Oh the horror!

Here's a confession. I'm a fan of horror movies. Have been for as long as I can remember. There's something about being scared that is appealing to me. I can't explain it. And if you're wondering, I sleep just fine.

My sisters (Hi Tricia and Debra!) think I'm crazy. "How can you watch those scary movies all by yourself in a dark house and then go to sleep?" they ask me. I just can. I enjoy watching movies in the dark comfort of my own home.

However, I also enjoy a good horror movie in a theater if the crowd is into it. My most memorable horror movie experiences have all been in crowded theaters. While watching them alone is fun, being part of a group can be even better. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one thinking of crawling under the seat for safety.

I remember seeing "Scream" when I was in college. Being part of a crowded theater made that a memorable movie experience for me. The shrieks and laughter all around made the movie even better. I've since watched it alone at home, and it doesn't stand up to the theater experience.

A more recent movie that offered a great theater experience was "Paranormal Activity." That was a fun movie. Even though it was the scariest thing I've seen in years. This movie offered several moments where the crowd shrieked together and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who thought about crawling under the seat. The best part, of course, was at the end where everyone was shrieking and my movie-going partner that night (Hi Alecia!) had a death grip on my arm as I tried to shrink backward through the seat.

I guess it's my hope for similar experiences that keeps drawing me to horror movies at the theater. That's why I caught the new "A Nightmare on Elm Street" this past weekend.

As you know, the current trend isn't to make new movies, it's to re-make old movies. They did it with "Halloween," which I liked. And they did it with "Friday the 13th," which I didn't. I've seen all of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies, of course, but it's never been one of my favorite series. Freddy's just too much parody and not enough scary.

But I was hopeful this new version would right the wrongs of the past. Oh, the horror! I won't go into great detail about it in case you're still planning to see it, but I didn't like it. It didn't do anything I haven't already seen in countless other movies. There wasn't one moment when there was shrieking from the viewers. I can't even call it a crowd, there weren't that many people.

And no offense to Jackie Earle Haley, but he's a horrible Freddy. He's Kelly Leek from "The Bad News Bears." Always has been, always will be. Sorry Jackie, but you're just not that scary.

So, unfortunately, I didn't get that great horror movie theater experience I was looking for. Maybe next time. I just wonder which horror movie they're going to re-make next.

Glen Christmann is the Press news editor and sleeps with all the lights off. He can be reached at gchristmann@cdapress.com.