Family Movie Night
By Karyn Bowman
Bella and Edward from Breaking Dawn, Image from IMDb.com
This past week I was looking at the stories about the fall movie season and noted the large picture of Edward and Bella from the latest movie in the Twilight series.
As I looked over the ads, I saw a picture for Fright Night starring Colin Farrell as the villain of the movie.
I could not help thinking that I am happy to see vampires once again becoming the big mean bad guys. Sure, Edward is a romantic sort. So was the Brad Pitt character in Interview with a Vampire.
And yet, and yet, there is a reason for the folktales and legends of vampires. We are meant to be scared by them. These stories tell us to be wary of the dark and strangers – no matter how attractive they might be.
Poster Image from IMDb.com
One vampire movie that has always stuck in my head is The Lost Boys with Jason Patric and Kiefer Sutherland.
The story is about two boys and their mom who move in with their grandfather in a small California sea-coast town. The older boy is drawn to a rough crowd by a beautiful girl while the younger boy makes friends with comic book geeks who clue him in to the dangers of the town.
The older brother realizes he is on his way to being a vampire while Mom is dating a new guy. It becomes a full-blown battle to remain family with the living or join a new family of the dead.
It has been years since I have seen the movie but I cannot forget the song “When You’re Strange” by The Doors playing over the credits.
1992 Poster Image from IMDb.com
While perhaps it is a bit campy, Dracula starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves still gives me a bit of a scare. It is reminiscent of the great German vampire movie, Nosferatu with its shadows and mood. The point is not to humanize the monster, which it tries to do, but to show that Dracula is a monster. That he has committed crimes against God that have led to his current life.
We might see Mina falling for the beautiful aspect of the Count. And yet to become his lover she must drink his blood, she must step over to the dark side. It will endanger all of her family but who cares when it comes to romantic obsession.
You might notice that none of these movies are meant for younger children and you would be correct. I firmly believe that some movies are meant for kids when they get older. Vampire movies that have no sense of limits when it comes to violence should have limits as to who can watch them. That is simply my opinion. However, I am curious what other people might think. I have friends who love the horror genre and share this with their teenager who is now making interesting short films in that genre. I am sure their opinion is different from mine.
As the Halloween season is near, I would like to hear from people what age is acceptable for various horror movies. You can drop a note below in the comment section.
Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.
Notes from Rumbly Cottage 
Lost Boys is excellent. Jason Patric was most attractive in that movie. I also enjoyed him in the movie Sleepers. Not a horror film – still, it is a good film.
Dracula made me cringe. Keanu was awful in that movie – in my opinion. The cinematography[hy was incredible. THAT is what kept me watching. The lighting, the shadows, yes – the cinematography made the movie for me.
I find the movie Scream to be a good horror/fun movie. The original.
I still like the original Halloween, too.
Now – at what age is a horror movie acceptable? Not until high school, in my opinion. Life is scary enough – kids don’t need the added affect of horror on film.
See, that is my thinking. When a kid is old enough to walk away because they do not want to see the scary stuff, that is the best age. Younger kids will sit there because they think they should since everyone else is there. My scardy cat ways allows my kids know they can leave if they are uncomfortable.
I always thought Billy Idle would have made a good vampire.
Never got into the vampire/zombie thing.
I like movies that make me laugh. Or involve cars.
But my friend loves them. I must be missing something here.
I prefer movies that make me laugh as well.
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I suppose I would be considered a bit of a prude by most but I did not let my kids read Harry Potter or the like until they were sixteen. The reason? It’s not just the violence( though that is reason enough); It’s about an ability to establish fact from fantasy. There are real aspects to these stories that are far less romantic than their Hollywood counterparts. I have had first hand experience with the allure of Wicca and spiritualism. I have friends who became blood drinkers and “bat cavers”. I wanted my kids to understand that while H.P. and Twilight are good stories they do not depict the reality of those lifestyles.
While I disagree on some parts with you, I do believe it is the parent’s job to determine what is best for their children – even if it makes you a bit of a prude. Your experiences are different than mine and have influenced how you handle different decisions.
Before you think I am some kind of laissez-faire parent let me tell you this story. When my now 14 y.o. was 10, I did not want him seeing the Third Episode of Star Wars because of a specific scene in which children are killed. I had a friend rub it in my face that they allowed their same age child to watch that movie. That was their wrong-headed decision but I made mine for specifc reasons. If that means I am not the cool mom, guess that simply makes me the mom trying to make responsible decisions.
This is a blog I wrote last November, detailing age groups I felt appropriate for each Harry Potter movie. https://notesfromrumblycottage.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/just-who-can-hang-with-harry/
My son was 11 when the first HP book came out. We read it together as bedtime reading. After that he left me in the dust. That was 98, by the time the movie came out in 2001 he was old enough to see it and then he just grew up with the others. As to vamp movies, I say 15 and up, unless they are sensitive kids. I read and see lots of vampire bks and movies and all have death and sex, some blatant, some very subtle. Not a problem for me but I would hope a parent would know their child’s understanding and tolerance before permitting them to see. I don’t believe in absolute banning.
Jeanne, I am like you. I am not for a full out ban. And I think people looking for the weird stuff would find it with or without the help of these movies. But how a child processes the scary images is the important factor here. A few weeks ago we watched Soul Surfer about the girl who loses her arm to a shark. Looking back, this was not a great movie for the 6 y.o. despite the lack of gore. I think the idea of the shark and the swirling water scared him more than anything.