Action and Adventure in Horror Films

Written by Joe Torrillo

If you frequent the theater you know there is a certain routine involved with each trip you take. First, you usually decide that you want to go see a movie and, second, you have a debate about which one you are going to see. When deciding amongst friends, the most popular question asked is, “What do you want to see?” or “What types of movies do you like?”  Inevitably the person you are with will like something different from what you like.  If you are a lover of horror films, you more than likely get shafted when you go to the theater because it’s rare that others admit that they love horror films.  This is especially true if you are on a first date because most people don’t want to come off looking like a serial killer for picking a horror film.

So what does one do when they really want to rent “It”, “Silence of the Lambs”, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” or go see “The Haunting in Connecticut” or “The Collector”?  You can get the best of both worlds by picking movies that have an equal dose of action and horror.  That way everyone gets what they want, and you don’t have to look like the next Son of Sam.  In reality, a lot of scary, horror movies have plenty of action in them to be labeled an “action” movie instead.  For instance, the movie “From Dusk Till Dawn” was scary but also very invigorating.  I think most people would consider it an action film over a horror film.  However, it has its’ fair share of blood and guts and is sure to give anyone who likes horror films a run for their money.

However, there are some movies that try to be action packed and scary and fail miserably.  The perfect example is “Anaconda”.  That movie tried to do so much with action that the special effects wound up being really bad and you couldn’t take it seriously.  It makes “Snakes on a Plane” seem like a movie worth paying for.  At least “Snakes on a Plane” was entertaining and it did have the one bathroom scene (snake in toilet) which is sure to make anyone living in warm or tropical climates (where snakes routinely find their way into the sewer system) look twice before settling down to take care of business. Without the rest of the movie, I think that one scene would be enough to give most people nightmares for about a week until they had a chance to watch, “The Hangover” and forget about their fear of flying or any creepy reptiles finding ways into their home.

“Indiana Jones” was another action movie, yet, it still had some scenes that could be considered horror.  It’s not every day that you encounter a heart getting ripped out of a chest by another man’s bare hands or have to watch while your loved one get dipped into a pit of fire.  I think scenes like these in “action” movies are scarier than some scenes in “horror” movies.  For instance, “The Blair Witch Project” was mostly just people running in the dark.  This movie was supposed to be a horror movie, when in reality, I think the movie was more action than horror because you pretty much just saw people running the whole time.  Yet, people would write off going to see “Indiana Jones” if they are looking for horror, and write off “Blair Witch Project” if they are looking for action.

I think the Ring is a good example of a movie that really was just horror without most of the action.  I mean, the girl in “The Ring” who had her face permanently distorted and was just stashed in a closet was pretty tough to stomach.  That movie had some action in it as they tried to unfold a mystery, but I’d definitely say that movie was more horror than action due to the slower pace of the movie and the infrequency of the events that took place.

“War of the Worlds” is a perfect example of an equal balance of horror and action.  The movie never stopped moving along and was scary enough to keep you on the edge of your seat wondering what would happen next and who was going to be the next victim.  The way the film was shot made you feel like you could be in that situation.  Even the noise that the aliens made was creepy.  I think that aliens who cannot adopt the English language earn far more respect than aliens who happen to speak English.  Take “Signs” as another example.  It is another action packed horror film where the main characters discover their planet is up for extinction.  However, they figure it out by deciphering a series of clicks and pops that supposedly make up the alien language.  I think there is always a higher level of fear that is involved when you have no idea what the creature threatening you wants and there is no way to communicate with them.  I think “War of the Worlds” and “Signs” are both movies that could be considered “action” or “horror”.

I’ve been “oh so lucky” that the last three people I’ve gone to see movies with have all been avid horror fans.  So, even if I wanted to see something else, the people I’m with have actually been the ones wanting to see the horror films.  So, in the last week, I’ve rented “Saw V”, seen “The Haunting in Connecticut” and rented “Knowing”.  “Knowing” is more action and less horror but is still pretty creepy because little kids hear voices.  I like that they don’t waste any time figuring out what the code in the movie means so that they can get right into panic mode.  However, for some, this may also diminish the scariness of the movie.  I think that knowing what is going to happen, as the title suggests, automatically reduces the fear factor.  The interesting part instead becomes the action they take to react to their new knowledge.

“Saw V” was another well balanced action/horror movie.  Then again, I think all of the “Saw” movies that I’ve seen have been entertaining for me since they have well thought out and clever plots as opposed to movies where people are always dumb and make decisions to split up and ultimately get sliced up.  The “Saw” movies simply don’t have all of the cliché’s that most horror movies have.  “The Haunting in Connecticut” was mostly just horror and kept me curled up in a ball on the couch as I’m not a fan of sharp objects or body disfigurement.  Both of which this movie has. The fact that it is based on a true story automatically raises the fear factor.  I think the movies “The Hills Have Eyes” and “The Hills Have Eyes 2” are packed with action which is great, but ultimately do the trick with being scary because they are believable since crazy stuff like that happens all the time.  If nothing else, they are scary because someone had the creative and twisted mind to make it up.  That alone can be nauseating.

In summary, when you get to the theater and your friends want to see “Public Enemies” about the bank robber John Dillinger, because of the action, tell them there is plenty of action in scary movies such as, “Final Destination”, Friday the 13^th, and other similar movies and that you’ll get the best of both worlds by going to see a new release that is similar.  If you wait a couple weeks, “The Collector” and “Orphan” will be out in theaters and you can try your luck with those.