Ever think about some movies that traumatized you as a kid?
I swear to God. We all have it. The one movie that we often think about is Our Roman Empire in Trauma.
The fear of being kidnapped was definitely one of our fears when we were kids until now, but The Lovely Bones is still one of the movies out there that traumatizes not only movie watchers but also Angella, XSM’s Content Writer. The movie with the same name and its book adaptation follow Susie Salmon, played by Saoirse Ronan, who was abducted and murdered by George Harvey, played by Stanley Tucci.
Sounds creepy, right? “The Lovely Bones” is a supernatural drama film that received mixed reviews upon its release. The movie was criticized for the message of the story, but it surely left a mark on the audience as it received positive reviews for its direction and acting.
The Lovely Bones traumatized me as a kid. The fact that it’s also a book makes it more haunting. I love the fact that it was played by Saoirse Ronan, one of the greatest actors of her time. It’s traumatizing because it’s also depressing, leaving you in a place of wonder and chaos. It’s creepy to the point that I felt trapped with Susie underground. It was uncomfortable because the visual appeal was also paralyzing.
The Lovely Bones stars an ensemble of amazing actors like Saoirse Ronan, Stanley Tucci, Mark Wahlberg, and Rachel Weisz. The movie dealt with heavy topics, and being based on a real-life murder also adds another layer to its creepy yet heartbreaking tale.
Speaking of true-to-life movies, I bet we are all familiar with found footage movies like the Blair Witch Project from the late 90’s. It changed the film scene with its realistic documentary style of filmmaking, as this aims to create a sense of realism and immediacy as if the audience is witnessing authentic unscripted events. The Blair Witch Project had a lasting impact not only through its approach to storytelling but also through its marketing. Back in the day, the internet wasn’t a big thing, so they marketed this film through word of mouth, which made it more realistic.
The directors also had missing posters of the characters in the film that added more to the experience of this movie. That alone cemented its impact on the horror genre, but not until the late 2000’s Paranormal Activity revived the genre and piqued the interest of our Associate Art Director, Lynnloiz Distrajo, who was never a fan of the horror genre. Paranormal Activity revolves around a newlywed couple who moved into a new house where supernatural activities happen at night and decided to record each night as the horror surrounding the house escalates.
This movie revived the horror genre in some way as it brought back the found footage genre and had a huge success through word of mouth, mimicking its predecessor, Blair Witch Project, that inspired the genre. Paranormal Activity’s scary tone made people keep their eyes peeled to the screen as they waited for something to happen, or maybe not, as it’s too terrifying to watch as we wait for some jump scare to happen. According to Lynnloiz, after watching the movie as an artist, she had trouble sleeping for many days as she kept imagining the scenes that were happening in the movie. Which is super relatable.
Alfonso Santamaria, XSM’s digital marketing strategist, was traumatized by The Ring, especially the character Sadako, who we see crawling outside from the inside of a television. We all have that phase, Al.
Speaking of waiting, do you ever imagine just staring at your TV at night when the channel just goes static and a girl appears on screen and just crawls out of your TV? The movie The Ring revolves around a cursed tape that, if you happen to watch it, you will die in 7 days, and the girl seen on the tape, Sadako, will crawl out of your TV and kill you. Al mentioned how super scared he was growing up as it felt so real as if it would happen to him, which is agreeable as The Ring was just pure horror and the use of tape and a simple television where every household has one is just creepy. The success of The Ring spawned another iconic horror movie that made everyone’s skin crawl, and that was The Grudge.
Three members of the team answered The Grudge as the movie that traumatized them, and the victims of Kayako the vengeful ghost are Paula Dela Cruz, our Sr. Admin Officer, Graphic Artist Nathaniel Musngi, and one of our project managers, Catherine Bautista. Japan is indeed the home of Asian horror, as they delivered many creepy movies and characters. This just proves how effective the movie was.
