A popular thrilling activity, with friends or alone, is watching a scary movie. The suspense and anticipation that comes with these movies can be very enjoyable at the moment. However, as the years have passed, we have seen directors and movie producers upping the ante and making increasingly intense psychological films and disturbing content. Some people believe that these movies are becoming too much for people to handle and should not be advertised or shown in theaters. However, now that we have progressed in technology, there are more complicated special effects. The surplus of these special effects has made scary movies increasingly unrealistic and rarely do acting and movie concepts justice. 

Ever since 1931 when the infamous “Dracula” was released in theaters, people have been obsessed with the horror genre. After this popular movie proved to be so successful, Hollywood dramatized and made millions off the concept of terrifying the audience. Years ago, the movies did not seem as scary because of the technological differences of today. Fast forward to now, the movie concepts are darker and grimmer than ever seen or thought of before. Fake blood, gore, and CGI are all examples of how we have technologically advanced. While the overuse or misuse of these technologies can make the film suffer, some films do exceptionally well with technological help. Some movies were even deemed as too disturbing and gruesome to be released to the public. Some popular movies that are known for being banned for being too traumatizing were “The Exorcist,” “Possession,” and “The Human Centipede.” Some of these movies that were reviewed by critics were said to be so disturbing they could not believe that they existed.  

It has been debated if the concept of certain movies is truly scary or if it is the extra lighting and effects that make the movie so unbearable to watch. The soundtrack of movies is a make or break in some movie scenes. The suspenseful music and strange melodies can put the audience either on the edge of their seats or hiding fearfully behind their hands. The special effects used in particularly gory or unrealistic movies is another thing that can be another dealbreaker in certain movies. If the special effects are bad, all the current tension could be lost as viewers are brought back into reality. Another scary tactic the producers and directors use the management of certain lighting. In most scary movies, dark lighting can add immense amounts of tension to a scene. Considering most people are already afraid of the dark, seeing something in the dark in a horror film can further terrify the audience. 

While the horror movie genre has become increasingly popular over the past decades, the movies themselves have become more unrealistic. The concepts they are taking on are in fact very scary to imagine; however, the way they are being shown does not do the horror concept justice. Unfortunately, if the lighting, soundtrack, or special effects are too unbelievable or fake-looking, the film can fall apart. The poor exhibition of the film can take away all the stress and tension that is worked so hard for.