Saw I, II and III and horror films and anxiety

[Mentalmandy]

Hi there

Had an interesting converasation today. Chatting about warnings that people with mental health issues should avoid seeing Saw III. I have had saw sat on my shelf and have not found anyone to watch it with me (since long before my anxiety started), well I figured face my fears and watch it alone. I couldn't so I switched it off. I love horror films.

I watched the hills have eyes on valium and well it proved the valium was working, as it didn't give me the bus.

Just thought I'd start a thread of horror films.

It occurred to me the reason I liked horror films, is the scared buzz you get. Which is kind of an adranelin hit.

However I have been known to get a bit anxious watching some films, mostly these are connected to when people are trapped, I enjoy them but will hide a lot, scream alot, get a funny breathless moment. Pause it and re-start it and definitely watch it once.

May eventually watch all 3 of the Saw films.

Love my horror and pychological thrillers and this has kinda of been ruined for me by bloody anxiety.

Not on valium anymore.

Any thoughts

[keepemlaughing]

I like a good scary movie every now and again, but give me a comedy or a love story any day. my favorite movies are foreign and sub-titled. something about having to read the screen settles me down to actually watch the darn thing. Saw- no way, just not my type of flick.
Sheryl

P.S. if you want to watch a good movie, watch "House of Flying Daggers" excellent movie.

Sheryl

[kate]

I hate scary films. Don't see the point in making myself feel more anxious than I am already! :D

My son went to see Saw 3 last week. He said it was the most gory film he has ever watched.

Kate x


"Everybody's changing and I don't feel the same"

[Mentalmandy]

I have heard of house of flying daggers. I love kung fu hustle fantastic film. Love movies. My point is I guess I am avoiding films I previously would get enjoyment out of, rightingly so probably in the case of saw I guess, but I firm believer in don't knock it till you tried and I won't avoid anything, fear of fear. Some films relieve my anxiety, make me feel good, loved the reise weitherspoon film 'just like heaven' fantastic made me laugh and cry, it had a happy ending.

[piglits pal]

I hate them. Even before the anxiety I wouldn't watch them.

I like those old 1950s black and white horror movies because for some reason they make me laugh. [:I]

But really - you're talking to the person that sat through Sixth Sense staring at the ceiling in the cinema. [^]

[honeybee3939]

Hi,

My daughter went to see Saw 3 last week, she said it was the scariest of the three, she said the man sat in front of her in the cinema had to walk out! I have seen saw 1 and 2 but i think i will give 3 a miss !!


Love

Andrea
xxx

[Sue K with 5]

I spent years avoiding horror movies, especilaly films like the exorcist. I still wont watch the freddie films and although i have seen the omen I wont watch them again or poltergeist but I do love the scream movies.

I am fine with things that I know could never happen, or things that are just so stupid that its funny. But anything to do with cults I will not watch.

I did however one day decide to watch the exorcist, my anxiety went through the roof, but after watching it i felt so bllomin stupid, it was tamer than the films they put on today, and I actually was quite disappointed. My advise dont stop watching them. I did for years and am glad I have over the majority of my fears about them.

I too love the old black and white films and I have seen saw 1 & 2 as for 3 well not sure now but I think I will have a go. I can always watch abbot and costello afterwards if i get too anxious.

Just remember its not real and it cant harm you just like our panic attacks


sue

xxx

scknight

[creatrix]

I love supernatural thrillers, but the sort of human depravity in movies like saw simply is too unappealing for me to watch. I don't think it had much to do with anxiety but an over-active sense of empathy (I can be wrecked for days over a friend's hardships).

[creatrix]

Oh, and I saw the Exorcist when I was 14 and my anxiety went CRAZY. I was up all night certain that I would go to hell - not because of the devil or anything in the movie, but because I'd seen an "R-rated" movie w/o my parents knowing it!