The movie revolves around an American nurse, Karen Davis, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, who is living and working in Tokyo and is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim. Nathan recalled how deep the impact of the movie was on him growing up, as it made him terrified of going to dark places, and I can say the same, as the movie is just so super dark that Kayako might just be in our house, like how Cath recalled how it scared the living hell out of her because of how extreme and eerie the characters and the story itself are.
“I used to hate stairs and drawers after watching this. I saw this when I was very young, now that I realize it there’s a reason why flagged to as Rated R movie. Nevertheless, even until now, Japanese horror movies make my skin crawl though I have huge respect in their craft.”
The movie utilized each aspect of the home, which made it very effective at scaring the audiences. Even in our bedroom, the place we call our safe space, doesn’t feel safe anymore because the movie traumatized us, just like how Ms. Paula recalled how she had a hard time sleeping, thinking Kayako was standing beside her watching her while she slept.
Speaking of creepy homes, Junior Copywriter Jazzmine Quiambao shared how Monster House and Coraline were movies that traumatized her growing up. I personally haven’t seen those movies, but I’m aware that they’re set in these creepy households, which shows creepy things happening in the comfort of our home. Monster House revolves around three teens who discover that their neighbor’s house is really a living, breathing, scary monster.
Jazz recalled how the thought of a house swallowing you whole is terrifying, but she also found it ironic that despite the movie scaring her, she liked it and ended up watching the movie repeatedly. But that is not the case for Coraline. The movie Coraline isn’t your typical kids movie since it has a unique stop-motion animation. “Coraline” doesn’t shy away from darker and more unsettling elements through its surreal atmosphere and striking character design, where the characters are visually distinctive, specifically Other Mother, who is a button-eyed character that made it memorable to the audience. Not only that, it also had a haunting musical score, which adds an extra layer to your not-so-typical kids movie. The movie follows Coraline, a curious and bored girl who discovers a secret door in their new home, behind which lies an alternate world that closely mirrors her own but, in many ways, is better. Is it really?
Jazzmine also raved about how well the execution of the movie was, saying that she could only watch it once as a kid and only get to rewatch it now that she’s grown up.
Who still here finds mirrors creepy somehow? Because I do, same with Morts, our web developer, and yes, there’s a movie about Mirrors, and it’s about an ex-cop Ben Carson, played by Kiefer Sutherland, who takes a job as a security guard at the burned-out ruins of a department store. Inside the mall, Ben sees horrifying images in the ornate mirrors that are still on the walls of the mall, where dark spirits use the mirrors as an entrance into the real world, engaging the lives close to him. Scary right? The main highlight of the movie was how the mirror doesn’t follow the movements you do but actually does the opposite to point out that it does something sinister to your body.
Not only that, but “Mirrors” amplified the scare factor on how we see mirrors in our daily lives as the movie utilized the use and idea of mirrors having distorted reflections where it creates an unsettling visual experience where it shows our unnatural self that incorporates disturbing imagery on our reflections, such as grotesque or unsettling figures. That taps into our primal fears and the uncanny, where familiar things become strangely unfamiliar and unsettling, which heightened the fear of Morts’ through mirrors. Jazzmine also raved about how well the execution of the movie was, saying that she could only watch it once as a kid and only get to rewatch it now that she’s grown up.
Moving forward, here’s something close to home, as the next movie that traumatized XSM’s junior copywriter, Danniel Autea, was Sukob. (Augh, what’s Sukob? I myself at first wasn’t familiar with what it meant back then, but this movie showed us what would happen if a wedding happened during a death in an immediate family or if one shouldn’t be married within the same year, which made weddings scary because of this iconic movie.
Sukob, directed by the iconic Chito S. Rono, is considered one of the most influential films in Filipino horror cinema, as it was praised for its atmospheric cinematography that created an eerie atmosphere that can be seen throughout the movie. Not only that, it also mixed some family drama that we Filipinos love, and the relationships and dynamics of the characters in the movie played a significant role in the story that made it a solid movie. Its success contributed to the resurgence of interest in local horror films and paved the way for more Filipino filmmakers to explore the horror genre. Not only that but it also had a Star-Studded cast at the time, specifically Kris Aquino and Claudine Baretto.
