Horror Films Are Not Made for Old People

Yet We’re Some of the Most Fervent Fans

Just for once can someone make a horror film that takes place in broad daylight?

One of the problems I have as a result of being 73 years old is that I don’t see as well at night as I used to. This is a consequence of aging, and it happens to most of us as we get old.

As a result, I no longer drive at night. That’s not a problem: if I truly need to go somewhere after dark, I can ride the bus.

Where it is a problem is with movies. I’m a horror movie fan. Have been since I was a kid. “Frankenstein.” “Dracula.” And of course, “Gojira” (the original Japanese name for “Godzilla.” I loved them all. Yes, even the ones that scared the bejeesus out of me!

Over time, as the movie-going public started being served with films featuring more “realistic” scenes, image quality for us old folks began to deteriorate. More and more films featured poor lighting. I’m sorry, but cinema verité or cinema noir doesn’t work with horror films.

Case in point: There were several night scenes in each of the movies I listed above, but they were also well lit. We weren’t reduced to having to sit closer to the screen in order to see what was happening in any given scene.