[yorkylover]

I used to love a good horror,halloween used to be my most scarey,the very first one.
Now I try to avoid them as they make my anxiety alot worse.I dont mind a horror with a good story, a creepy film,but not into these blood thirsty ones any more.
Give me officer and a gentleman any time.[Yeah!][:P]

Ellen XX

[manmoor]

Lol no way would I watch a horror film. My limit is nightmare on elm street and I had to hide half way threw that and that was years ago lol.

Take Care

Mandyxx

[starflower]

I am dying to watch it, At our local flicks people were being ill and ambulances were everywhere, so i guess it's not a good idea.
Hugs to all
andreax

[LickeyEndBlues]

Interestingly we have a dvd of "United 93" in the house at the moment and I can't bring myself round to watching it. Because it is so real it scares me.

"Saw" and stuff like that I don't watch, partly as I've never enjoyed the genre....most of the early scary stuff was very badly done.

A true "Exorcist" story for you......

Whilst at college in the late seventies the Film Society included "The Excorcist" in its schedule for the term. There was a lot of heated discussion about this ending up with an extraordinary meeting of the Student Union one lunchtime.

Speakers "for" and "against" put forward a lively and heated (and amusing) debate for about an hour. The outcome was startling.....erm.... If you want to watch it, go; if you don't .... don't!!
One nil to common sense thought I.

On the night of the showing of the film the greater majority of students were off campus on the pop (me included...I had seen the film 3 times anyway). About 4 people ventured over to the media suite (white sheet draped over some shelves) and simultaneously the Christian Union held a prayer meeting to save the souls of the film goers.

About half way through reel one, the bulb on the projector blew and there was no replacement!!!! So no one saw the film.

One nil to Christan Union!!!!

Laisez les bon temp roulez

[Southern_Belle]

Hi,

Interesting thread. The movie Halloween scared me to death, never saw anymore of them. I don't like gore so I won't be seeing any of the Saw movies. I do like some movies though that keep you on edge but with no gore like "The Skeleton Key" and "The Sixth Sense". I don't know if they would be considered thrillers or a dramas but that is more my speed. I'm more like Ellen, prefer romances, lol.

Bel

"Our thoughts are our reality"

[Fly2Freedom]

Hi.:)
Anxious people shouldnt watch horror films.
They play on my mind and give me nightmares.
Im always looking around thinking Im being watched.
I absolutely refuse to watch them.:(

Love xFlyx

[Mentalmandy]

Hey all

I started this thread because horror films is one of my all time loves, since I was a kid. Guess this comes down to avoidance behaviour. So my goal is to watch all 3 saw films, if it takes me hours. Love loads of movie types but horror is my fav, all of them! Evil dead films, Halloween, the omen films, Friday 13th, Scream films, scary movie films, The ring, The Grudge loads more to boat. Still not seen the exorcist, must go get that, want to see it. So many films to watch. Like kung fu films too, Tarintino films, Tim Burton's films. Movies are my passion love them, that and music (rock and indie mostly).

yep the horror causes anxiety, but I can work thorough that. Need someone to watch them with me.

Mandy

[cookieme]

i watched SAW 3 last night!!!!! scared me to death but i like the feeling of being scared for a reason! its nice to have a natural reaction for a change, it makes me feel in control. one thing i hated tho was the amount of vomiting in the movie, it happened about 3 times at least. this was the scariest part of the movie for me being emetaphobic and all, but i managed to watch the whole thing... and even felt great after!

[Mentalmandy]

tell me about it my goal is to watch saw tonight (let you know how it goes!) then Saw II and then I will find someone to go to the flicks with me and watch saw III. He he!!! Won't let my anxiety beat me.

Got bigger things that are winding me up at the mo. Sorry can't say here what that is, but its big and I am rattled to the core of all my moral beliefs. Just gonna do the right thing but in a sensible way.

