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Pro: Gore is just garbage

/ an inordinate amount of time, they can bring it to the attention of the janitorial staff, who can then make it a priority to visit and service that neglected bathroom. Administration at Pierce can help the issue as well. Waste can be cut back by installing electric hand dryers to replace paper towels in the bathrooms. Also, signs placed in bathrooms that detail the risks of diseases such as hepatitis

“'The Exorcist.' It's a classic. Scarymoviesarenʼtthesame anymore,theyarenʼtscary.”

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-EmilyCantell,25,Nursing can inspire students to be more hygienic. We all need to make a concerted effort to ensure that our bathrooms are clean. With health concerns such as hepatitis A posing such a risk in unsanitary environments, doing our part and cleaning up after ourselves is as much a conscious preventative effort as it is a common courtesy. newsroom.roundupnews@gmail.com

“'TheNightmareBefore Christmas.'Ilikethemusic, andhowJackSkellington tries to reinvent Christmas.”

- Talar Linton, 21, Liberal Studies happen on almost a weekly basis.

Computer-generated imaging has given birth to a new world of filmmaking. The new millennium has seen films such as “Avatar,” “Wonder Woman,” and awesomely gruesome films like the notorious “Saw” series. The “Saw” movies catapulted the film industry into a new realm of horror and science fiction movies that would not only make their audiences fear everything that goes bump in the night, but also change their brain chemistry altogether.

When people watch a scary movie, they are exposing themselves to bloody murder scenes, terrifyingly evil paranormal activity, and triggering psychotic behavior. Exposure to horror films has been scientifically researched to truly gain perspective on exactly what horror movies do to audiences’ brains, and it’s far from happy.

A study conducted by New York University in 2008 found that after showing participants four different film scenes, Alfred Hitchcock had the most neurological response from the participants.

“The fact that Hitchcock was able to orchestrate the responses of so many different brain regions, turning them on and off at the same time across all viewers, may provide neuroscientific evidence for his notoriously famous ability to master and manipulate viewers' minds’ control over participant’s brains,” NYU reported.

If Hitchcock’s classic film was capable of holding 65 percent control over its viewers’ minds, can we even begin to imagine what consistent horror film watching may do?

A study conducted at Iowa State and Brigham Young University found evidence that aggressive behavior on screen reflects in the behavior of audiences watching horror films. Whether the behavior includes a paranormal serial killer murdering camp counselors, or invisible forces prying into the minds of their victims to get them to harm themselves or others, aggressive behavior is the main focus of horror films.

Jennifer Ruh Linder, Linfield College psychology professor, said, “Past research has shown that viewing physical violence on TV activates aggressive scripts in the brain, but our findings suggest that watching both onscreen physical or relational aggression activates those cognitive scripts.”

According to Linder, horror film viewers do not consciously choose to imitate characters and engage in aggressive behavior. Instead, it is an automatic response that stems from the subconscious mind.

What else can watching horror films do to the rest of your body? A study conducted by Dutch experts found that horror films actually coagulate your blood. Anyone down for a scary movie-induced blood clot?

When it comes to horror films, audiences should consider the havoc that the scary movies are wreaking on their whole bodies--not just their dreams.

ROCIO ARENAS Reporter @rarenas_roundup rarenas.roundupnews@gmail.com

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NOAH GOLDBLOOM Reporter @noahgoldbloom

The idea of violent or horror movies being detrimental to anyone is silly. Movies, excluding a documentary, are an escape. They are made up tales by visionaries. Granted, some have more skills than other, but all have a vision they try to tell. Sometimes, that vision includes elements of violence. Western culture has never been shy to violence. Movie franchises like “Saw” belong in a genre where the more gruesome the better. It’s a strange fixation on blood and guts. But, there is nothing wrong with it.

Violence on the big screen is very common, almost mundane. Growing up in the early 2000’s, there was always a movie out that had something gruesome in it. When I was young, I didn’t see them. The Motion Picture Association of America has a rating system to prevent younger viewers from seeing anything that is deemed too vulgar. Using this system, a parent can judge what is appropriate for a child to see. No movie that is extremely violent or gory will be rated below a restricted (R). While the rating system isn’t perfect, it works well enough.

Some may just find the imagery of violence abhorrent on a moral level. However, we live in a world where horrific acts of violence

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Wyce Mirzad ngoldbloom.roundupnews@gmail.com

Saying that a movie will cause a person to act violent is an unfair statement. With that ideology, children should be banned from watching CNN or documentaries about WWII. It is impossible to escape violence today. A movie is not going to hurt anyone. It's fiction. It exists in a realm of make believe.

There have been controversial movies, of course. Violence can become so intense that it is more of a test to see how far one can sit through a movie, but that is fun for a specific group. Movies like 1982’s “The Thing” was praised for its special effects. The movie was gruesome. There were scenes of pure gore. There were bodies contouring into monstrous shapes, with grotesque, walking flesh puppets throughout the movie. It was amazing to see, and truly a feat of visual effects.

There is also an issue of limiting expression. If violence is needed to convey the characters, and the world of a movie, then it should not be suppressed. What would “Pulp Fiction” be without the violence? A passenger in a car has his head explode after being shot. It’s shocking and hilarious at the same time, and it creates a base for a series of jokes on the matter. Banning someone’s artistic vision is easy. Having others understand and be tolerant of another person’s expression is worth the trials and tribulations.

“'Scream'isbyfarmyfavorite slasher film of all time mainlybecauseofhowiconic Ghostface was.”

-LoidaNavas,18,English

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