Danniel Autea XSM’s Junior Copywriter vividly remembers how Sukob traumatized him growing up, as it was the first ever horror movie he saw in cinemas. Sukob follows soon-to-be brides Sandy and Diana, where a deadly curse follows them based on the superstition that marriage should not take place within a year of the death of an immediate relative. Chito S. Roño, a master of Philippine horror, did an amazing job scaring the audience, especially Dann, as he kept covering his eyes beside his mom. It traumatized him so much that even the audio of the movie alone scares him.
This experience also made him realize that he isn’t a fan of the supernatural but more into gore films.
And the list goes on. This one is different, as I’m not really familiar with this movie, but according to Austin Reyes XSM’s multimedia editor, Watership Down was the movie that traumatized him, which will soon be mine too, as the movie is about rabbits. I know rabbits and what harm they can do, but not in this movie. Watership Down is an epic tale about a group of rabbits who encounter danger, treachery, and hope as they try to find a new home when theirs is leveled for a housing development.
That plot just wants to make me watch it right now, just like when a young Austin happened to come down from his room once and saw the movie playing on the TV without anyone watching. Naturally, as a child, he viewed it as a cartoon and kept watching, only to find out that it wasn’t your typical children’s movie. Despite that, he still finished it.
Who knew a movie about rabbits could be that traumatizing? It shows how terror always surrounds us, as the next movie that traumatized our XSM Team is simply iconic to it’s out of this world movie set pieces and our dark imaginations about accidents come to life, and that movie is the Final Destination franchise, which is not familiar to these movies as it was a go-to movie to watch with your friends or family back in the 2000’s. The Final Destination movies are widely known for their unique approach to horror movies, as we know that it isn’t your typical movie where a dark spirit or killer is out there to get you but not in this universe; it’s centered around the concept of death’s design and the inevitability of fate that can happen in your everyday life, where the film takes place in every setting, from highways and airplanes to amusement parks and everyday appliances. This setting makes it more relatable and leaves the audience to imagine themselves in a similar situation, which is terrifying, but it makes you wonder, right? What if?
Yan Nariz, Associate Creative Director, and Rockie Bunyi Jr. Project Managers both described Final Destination as a movie that traumatized them. Let’s start with Yan recalling how it messed up his head and how he became this morbid weirdo who’s always thinking up these wild scenarios of dying in the most unexpected ways. “
It made everyday life so full of deadly possibilities. It’s messed up but kind of hilarious in a twisted way.”
That answer alone summarizes what the Final Destination movies are about. It’s a take on what if this happens and just blows it out of proportion. A huge aspect of the movie is about how we cannot cheat death. And speaking of “thinking up wild scenarios of dying,” we finally have a word for it, and it’s hyperphantasia. Just as Rockie recalled as a kid, he grew up knowing that Murphy’s law can strike at any time, which just maxes out his paranoia, just like in the Final Destination movies, where every move you make, you can die.
Ending the list, we ask JP Hernandez XSM’s Visualizer what movie traumatized him growing up, and it’s interesting because he mentioned how he wasn’t scared of anything growing up, but there has to be something, right? Clowns, but what made such funny characters scary? From what I’ve gathered, clowns are often seen to have exaggerated and distorted features, such as colorful makeup, large expressive eyes, and that damn oversized smile. This departure from normal human appearance triggers a feeling of unease, where something is close to human but not quite right. That’s why Pennywise the Clown from the movie “IT” was the movie that he can think of that traumatized him.
I mean, who isn’t scared of creepy clowns? Especially if it’s Pennywise, IT revolves around these kids in the little town of Derry, Maine, who go missing, and seven kids find out that the killer is not a man but an evil clown named Pennywise who can shapeshift into the thing you are most afraid of. Scary, right? JP mentioned how creepy Pennywise’s face can be throughout the movie and gave him chills that kept him up at night.