Mandy

[net]

i like horror films even though i'm terrified i'm still getting over the ring 2 and dark water
i've seen saw 1 waiting to see saw 2 but not sure about saw 3 as have heard people have been fainting during it. will wait and get my daughter to tell me about it

netty


the dreams of the future are better than the history of the past

[wonderfly]

hey,
I watched the hills have eyes and oh god i have never been so scared also wolf creek is majorly freaky has a rape scene in both of em so i had to look away...

WonderFly

[shoegal]

I love a good horror movie but I like the ones that keep you in suspense and make you jump. I do not like films that are gory for the sake of it or fims that involve torture - that really upsets me.

shoegal xxx

[tHamera]

i'm a huge fan of horror. i can usually stand most types (we just saw The Strangers and it was pretty cool), but the ones that make my anx go berzerk are the torture type movies like Hostel. the Saw flix dont really have an affect on me.

[Trixie]

I do not like films that involve cutting people up (and me a nurse) or evil ones. But I always felt that I was missing out on something by not watching Alien. I knew I couldn't just sit down and watch it so what I did was watch it in reverse.

The suspense is half of the terror in these types of films so by watching it in reverse everything is backwards (the monster has already jumped out on the victim and now goes and hides behind the wall). After watching Alien many times like this I was able to watch it the proper way. Now I have all of them and have watched them many times.:yesyes:

[Matty H]

I just saw The Happening last night. It made itself out to be really scary in the previews but it actually turned out to be really funny. Sometimes in suspense thrillers like that my anxiety will start building up and sometimes I get nervous and have to walk out of the theatre for a minute. But this movie turned out to have alot of intentional and unintentional funny moments so it balanced out really well and I was entertained for what it was. :) I wouldn't go see it if you're looking for really scary film though, it only makes you jump a few times and the death scenes are gory but they're far and few in between.

[clutterbug]

I love thrillers and horror. I never had an adverse reaction to any film except for Hostel. For some reason my heart started racing and I became short of breath. A really strange episode to the point that now I'm a bit afraid to see anything like it. I haven't seen any of the Saws. I guess it was just the build-up and tension was relentless. Usually there is a break in the tension to give you some relief, but, not in Hostel, and proabably not in Saw either.

Big time Asian Extreme cinema watcher so I don't know why I freaked out so much on Hostel?

clutterbug

[JavaJoy01]

I know the thread is old, but I found it doing a search. I'm personally not into gore/slasher films. I can't even do the Final Destination movies, let alone Saw..I worst I think I saw was Ghost Ship, first scene disturbed me so much the rest of the movie did not phase me..

Now I do enjoy a good paranormal, haunted house or psychological horror movie. I'm about to watch A Haunting in Connecticut. I own the Exorcist, Poltergeist, both Amityville Horrors (Grew up on Long Island, knew all about that story), The Mist, Sixth Sense, etc... I also watch Ghost Hunters (Own them all on DVD) and every book I buy is about the paranormal and Ghosts. None of that seems to bother my anxiety, or at least not that I know of. I think it's because it really holds my attention and something I love so I'm not bothered by it. The only thing that bothers me is that I would love to go on some ghost hunts and I don't think I will be allowed due to my panic attacks. More of a safety issue.

[Diane O'Brien]

I watched Harry Potter and the Bood prince last night at the pictures. I jumped out of my skin at that and its a twelve's. LOL

I,m not very good with horror movies, I,m to jumpy and my heart hammers to much at the slightest thing.

[NoPoet]

Personally I hate the Saw films (except the first one). They're just torture porn. Saw 3 is never less than hateful. I don't know what I find most distressing: that someone can think of twisted crap like that, or that others will pay to watch it?

[marcc64]

LOL Saw is a great film :) seen all five, yes there is alot of guts and what not but the film does have a true meaning behind it, "appreciate your life" which we should all do :)

[marcc64]

I love the Saw films, seen all five :) yes there is alot of guts and what not but the film does have a good and true meaning behind it "appreciate your life" which we should all do right :)