Classification Essay

Assignment 1 – Classification & Division Essays (English 113 – 1011)

Ways to watch a horror movie

Travelling alone in the car - through a terrifying thunderstorm, where every strike of the lightning ruptures your eardrums, every howl of the cold wind sends chills down your spine, and the intense downpour makes it near impossible to see the road in front – suddenly, a house appears out of nowhere. It subtlely invites your much-shaken mind to rest there for the night. This is but one of many settings of a horror movie, meant to scare, induce fear and startle their viewers. However, viewers vary from the ‘tell me when it is over’, to ‘peeping-between-fingers’ types and of course the `brave ones’.

The ‘tell me when it is over’ are people who are usually forced to watch a horror film. They are strongly against watching a horror movie, and would usually come up with excuses such as “why should I pay to scare myself?” During the show, they would hide their faces, shield or shut their eyes completely, to using whatever is in their reach like popcorn boxes or bags as `protection’, to cowering against their partner’s shoulders as ‘shields’. Their usual words would be “tell me when it is over”. These are the `wimps’ who may manage to catch only about a quarter of the entire movie.

The ‘peeping-between fingers’ are people who once in a while desire horror but are never the ones to initiate watching a horror film. They are the ones who usually answer ‘anything’ when asked which film to watch. Inside the cinema, they would then be watching the entire show from between their fingers, which opens or close in accordance to the horrifying parts of the show. They would usually be very quiet, trying to focus and determine when the scary parts would appear. If you happen to tap them, they would jump out of their seat. These would be the `half-wimps’ who usually catch about two-thirds of the entire movie.

The ‘brave ones’ are those who initiate watching any gore or horror...