Let's Ban Cell Phones in Horror Movies!
10.20.09 By: Scott Weinberg
Just a few days ago my good friend Peter Martin asserted that we should prohibit cell phone usage within movie theater auditoriums. I'd like to take that idea one step further: Let's also eliminate all cell phones from horror films. Why? Because, as the following video clearly (and amusingly) indicates, a cell phone in a horror film is about as useful as a condom in a vasectomy clinic.Pity the poor screenwriter who must "isolate" his horror film characters for story purposes. And check out how lazy most of 'em are when it comes to taking cell phones out of the equation. ("Ugh, no bars! No signal!") Also, you ever notice how cell phones never work properly in horror movies -- except when it's a horror movie about haunted cell phones? Then you get all the damn signal you want, right?
(Thanks to @flickchart for the heads-up on the video.)
Filed under: Trailers/Clips, Blog Roundup
Reader Comments (1 of 1)
BKat 10-20-2009
You know, the new and believable out would be to have everyone have iPhones (on AT&T of course). I shit you not 75% of the time I try to use that thing as a PHONE, I feel like I'm in a horror movie desperately trying to get a signal.
Astinat 10-20-2009
I was thinking about this other day while watching Poltergeist III. No cell phones in that movie, and when your quasi-sister ditches the party she told you she was going to, it's hard to get in contact when you're being terrorized.
Cell phones shouldn't come into play in urban horror fare. If you want a cell phone to believably not work, then stick people in the country or mountains or somewhere else where signals are dodgy. If you're in NYC or LA, then your phone works. Unless, of course, it's an iPhone.