Horror Movies

The screams are spread over the theater room, and meanwhile, the undeniable sounds of the audience's heartbeats project terror along with transitory shock. Indeed, we are all spellbound by the actors' and actress' reactions when they encounter an extraordinary or terrible circumstance. Nonetheless, a friend of mine told me, "It is insignificant to spend any money for more than one hour just under the torture of fear." Even so, horror movies will never go extinct as long as we still celebrate Halloween. There are three distinct kinds of horror movies--thrill, gore, and suspense. All three render an impressively eerie plot that interacts realistically with the audiences' senses as an exhibition of frightening aesthetics.

When we watch thrillers, our strong feelings of excitement or displeasure can rise and surge. Such kinds of movies emphasize a tight depiction as the principle thread running through the entire story. We are usually frightened with a series of unimaginable events rather than considerable violence or blood. For example, Scream (1996) and 1408 (2007) are two typical thrilling movies. In Scream, the process of how the murderer hunts and kills victims and how the quarries elude traps and find out the clues the murderer leaves behind are the main selling point. This is a well-constructed crime story, told with speed and punch. As for 1408, it is based on a supernatural theme. The climax is a ghostly manifestation haunting a hotel room numbered 1408, where lodgers never check out after they checked in. No matter what the setting is, there must be some startling or puzzling elements to continuously attract our interest and curiosity.

The second kind of move is more unacceptable than the other two because they are filled with bloodier scenes and atrocious plots where most audiences can be thunderstruck. The well-known gore movies such as the Saw series (2004-08) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) represent an extreme of brutal abuse as well as some eccentric behavior. It is indispensable that there is at least one insane or cold-blooded character, a human or a monster. There are accustomed to trapping and slaughtering substantial numbers of innocent sacrifices in the story. Therefore the the Motion Picture Association of America classifies most of these moves as R or NC-17. In other words, they often negatively influence children's mental and physical growth.

There is another choice of horror movies called suspense, which is for audiences that enjoy a slow and exquisite development. At the beginning, different incidents and premonitions usually happen in a specific sequence. Afterwards, all the situations become clearer and clearer with many subplots converging into the chief intrigue. At last, the astonishing and dramatic ending strikes a chord with the audience. For example, the move From Hell (2001), adapted from the real story of Jack the Ripper from the Whitechapel area of London in 1888, had a huge box-office success. Director Allen Hughes subtly formed a mysterious and gruesome atmosphere. Another movie, Sleepy Hollow (2000) is similarly comprised of a gradually revealed outrageous secret about headless corpses. In short, these kinds of movies rely on a thoughtful arrangement to bring audiences into a compelling ending.

Most people cannot resist their fascination of horror movies. Sometimes the movies can reflect our views and vent our stress. Nowadays taking advantage of special effects, horrors movies are able to be as vivid as science-fiction movies. More amazingly, the progressive make-up technique plays a key role in making us experience the horror. I am convinced that a new style of horror movies will soon prevail.

The Pros and Cons of Euthanasia

Recently, I read an article from an international magazine discussing a very interesting topic, "Our Right to Die." The author makes an emotional appeal for legalizing euthanasia. She has been looking after her twelve year old son for five years since a doctor declared he was brain dead owing to a terrible car accident in 2002. However now she can no longer tolerate those chronic torments which she and her son encounter. Indeed her situation is really worth sympathizing but we can hear the opposite tone from religious groups because they have adequate reasons to support their position. Euthanasia, a highly controversial issue surrounding physician-assisted suicide and human rights, has been debated between advocates and protesters. There are some good and bad influences euthanasia can bring about.

First of all, human rights might be challenged. Supporters say, "Why don't we have the right to decide whether our own life is not worth living any longer?" and "Why can't our parents or relatives make this decision for us when we are probably enduring a severe physical or psychological injury?" Like the author's entreaty above, supporters all long for legalizing euthanasia because they believe that euthanasia allows people to die with dignity and it avoids needless suffering. Furthermore, they consider hospitals unable to continue providing satisfactory quality and treatment to sustain an ailment or injury that is untreatable. They may as well end patients' suffering to anticipate a miracle. In most countries, patients already have the right to refuse life-saving treatment. Therefore, many believe this same right should be extended to permit euthanasia.

On the other hand, anti-euthanasia activists argue that voluntary euthanasia leads to involuntary euthanasia because we cannot be sure of a patient's will to die if they are unconscious. In consequence, protesters are worried that people may be killed against their will by doctors. For example, the famous Jack "Dr. Death" Kevorkian furnished a person with the means to end his own life. At last, he was imprisoned due to being involved in several assisted suicides. After this monstrous event was exposed, some inferred that doctors would become numb to death and wouldn't do their best to save lives. In short, they think a doctors' calling is saving lives rather than assisting in suicide.

Moreover, today our society is still not able to construct a humane as well as scientific framework as to supply a perfect solution for euthanasia. For instance, choosing how to die, where to die and when to die can manifest the dignity, value, and comfort in our lives. Nonetheless harking back tow years to the period when my grandmother was laid up with intestinal cancer, she said, "I do not fear death but I fear the way death will come." At that time, I felt so sad and could not refrain from tears. Obviously she would like to die peacefully without any pain. Many people don't hope their lives will be completely in doctors' hands, especially after unconsciousness. Supporters argue most people cannot afford such a considerable medical service and many families end up in severe debt. Indirectly, it will cause partial medical resources to be wasted if patients only remain alive but there is not remedy to cure them.

Suffice it to say that based on supporters' and protester's arguments, they both agree life is valuable. In 1997, the state of Oregon legalized physician-assisted suicide. Afterwards, in 2002, euthanasia officially became legal in the Netherlands, making it the first country to approve euthanasia. Currently there are many countries debating whether or not to legalize euthanasia. I believe modern medicine can prolong life but this debate over euthanasia won't go away as long as it cannot do as much to maintain the quality of life.