I guess it takes a lot to scare me

[j d worthington]

At this point I am not sure if we are in agrement or disagreement, to be honest!

On that one, you got me, friend....

I don't think they're from entirely different sources, but they do seem to cause reactions in different parts of the brain, and have differing physiological indications as well. I'd agree that they are allied to some extent, though that varies considerably. Also, I'm not so sure about the "delayed" aspect of the written... by milliseconds, perhaps, but I'm none to sure about even that. I do, however, strongly believe that the latter has the more potent lasting effect, for the reasons given above (as well as others).

I'd also say there's a lot here relying on the type of imagination in play... but that is another discussion for another time....

 

[kaelcarp]

I can't imagine a book ever coming close to being as scary to me as the movie Hellraiser was the first time I saw it. That movie wasn't scary because of the gore, though the gore was ample; in fact, it was scary in spite of it. I was a teenager when I first saw it, and the image of the cenobites was chilling when they showed up. The mysterious puzzle box was really creepy. The concepts and visuals in the movie were really creepy, and immediate in a way that written words can't be.

I don't at all disparage the written word. I actually enjoy reading "scary" stories more than seeing the movies. But the books don't scare me. The movies can (or at least they once could - I'm not sure anything not real can actually scare me anymore, except maybe my own nightmares).

 

[Barney]

On that one, you got me, friend....

I don't think they're from entirely different sources, but they do seem to cause reactions in different parts of the brain, and have differing physiological indications as well. I'd agree that they are allied to some extent, though that varies considerably. Also, I'm not so sure about the "delayed" aspect of the written... by milliseconds, perhaps, but I'm none to sure about even that. I do, however, strongly believe that the latter has the more potent lasting effect, for the reasons given above (as well as others).

I'd also say there's a lot here relying on the type of imagination in play... but that is another discussion for another time....

It's been fun discussing this, even though I am now quite confused

I feel I might be splitting hairs...the horror/terror distinction is perfectly workable, it's just that i'm not sure what the basis of the distinction is.

Anyway, to go back to the original thread starter's question, I would be interested to know what written story has frightened you the most. And why.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

In Odalisque by Fiona McIntosh, she describes a scene where a boy gets fully castrated. Now THAT my friends, is scary!

 

[D_Davis]

Anyway, to go back to the original thread starter's question, I would be interested to know what written story has frightened you the most. And why.

Drive-in Date, by Joe R. Lansdale. It depicts one of the cruelest and disgusting acts imaginable, executed by two of the most despicable characters I've ever read.

Lansdale starts where most authors draw the line. The dude is a powerhouse of horror and terror.

 

[Barney]

I can't imagine a book ever coming close to being as scary to me as the movie Hellraiser was the first time I saw it. That movie wasn't scary because of the gore, though the gore was ample; in fact, it was scary in spite of it. I was a teenager when I first saw it, and the image of the cenobites was chilling when they showed up. The mysterious puzzle box was really creepy. The concepts and visuals in the movie were really creepy, and immediate in a way that written words can't be.

I don't at all disparage the written word. I actually enjoy reading "scary" stories more than seeing the movies. But the books don't scare me. The movies can (or at least they once could - I'm not sure anything not real can actually scare me anymore, except maybe my own nightmares).

The hellraiser movies are great, full of quotable dialogue. I think it's the first one where Kirsty opens the puzzle box (or the Lament Configuration Box, to give it its proper name) and all the Cenobites appear. Understandably, she is freaked out and starts crying and begging them to leave her alone.

Pinhead seems slightly puzzled by her display. He simply says;

"The box. You opened it. We came!"

Not quite sure why but I have always felt that line is really profound in some way.

 

[Barney]

And some more great Hellraiser dialogue from one of the sequels;

"There is no good. There is no evil. There is only flesh!"

Has amorality ever been more succintly (and persuasively) expressed? Not in my opinion.
Somehow you end up identifying with the Cenobites, when really you shouldn't. It goes to show how good the writing is.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

What are Cenobites?

 

[Barney]

What are Cenobites?

The monsters from the Hellraiser films. Here's a picture of the lead cenobite;

www.wingsofmagic.it/public/home/?p=2967

They are S&M demons who punish humans when they go too far in looking for extreme sensory experiences!

 

[j d worthington]

While I have a fairly high regard for Hellraiser itself, I can't say much for the quality of the rest of the films... and not because I didn't want to like them, but because the franchise pretty much amounted to a one-trick pony.... However, the first film is genuinely disturbing in some ways, and rather well done, with (as noted) some very quotable dialogue.

Also, the concept of the Cenobites is a good one, and certainly could bear a great deal of storytelling; but it's been a bit too formularized now to have much of a "punch", I think. I would suggest, however, checking out the first film, as it still goes places most horror films tend to "make safe" by severe overexaggeration (and lack of imagination) rather than examination....

 

[Ice fyre]

The strength of the Hellraiser, was the simplicty of Pinheads morality. You asked for this so here it is. Almost like Frankenfurter sensuality is everything there are no taboos to him, pain and plesure are merely two sides of the coin. The series did dive quite far by the fourth (bloodlines I think) but I saw the latest one, and found the first genuinley creepy film for some time.

 

[j d worthington]

The strength of the Hellraiser, was the simplicty of Pinheads morality. You asked for this so here it is. Almost like Frankenfurter sensuality is everything there are no taboos to him, pain and plesure are merely two sides of the coin. The series did dive quite far by the fourth (bloodlines I think) but I saw the latest one, and found the first genuinley creepy film for some time.

Oh, I'll agree that Pinhead is a rather memorable character, not only for the way he's written, but for the way Douglas Bradley portrays him. As I said, the Cenobites are a very interesting concept, and quite good enough to spin a series of tales around. But the films following Hellraiser simply continued to hit the same note over and over (albeit at times in highly exaggerated form, such as Hellraiser II), and to really lose the power they had in the first... because they explained too damned much, and made it much more mundane....

 

[kaelcarp]

The first Hellraiser was the best by far (and is all Clive Barker, written and directed). I liked the second one for the deepening of the mythology, but the story wasn't as strong. The third was terrible, and I didn't bother with the others. Pinhead, in the original, was genuinely creepy and mysterious. Over time, he started to become a sort of Freddy/Jason character. I remember seeing a toy doll of him in a store around the time the third movie was out. All the mystery was gone.

 

[D_Davis]

The first straight to video Hellraiser, Inferno, is quite good. The filmmakers took a more Twilight Zone approach, and made a strange and horrifying tale with Pinhead becoming just a very minor character. To me, it feels the most like Barker story in that it tends to deal more with the dementia and psychosis of the characters, and the beautifully grotesque imagination of a disturbed mind.

Check it out. I was very, very surprised by how effective it is.