Dating back many, many years the week leading up to Valentines day has always been associated with romance and appreciation for those we love. The inflated price on bouquets do not detour us, card sales are second only to Christmas and reservations for a dinner for two abound. There is something about that positive energy it can create, just a sense that no matter whether you are giving your pet a little cuddle, yourself a chocolate treat, your child a hug, or your mate a reminder how much you care, it all feels good. (especially when you get past the commercialism)

But not this time. Before our February 14th day of love, respect and appreciation could get out of the gate; in my neck of the woods we were treated to the ultimate in anti-romance, the opposite of good luck, the antithesis of positive energy and love, first it was My Bloody Valentine and then we got the opening of Friday the 13th, the movie! Did I ever say, how much I HATE horror movies, especially slasher flicks!

The trailer for Friday the 13th graced the television screen and discussions began on the blogs, I  couldn’t help but read one post, I liked what one guy said about the slasher movies, and in particular his feeling about this one. “A big yawn, as everything is predictable and you know the babe’s who have sex will be offed, while others are getting off… on the violence.” That to me speaks to it all.

It is unfathomable to me why anyone needs to put those visions in their head, and especially why they would want to immerse themselves in such dark energy. It is not to hard to guess what would be the thing that stands out about the “babes” in this movie? Being that it panders mostly to adolescent males, I guess I have my answer.

Apparently, there were two other actresses who walked away from the roles due to the graphic nudity involved. Now if that is the case, we may have just heard from two young women with strong personal values, professional integrity and self respect. For the other twenty somethings that went looking for fame in this flick, exploitation was obviously not a turn off for them, dollar signs are enough. For those that watch it, they are immune to the demeaning language and the use and abuse of women. Who cares about that, it’s all in good fun.

Many years ago I saw Friday the 13th, the beginnings of Jason and his scary mask. Somehow I just couldn’t see why anyone would want to pay to be frightened, or watch the simulated sex and torture of victims. In fact the whole notion of watching movies about a part of society we would just as soon eliminate, “serial killers”, seems a bit odd to me. In some ways when these movies make their way into our theaters and TV screens it becomes a real eye opener into the warped psyche of a portion of society.

It is always disgusting to me, the gratuitous sex, nudity, gore and violence, especially as it relates to the female characters. This year I was given even more reason to put it in second place of my all time “hates“, due the insensitive but lucrative timing of its opening. What should I expect though from people like this. They are people who attach the word fun to the making of such films, laugh at suffering, revel in pain, and it takes more of that as time goes by to get a rise out of them.

I read a book that spoke to the issue of violence in our entertainment and media; and the “pain bodies” addicted to negativity and unhappiness who feed off of it. Here is an excerpt from Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth in which he writes, ” If you were not familiar with our contemporary civilization, if you had come here from another age or another planet, one of the things that would amaze you is that millions of people love and pay money to watch humans kill and inflict pain on each other and call it “entertainment”. Why do violent films attract such large audiences? There is an entire industry, a large part of which fuels the human addiction to unhappiness.” He goes on to say: “What is it in humans that loves to feel bad and calls it good? The pain-body, of course. A large part of the entertainment industry cater to it.” Finally he states: “Pain-bodies write and produce these films, and pain-bodies pay to watch them.” I like that he also included which I must condense…“If films show violence in in its wider context…then those films can fulfill a vital function in the awakening of humanity.” He clearly outlines if you choose to read the book what that wider context is.

Yes, I don’t have to go see Friday the 13th and other horror movies if I don’t like it, and I don’t. Somehow things like this infiltrate your environment anyway through people you know, discussion forums on a favourite site, passing conversation. We can’t live in a bubble.

Frankly though, now I have got my disdain for it’s presence off my “unexposed chest” I feel better…more love and light can surround me again. Sometimes you just have to write about something that bothers you so that it stops rewinding in the brain and this was one of those times.

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