BY BIANCA BILLONI, STAFF WRITER
Let’s talk horror movies. It’s that time of year when couples find excuses to sit extra close in the theater seats for a movie that’s probably been done twenty different ways with food they paid way too much money for. Usually, the movie in question has surface-level characters, a murderer or an evil force that picks them all off one by one except for one hero that defeats it in the end (or so we think… I’m looking at you, Michael Myers). Let’s not forget the ample scenes with blood and gore that are completely unrealistic. It’s great, right?
Honestly, I tend to lean in another direction when it comes to scary movies. Psychological thrillers are the scariest for me. Sure, a good jump scare can always get me, but what really gets me is something that can get in my head. It’s so much more fun and so much more terrifying to follow a story that you have no idea where it’s going. The anticipation of what’s coming next is enough on its own to make me pause the movie, even if nothing scary is about to happen.
Another great aspect of psychological thrillers is that the characters tend to be more believable than those in the latest psycho-killer flick. They’re real people with hopes and dreams, and the common viewer can usually find one aspect of their lives to relate to. This makes the movie seem more realistic, and things that could actually happen are scarier than those that probably won’t. Not to mention, even if one of those movies was very believable, they get pretty old after the first or second movie. For me, I just enjoy watching a movie that I can’t guess the ending of, especially when it comes to a movie that is supposed to keep you on the edge of your seat. If you know the ending, it takes all the fun out of it.
I love when I see that Jordan Peele or Ari Aster is releasing a new movie because I know I can always count on them for an original plot with characters that have depth. I’m not going to say that they’re the end all be all of the psychological thrillers, but I think they set a high standard. I would highly recommend any of their movies, especially Peele’s latest film “Nope.” Both “Midsommar” and “Hereditary” are great examples of what I look for in a scary movie that makes you think. Even “Mother!” by Darren Aronofsky falls into this category, although I think a lot more could have been done with that film. That’s a thought for another day, though. I challenge you to watch a horror movie you’ve never seen before and make it a psychological thriller. See what you think!
