FWIW: I saw TCM when I was 11 years old by sneaking out of my room and hiding behind the couch. It was scary, but didn’t do nearly the amount of damage as watching Watership Down :D
I saw Texas Chainsaw Massacre at a drive-in with older cousins when I was 9. I was terrified. And then we watched the second half of the double feature: It's Alive. And Stephen King was my favorite writer. There is a tribe of us, enit?
Indeed there is. Most of us, I hope, are no worse for the wear! Side note: I used to teach Smoke Signals in my film history course, so it's quite the honor to learn that you've read this and such a thrill to speak with you!
It's pretty cool that you get to bond with your son through movies (horrors in fact!) that you obsess over.
I saw TCM when I was around 20, and I was utterly disappointed. I found it laughable and ridiculous, insufferably outdated. And yes, I'm part of the very small group that actually liked the 2003 remake, and I prefer it to any other TCM iterations that came before or after.
PS.: Your son must be pretty tough, The Ring still scares the shit out of me. It was one of those horrors that I saw early on as a teen and stayed with me ever since.
Watching The Ring recently, it dawned on my that it's really a detective procedural with, like, 4 utterly terrifying scenes. It's a testament to the filmmakers' that it works as well as it does, even after repeated viewings.
I remember when Texas Chainsaw Massacre would play on television on Halloween night. Free television. At like, 8 pm. I can’t even remember how that movie was edited for TV, but they’d also play The Shining. Granted it was a UHF station, but still awesome.
I loved your article. It reminded me of my upbringing. I’m an older millennial who grew up in the 90s, pre 1996 Children’s Act. My parents were also pretty hands off about the content I could watch or read so I ended up watching Poltergeist at age 7, and Alien, a bunch of 80s slashers, and some of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies before I turned 10. I also grew up in a very relaxed small town and would watch R rated movies at the cinema as a kid all the time. I saw Scream at the theater with my best friend before we both turned 12. Naturally, nightmares were a fixture of my childhood lol but boy, did I have fun. I’m still a massive fan of horror and I turned out okay. I think. I hope. At least that’s what the voices in my head say.
Sounds like the Venn diagram of you and me is just a circle! All of those films were touchstones for me and loom large in my movie memory! Thanks for reading, Joe!
FWIW: I saw TCM when I was 11 years old by sneaking out of my room and hiding behind the couch. It was scary, but didn’t do nearly the amount of damage as watching Watership Down :D
I saw Texas Chainsaw Massacre at a drive-in with older cousins when I was 9. I was terrified. And then we watched the second half of the double feature: It's Alive. And Stephen King was my favorite writer. There is a tribe of us, enit?
Indeed there is. Most of us, I hope, are no worse for the wear! Side note: I used to teach Smoke Signals in my film history course, so it's quite the honor to learn that you've read this and such a thrill to speak with you!
Thanks so much, Justin!
It's pretty cool that you get to bond with your son through movies (horrors in fact!) that you obsess over.
I saw TCM when I was around 20, and I was utterly disappointed. I found it laughable and ridiculous, insufferably outdated. And yes, I'm part of the very small group that actually liked the 2003 remake, and I prefer it to any other TCM iterations that came before or after.
PS.: Your son must be pretty tough, The Ring still scares the shit out of me. It was one of those horrors that I saw early on as a teen and stayed with me ever since.
Watching The Ring recently, it dawned on my that it's really a detective procedural with, like, 4 utterly terrifying scenes. It's a testament to the filmmakers' that it works as well as it does, even after repeated viewings.
I remember when Texas Chainsaw Massacre would play on television on Halloween night. Free television. At like, 8 pm. I can’t even remember how that movie was edited for TV, but they’d also play The Shining. Granted it was a UHF station, but still awesome.
Oh wow! I can't imagine just flipping non-cable channels and happening upon those movies!
I loved your article. It reminded me of my upbringing. I’m an older millennial who grew up in the 90s, pre 1996 Children’s Act. My parents were also pretty hands off about the content I could watch or read so I ended up watching Poltergeist at age 7, and Alien, a bunch of 80s slashers, and some of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies before I turned 10. I also grew up in a very relaxed small town and would watch R rated movies at the cinema as a kid all the time. I saw Scream at the theater with my best friend before we both turned 12. Naturally, nightmares were a fixture of my childhood lol but boy, did I have fun. I’m still a massive fan of horror and I turned out okay. I think. I hope. At least that’s what the voices in my head say.
Sounds like the Venn diagram of you and me is just a circle! All of those films were touchstones for me and loom large in my movie memory! Thanks for reading, Joe!