Is it scarier to see a scary movie in the theater or at home? I don’t think I have ever seen a scary movie in a theater so I am curious. I’m guessing at home is scarier, because you’re all alone. But couldn’t a theater be just as scary, especially if it was late at night and the movie kicked ass?
It seems Hitchcok’s ‘Psycho’ shellshocked many viewers who saw it the first time, regardless of the fact they were in a packed theater.
I’m hoping some older posters can say what it was like to see a classic horror/suspense movie the first time in a theater.
As an older poster I can say that the experience of seeing Psycho in the theater wasn’t enough of an advantage over seeing it at home to make a huge difference. The presence of an audience wasn’t as much a factor as was the darkness of the theater. In those days, when the house lights went down it was dark with none of those little “courtesy lights” to keep that dull glow that modern theaters have. The EXIT signs were it.
If you turn off all your lights at home, crank the sound up to the same level as a theater might have it, and fill the room with the smell of popcorn, you’ll have the theater feel at least as much as you would in the real theater.
For my money, being alone stands a better chance of scaring me than being in a room full of people. That said, if the audience lets out a collective gasp or even scream, it can have an effect on you.
Older TV’s with the small B&W screens and lousy sound systems just didn’t have the ability to capture theater quality. In those days it was hard to get all that scared at home. Your only real option was to go to the theater for the fright.
Nowadays with surround sound, big screens, high quality DVD’s, etc., the only drawback to being home for a scary movie would have to be the audience participation in the experience. For me, that was never a big deal. Or if it was it wasn’t a conscious one.
For me, the level of audience involvement is a huge factor in my enjoyment of a movie, especially a thriller or a scary movie. The moment when Hannibal Lecter reveals how he escaped from his holding cage in SILENCE OF THE LAMBS is pivotal because of how emotionally charged the audience was at that moment.
At home, I have total control over when I see a movie, how, and under what conditions. Because I don’t easily give up control, suspension of disbelief or awareness of my enviornment at home, it’s harder for me to be scared. There are also unexpected interruptions – a phone call, a visitor, my neighbor’s kids yelling outside – that could easily intrude on the experience.
Also I don’t have a home theater that can simulate a movie experience. Generally speaking, I vote theater.
I am usually more frightened by the big screen than my TV. In the theater the action is gihugic and immersive and so I get more caught up in it. I have a rather small TV and it’s not very loud and it’s not that dark in my apartment so I can never really recreate it.
I think the movie experience is much better, and not just for scary movies. I didn’t laugh nearly as hard at There’s Somethign About Mary when I rented i, compared to when I saw it opening weekend. And of course, the whole theater made it known they supported Cameron Diaz as a Niner fan.
Again with The Ring. A lot scarier in the theater. Some of the things you see just need to be huge, and the collective gasps and "Oh shit!"s are a very nice touch, too.
It depends, for most movies I would prefer the theater, however with all the distractions now with cell phones, babies etc. it can be distracting. However at home with the proper setting, no lights etc. I find it can be as good if not better.
While scary movies in the theater are a very cool experience, I’m always afraid that there are going to be people who talk during the movie, completely bringing me out of the film and into reality, or people who gasp/scream at scary parts (which is fine, of course), but then start laughing, so I can’t hear what’s going on post-scary thing.
It gets so bad with me that even the fear that I’ll end up in a theater with annoying people will affect my enjoyment of the movie, even if everyone is quiet.
For this reason I prefer home - I don’t have to worry about that stuff and can completely immerse myself in the filim. Besides, as far as scary movies go, there is definitely something to be said about watching them alone or in small groups in the dark at night.
Of course, I go to see them all in the theater, first, too.