Shutter Island

I have never been a fan of horror movies. My mother and father can attest to this because when I was younger, I used to wake them up all the time after I had a bad dream when my older cousins would make me watch a scary movie. I had always had more of an affinity towards romantic comedies and even dramas as opposed to horror movies and suspenseful thrillers. All in all, I would much rather laugh than be scared to within an inch of my life. I understand the appeal of seeing a scary movie in the theater but I personally do not like them. Since the beginning of movies, moviegoers have enjoyed being scared.

Lately, I’ve been wondering if I was quick to write off horror movies. I wondered if it was just my own fear and child-like approach to these movies in general. I am old enough to realize that this movie is not real and that nothing bad is going to happen. I can understand that I can cover my eyes or totally disregard what is happening on screen if I want. The power is really in my hands and it is my choice to do with the scary movie what I will. I can either go outside my comfort zone or I can stay fearful for the rest of my life. I chose the first option. This was a way of conquering the fear that I had about scary movies.

I was still wary when my cousin, who I do not get to see as much as I would like to, approached me about joining her and her boyfriend to see Shutter Island. I jumped at the chance to spend time with them, not even caring that I was seeing a movie that scared me half the death after just seeing the trailer. I tried to forget about my anxiety and focus more on the fact that I was getting to spend time with two of my favorite people in my family. It was difficult for me to do. The other reassuring thing was that I knew I was going to see a great movie because it seems as though whenever Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese are involved, it is going to be great.

We settled into our seats, munching on popcorn and drinking our sodas while we waited for the movie to start. The lights went down and the movie began. I fought the urge to cover my eyes with my jacket or look down at the ground so I could get the full experience of the movie. I screamed a few times when they should some of the mental patients and criminals. It was just a very creepy and suspenseful movie. I never knew what was going to happen next. There was just nothing I could anticipate. I even dropped some of my popcorn when I jumped at the sound of a gunshot. I was terrified, hiding behind my jacket. At one point, I grabbed my cousin’s hand and squeezed it with all my might when Leonardo DiCaprio’s and Mark Ruffalo’s characters snuck into the other insane asylum on the other side of the island. It was dark and the music was dynamic. You knew that something shocking and scary was going to happen. I feel like most of the time, if you watch a scary movie without the sound, it would not be that scary. The music adds another scary element into the movie. I must say that the movie itself was cinematically beautiful and brilliant. It was edited nearly perfectly and it was visually profound.

I really enjoyed the movie despite being so frightened. It was understandable but had a lot of plot twists especially the one at the very end but I won't give that one away just in case someone has not seen it yet. I highly recommend this movie. Although, I did have quite a few nightmares that night! I guess that kind of stuff cannot be helped sometimes. It was my subconcious at work, cooking up crazy ideas and events in my mind when I went to sleep. This movie did not exactly change my mind about going to horror movies but I did enjoy myself.

When Parker says that he believes that the prevalence and popularity of horror movies depends on what is going on in the world at that point, I more or less agree with him. However I feel like in difficult times, people want a place where they can go and forget about their worries. That is why I think comedies are more important and more enjoyed across the world. Movies started out as a place for entertainment but I feel like they have transcended that and are now an escape for people dealing with their own problems. You can go to the movies, eat some snacks, and be taken into a fantasy world or a story that makes you forget everything that you’re going through. That is why I enjoy going to movies. For about 2 hours, you can just focus on the plot and the characters and the story.