Scream On the Green

I've just returned from watching The Shining, part of NC State's 'Scream on the Green' feature presentation. On the green meaning outside, on the grass, with speakers and a giant projection screen on the wall of some building. This would be ideal during the summer months, but right now, I can't feel my feet. In short, it was fuckin' cold! Oooh, I just dropped an f-bomb! Anyway, I wore two layers of socks and an extra shirt; I thought I was prepared for the cold. Mother nature had other ideas. After the first five minutes, parts of my body start bombarding my brain with the same message: 'Help! It's cold!' You would think that with my extra-built-in insulation, I'd be able to handle the cold well. Not so. An hour into the film found me huddled in on myself, with my hood tied to cover most of my face and my hands tucked tightly under my chin. I looked like ET with glasses. Nevermind. Among the many life-altering revelations that I've had tonight, here are a few: cold ground + dew = numb buttocks; tennis shoes will not keep your feet warm; and cold + chills = me wishing for summer. Now onto the movie. I read the book way back in middle school, so the plot was understandably vague in my mind (middle school was over seven years ago, give me a break!...give me a break, break me off a piece of that....). When I first read The Shining, it scared the ever-living daylights out of me. Stephen King has the uncanny ability to make me feel like a sane person. Even I am not crazy enough to come up with his ideas. So, the book was scary (to an eleven-year-old me). However, I'd say Blatty's The Exorcist and The Amytiville Horror are the two scariest books I've ever read. I'd never really seen the movie The Shining, and surprisingly, it's not that bad. I love the "Here's Johnny!" line. But the really creepy thing about the film is the score - the music. If you like movies that gradually build up the tempo and then slam you with some heart-stopping volume, you'll like this one. Looking back, I realize that I shouldn't have sat so close to the speakers - one was barely ten feet away! And that little kit croaking out "Redrum, redrum, redrum, redrum..." is enough to raise the hairs on anyone's arm. That is if you can feel your arms. All in all, I'm glad I went, but now I am even gladder that I can thaw some and then hop into a hot shower and then some warm PJ's. Happy Halloween! Bwahahahahahahaha!!!!