Adults Only: Remembering the fun of scary movies

I have always been a fan of scary movies, particularly those where monsters run amuck. Monsters that are the result of man’s messing with nature. Going back to Victor Frankenstein’s creation, we always see man’s ego getting in the way while playing God. But I just love these films.

It might be because I grew up in the 1950s and spent every Saturday afternoon, when the weather was not good enough to be outside, sitting inside the Graham movie theater in Gerritsen Beach watching double features.

There was usually a requisite cowboy movie made on a budget of about 50 cents and the main feature — a horror film. And these were really scary (at least to an 11-year-old and his friends). I remember sitting through “The Thing” and going home and having nightmares. How could some mutated vegetable be so frightening? I guess you had to be there.

Then there was “Them.” This film was about giant ants. They were regular ants that had been exposed to radiation and were huge — roaming the desert countryside in search of sugar and occasional humans along the way. We always thought the monsters had a chance of winning but in the end, good prevailed.

The list of films goes on: “King Kong,” “Mighty Joe Young,” “Godzilla” and “The Creature from the Black Lagoon,” to name a few. People were eaten, cars were overturned like toys and buildings were toppled. All because man was messing with nature.

King Kong and Mighty Joe Young were exploited by money-hungry men and it backfired on them. Many of the other monsters were the results of nuclear experimentation and its effects on nature. Victor Frankenstein lost control of his creation and the theme of good versus evil played out.

So when I learned that “Jurassic World” had opened at a nearby theater, I asked my daughter if I could take the grandkids. She agreed even though the film was PG-13 and the kids are nine and 10.

We made an evening of it: pizza and soda beforehand and ice cream later. They  scouted out good seats in the center, right off the middle. We loved the film. It was all about a hybrid dinosaur that gets out of his enclosure and runs through the amusement park-type island, eating and destroying everything in its path.

There are the good people who care about these creatures and there are the greedy ones who are only interested in the bottom line. The greedy ones, with their selfish motives, all meet their end by being eaten by raptors or carried away by pterydons.

At no point during this film was anyone afraid. It seemed to be more like a cartoon where no one really got hurt. In the movie, two boys and their aunt, who worked at the park along with a raptor trainer, were the good guys.

They prevailed  and once again good triumphed over evil after an exciting and entertaining struggle.
Take the grandchildren to see it. They’ll love it.

On another subject, I heard from Trina Miles at the Suffolk County Board of Elections last week. She said that the board is in need of election day inspectors  from Shelter Island.

To qualify one must be a Suffolk County registered voter. On-Island training will be available. The stipend for the work and the training is  $12.50 per hour. Inspectors are needed for primaries and general elections, which are held at the Shelter Island School. If  you’re interested, call Trina at 852 4532.