stuff of nightmares. Early iterations of this fearsome creature are hindered by ’80s-era special effects, but Reitman’s version feels frighteningly real. While Gary frantically tries to find his keys, this Terror Dog snarls at him from atop his car dashboard, leaving the endearing science teacher with no way to escape. 


Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

Frozen Dinner 

After a film set in a small mountain town, the opening of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire takes us back to New York circa 1904. We see the fire station in its early years as a horse-drawn carriage responds to a call. Arriving at the scene, a fireman tests the door for heat and watches in horror as his hand instantly freezes. Inside, they find jagged shards of ice surrounding and piercing a frozen dinner party. Guests are posed in various states of ice-covered surprise while an eerie record skips in the corner. A figure covered in brass armor we will come to know as a Fire Master is crouched in the corner clutching a mysterious orb. When the fireman touches this rippling sphere, the frozen diners’ heads begin to explode, an ominous precursor to the chilling threat awaiting the newest Ghostbusting team. 

Lights Out

If Ghostbusters: Afterlife featured the lo-fi gear of the 80s, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire hurls us into the future. Wealthy financier Winston Zeddemore has been surreptitiously building a new containment unit to relieve pressure on the original model along with a secret lab designed to study ghosts and haunted objects. In addition to fancy new gadgets and gear, this facility contains several captured spirits like a fanged Wraith and a speedy Possessor. Lab techs assure the astonished Spengler team that they are perfectly safe, but it seems they’ve overestimated the facility’s security. Lucky (Celeste O’Connor) and Lars (James Acaster) are studying the aforementioned orb when the power goes out, leaving them stranded in the dark with a cache of haunted objects. Not only does the ancient sphere hold a deadly spirit, the proton fields containing the captured ghosts have just been disabled. These terrifying creatures begin to drift through the walls toward the defenseless lab techs, perhaps at the bidding of an evil commander. Thankfully the generator kicks on in the nick of time, drawing the ghosts back into their cells. It’s a tense moment reminding us that no matter how charming the Ghostbusters may be, they still spend their days with evil spirits just waiting for an opportunity to wreak havoc.  


The Ghostbusters franchise excels at mixing humor and fear, practically setting the blueprint for the modern horror comedy. Moments from the original two films terrified a generation of gen-xers and elder millennials and newer iterations are currently scaring their kids. The fifth franchise installment effectively passes the proton pack torch to a new generation of Ghostbusters and we can only hope additional films will continue to induct future generations of Ghostbusters fans into the horror family as well. 

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is now playing in theaters. Read our review.

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