I don’t like watching scary movies.  I never have. They freak me out completely.  After seeing The Silence of the Lambs, I slept with the light on for about 10 days.  I am a wimp with scary movies.

When I was growing up, my best friend LOVED scary movies.  I used to work at a video store in my teen years, and she used to beg me to bring home certain horror movies so that we could watch them.  I always refused to.  Then one day, she guilted me into it by saying that we always watch the movies I want to watch and never watch the movies she wants to watch….whine, whine, whine.  And so, against my better judgement, I rented the movie she requested.  The title of the movie was The Evil Dead.

Nice.

It was in the middle of the day on a Saturday when we popped the VHS tape into the machine and began to watch the movie. We were home alone in my house, just the two of us, sitting there in my living room.  The front door was just a few feet away from where we sat.  About three minutes into the movie, I got up and opened the front door.   I sat back down again, leaving the door wide open.

And then the debate started.  It went something like this:

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I opened the front door.”

“Yea, I saw that.  But WHY?!!” 

“Because,”  I said.  “it’s safer.”

“Are you serious?!!  No way!! You have to shut the door and close all the windows when you watch a scary movie!  Everyone knows that.”

I said, “I have to have it open.”

“What? Why?”

“Well…in case we have to run out of the house.  You know, you always see in scary movies how when they need to get out, the doors are locked or something and they can’t get out…they are struggling with the door, in a panic…and that’s when they always get killed.  So our door stays open.”

“No, no, no….”  she argued. “You need to shut all the doors and windows!  You don’t want the killer to get inside, do you?”

“Are you kidding me?”  I said. “Everyone knows he’s already IN the house!  They always are!  So you need to keep the doors and windows OPEN so that you can get out quickly!  And also so the people outside can hear you scream and come to help. If the doors and windows are shut tight, how is anyone going to hear you scream?”

“Oh my gosh, no way…you’re so wrong.  The door needs to be shut and locked!”

“Only at night.”  I explained further.  “If you’re watching a scary movie at night, then that’s when you shut and lock the doors!  Because bad things are out there in the darkness.  But in the daytime, you need to leave everything open.  It’s bright and safe outside in the daytime.”

“You’re crazy.” She said.

Anyway, this argument went on for about 5 or 10 minutes.  I insisted that the door be left open.  I felt much  safer that way.  She, on the other hand, only felt safe if we locked ourselves up in the house.

In the end, we left the door open.  I pointed out that I didn’t even want to watch this movie in the first place, so we should just do whatever it is that makes me more comfortable.  Also, I was the one who rented the movie.  And…by the way…my tv, my house.  (yep, I pulled that card eventually.  I had to!  She left me no choice!)

And to this day, some 25+ years later, we will still argue the point.  I think I’m right and she thinks she’s right.

So, which is it?  Door open or closed when watching a scary movie in the daytime? 
What makes you feel more safe?