Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Brain Scrubber Worthy Media

I was talking to a friend yesterday about movies we've seen and he said he wished he'd never watched :insert name of crappy movie here:.  His statement immediately brought to mind a bunch of movies that I wish I could now scrub out of my head.  Movies with such horrible images and/or themes, that even years later haunt my brain.

Just for kicks, I thought I'd share my list of Brain-Scrubber worthy films:

Se7en - I saw this back when it first came out on video in like 1996 or '97.  I thought, 'hey, suspense movie, cool.'  I'm sorry I ever watched it.  I can't get the image of the fat guy or the junkie out of my head.  Even after all these years.  And the ending?  How depressing was that? The other day, this film was on AMC.  Hubs was channel surfing and stopped on it because he saw Morgan Freeman, and his movies are usually worth a watch.  I saw five seconds of them about to find the fat guy and was all like "Turn it off!  Turn if off!"  He looked at me like I was nuts (which I probably was) and I told him it was about to get really really gross.  Thankfully, he changed channels.  If he hadn't I would've left the room.

Sybil - a bunch of my college buddies and I watched this one afternoon in the dorm.  Twenty years later, there are certain items in the drugstore I can't pass without shuddering.

Leaving Las Vegas - an alcoholic trying to die and a hooker who falls in love with him and watches him die - what could be right with that? I wanted to die after I watched this movie.

Hellraiser 2 - part of the reason I stopped majoring in Psychology.  'Nuff said.  I'm having flashbacks even as I type this.  :shudder:

Pay It Forward - After investing my heart in the little boy, and rooting for him to succeed, he dies???  And then, everyone rallies around his mission?  He was a cool kid doing neat things to help people, and they KILLED HIM OFF??  No reasoning, no nothing.  Just dead.  The feel bad movie of that year, lemme tell ya.  I knew there was a reason I don't watch Kevin Spacey movies.  (Except Outbreak, where he gets African Mutaba and dies before Dustin Hoffman finds a cure.)

ETA: Event Horizon - As Ardsgaine put it in the comments - WTF.

Okay, now it's your turn.  Any movies that you wish you could scrub out of your head?

7 comments:

  1. I actually laughed when you mentioned Se7en because it's one of my favorite movies of all time, but I TOTALLY get what you mean. It's gross and gritty and disturbing and not for everybody!

    Totally agree about Pay It Forward. I loved the movie right up till the end, and it cracked my heart right open. I can't bring myself to watch it ever again.

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  2. I think of "Sybil" time and again. Like you, there are certain things I avoid looking at if they are going to remind me of that movie. I guess that means it was done really well!

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  3. I remember Sybil! *shudders* I'm sure there are others but I can't think what they are at the moment and thankfully I didn't see Pay It Forward.

    My son was talking about a movie the other day that haunts him, I can't remember what it was, but it was something about a guy who lost his eyes. Revolting.

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  4. You have already listed a bunch of "scrub-worthy" movies.

    I would have to say Prince of Tides. There is one scene in there I've never been able to get out of my head, and it haunts me. Horrifyingly so.

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  5. Hang on, let me get out my list...

    Star 80
    Cape Fear (modern remake)
    Taxi Driver
    Hell Raiser (I didn't watch the whole thing, but the scenes I caught were enough to make me hate it.)
    Event Horizon (wtf!)
    Silence of the Lambs (Only saw part of it.)

    I know there are others, but the truth is that I actively avoid movies that I think are going to end up on this list. Movies that involve serial killers don't make it on my must-watch movie list, and I don't watch modern horror flicks that substitute buckets of gore for suspense.

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  6. LOL! Like Jenny, Se7en is one my all-time favorites, but I get what you're saying.

    I'm totally with you on Pay It Forward. The ending felt so forced and manipulative.

    Let's see, my list would include:

    Avatar (I'll never get those nineteen hours back)
    Tin Cup
    The Grifters

    I'm sure there are others, but I've reached that point in my life where I shut the movie off if I don't like it. Time's too short.

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  7. Yeah, Jennifer and Joann since I write some suspense, I probably should be more into Se7en, but ewewew.

    Yep, Sybil was well written, but Sally Field's acting was awesome, but again... ewewew.

    I have no idea what that might be Debs, but it reminded me of another movie I never want to see again - Johnny Got His Gun. :shudder:

    Never saw Prince of Tides, so thanks for the warning, Lydia.

    Ack. Totally forgot Event Horizon. WTF is right. Thanks, Dude. I do like Silence of the Lambs, though, so go figger.

    Other that Pay it Forward, I haven't seen those films in years. I'm like you, Joann, I don't have time to waste on bad films.

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