As Halloween approaches, many AACC students said last week they do not like horror movies.

In an informal poll of 50 students on the Arnold campus, 40% said they avoid watching scary films.

“I get scared very easily,” first-year psychology student Mila Trader said. “And I just don’t need that stuff in my brain because my imagination will take it a little crazy.” 

Movie producers release more films during October than at any other time of year, according to movie website Where’sTheJump.com. And just about half of Americans who participated in a national CBS News poll last year said they like scary movies.

“I tend to find them to be really lacking in plotline, pretty cheesy,” third-year communications student Grace Bourne said. “They replace a lot of necessary storytelling with scare tactics.” 

Second-year transfer studies student Casey McConville agreed.

“I am a chicken and I have a very, very active imagination,” McConville said. “So whether it’s gore or the supernatural … or anything in between, my brain will take it and run with it. And then I will not sleep for a very long time.”

Of the 30 students who said they like horror films, five said their favorite is the 1978 original “Halloween.” 

“Every year my dad and I watch it and, you know, it’s kind of a nostalgia thing,” game art and design student Levy Walsh said. “Also, I like how corny it is because it’s so low budget.”

First-semester homeland security student Jack Ryan said he has a different reason for placing “Halloween” at the top of his scary-movie list.

Ryan complimented the musical theme at the beginning of the film, saying it set the tone for the movie, Ryan added the opening shot of a jack-o-lantern “captured” him.

Some students favored “The Conjuring,”  saying the story of the 2013 film was surprising and believable.

First-year creative writing student Robert Rogers called the movie a “classic,” saying the plot twists were unexpected. 

“It just has a very good story,” Rogers said. “Everything is just very well delivered. … Whenever something happened, I did not know it was actually going to happen. With most horror movies, I can just call whatever’s going to happen next.”

First-year environmental science student Parinaaz Patel said she also liked the movie, noting that she likes its story, which is based on actual events.

“The Ed and Lorraine connection brings more of a realism to it,” Patel said. “So you can always connect it back to the actual stories.”

Other students said their favorites aren’t blockbuster films.

Fifth-year graphic design student Lydia Abel said her favorite horror movie is “The Babadook,” saying the atmosphere and “psychological suspense” of the film caused a feeling of “dread.”

First-year environmental science student Chris Laning said the “funky and fresh” feel of “Saw VI” was particularly enticing.