How to Choose a Good Scary Film

Do you enjoy bloodless knuckles and piercing screams? Think it's cool when your date grips your forearm so tightly that you wind up with a bruise shaped like a hand? Then try to see the scariest films at the best-equipped movie house in your town or city.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• VCRs
• Televisions
• Local Newspapers
• Movie Rentals
• Movie Tickets

1. Explore for gore.
2. Decide which types of "scary" films you like: horror, science fiction, thrillers, monster movies, slasher flicks - what's your pleasure?
3. Have a conversation about the types of frightening films you both enjoy if you have a regular movie-going partner. Establish and maintain a list of titles you want to see together.
4. Do some exploring online to see if you can find Web sites that discuss and recommend white-knuckle movies. Use one or two of the major search engines to find these sites.
5. Consider joining an online forum that focuses on horror films or any terrifying category that you like. Again, you can find these by using search engines or checking the lists of forums and special interest groups on your Internet service provider (ISP) or online service.
6. Maintain contact (in person or online) with friends and acquaintances who share your love for scary movies. Get their feedback on new releases regularly.
7. Read the movie section of your local newspaper and watch for reviews in magazines such as "Time" and "Newsweek." Read critiques of all the new edge-of-your-seat films.
8. Look at the movie ads in the entertainment section of your local paper, and read the critics' quotes or "blurbs" that you find there.
9. Keep lists of the terrifying films you want to see in a theater or on video. After you watch a movie, put a check by the title on your list.
10. Reward your film-loving friends and companions by giving them input about the titles you choose to watch.

Tips & Warnings

• Surprise can magnify the terror these movies generate, so try to avoid learning much about their plots.
• Identify the theaters in your area that have big screens, state-of-the-art sound systems and tolerable audiences. Try to frequent those venues, particularly when seeing frightening films. The special effects will produce a more gut-wrenching experience in the well-equipped cinemas.
• Unless you like to laugh at hopelessly inept horror films, avoid going to the theater "blind," without reading reviews or getting word-of-mouth recommendations from friends.
• Try to factor in safety when you choose your favorite theaters. No one wants to see a terrifying movie and then relive the experience in the parking lot.