House of 9: What would You do to Survive?

“I’ve always thought that a film should first of all be an emotional experience.
It should make you laugh, or cry or be scared.
But it should also inspire and provoke you, and make you reflect.”
– William Friedkin, Director of ‘The Exorcist’.

Watching Movies: Sound, check! Lights, check! Remote, check! DVDs, check!

The Challenge

A while back, I decided to challenge myself and do what some people cannot even dare think about – watch between five and ten horror movies in two days. Alone.

So I grabbed some DVDs, checked my sound system, turned down the lights and turned up the sound…..
I opened my mind, my ears and my eyes as the movies started.

First on queue were Hostel I and Hostel II. I watched both movies without flinching, wondering “Ni kitu gani watu huogopa?” [Trans: What is it that people fear?]. Next, I watched Demon Hunter. Here, I liked the suspense.

The Human Condition

Then came Saw I and Saw II. And something I had never before experienced happened in my life. Suddenly, there was a lot to learn, even in these shocking, disgusting and sadistic flicks. Some of them are packed with insights and lessons about the Human Condition, stuff that is largely ignored and rarely explored elsewhere. And all this reminds me of this post about how people go wrong and become monsters…

House of 9

House of 9: Nine strangers. One house. Only one will get out...

The next movie I watched was House of 9. It is a movie about nine unconnected strangers who realize that they are locked inside a deserted house. As they begin to wonder why they are there, a watcher who’s viewing everything on surveillance cameras hidden throughout, tells the house guests through an intercom that they’ve been brought there to play a game of survival for his entertainment. The last person left alive after this game will receive an award of 5 million dollars.

Each of the nine people captive in the house try different methods of getting out but all attempts fail. When they see no way of escape, the house soon turns into a killing fest, until the final survivor remains; unaware of the twist in store for them… [read more on Wikipedia].

Worth Watching?

Watching this movie, I was reminded of just how much we are willing to ensure that we have the upper hand.

I was shocked to realize, to what length even seemingly good people can go when there is the possibility of reward, when there is competition, and most important, when they find themselves in harm’s way.

An Open Mind

One of these fine days, take time to watch a movie, with an open mind and without any prejudice. Forget about other users’ opinions. Forget the cover and the title (okay, I know that’s a bit hard). See if there is anything to learn in some of these movies.

All in all, House of 9 is a movie worth watching. So is the SAW film series.
Next in the Movies to Watch series, I’ll be sharing something about The Exorcist.

Let us learn, share and grow!

Filed under: Movies to Watch, determination, human condition, human nature, Insight, Learning, life, money, self, Self Discovery