万花筒 2009-11-06&11-07 恐怖电影为何令人又怕又爱

On Halloween weekend, movie audiences are in the mood to scream, and that’s good news for the producers of one of the movies at the top of the box office right now, Paranormal Activity, it was cheap to make, and it's bringing in big bucks¹, so what makes frightening flicks² such good business? NBC’s Miguel Almaguer explains.

Standing³ here.
Feel the breathing of me.

It's what moviegoers want.
My hands are shaking, ‘Cause I’m really scared.

And what so many expect this Halloween: A frightening love affair with horror, the cold classic Halloween is over 30 years old. Movie studios count on cheap thrills to bring in big bucks. Take Saw, a serial⁴ killer⁵ who dreams up inventive ways to murder his victims. It’s now when its 16th storming and it remains⁶ one of the most successful franchises⁷ in movie history.

There is a built-in audience that at this time here, wants to go to the movies, and they want to be scared, these films delivered that.

It’s not just blockbusters that can make a fortune, even though most major films have the big studio behind them, when it comes to an old-fashion scare, it does cost millions to make millions.

Do you think there is something in the house, I don't know.

You believe me right?

The suspense⁸ thriller⁹ Paranormal Activity, cost only 15,000 dollars to make, but it’s made nearly 17 millions since it has released in September. In a new marketing¹⁰ ploy¹¹, the studio used the internet to generate bucks, asking fans across the country to demand screaming in their hometown. Soon cities like Orlando, Austin and Chicago had sell-out shows.

They have to find it, you can’t sell it.

John Penny and Jeffrey Obrow know a finger to about horror movies. They made Bram Stoker’s the Mummy, in 1997.

It is the same, as a roller coaster ride, it’s adrenaline rush.

And that would keep John in those long lines this weekend, the only thing scarier than these movies is how much money they’ll make.

For Today, Miguel Almaguer, NBC News, Hollywood.

1 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 flicks   

（尤指用手指或手快速地）轻击( flick的第三人称单数 )； （用…）轻挥； （快速地）按开关； 向…笑了一下（或瞥了一眼等）

参考例句：

• 'I shall see it on the flicks, I suppose.' “电影上总归看得见。” 来自英汉文学
• Last night to the flicks. 昨晚看了场电影。 来自英汉文学

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 serial   

n.连本影片，连本电视节目；adj.连续的

参考例句：

• A new serial is starting on television tonight.今晚电视开播一部新的电视连续剧。
• Can you account for the serial failures in our experiment?你能解释我们实验屡屡失败的原因吗？

5 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 franchises   

n.（尤指选举议员的）选举权( franchise的名词复数 )；参政权；获特许权的商业机构（或服务）；（公司授予的）特许经销权v.给…以特许权，出售特许权( franchise的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• TV franchises will be auctioned to the highest bidder. 电视特许经营权将拍卖给出价最高的投标人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ford dealerships operated as independent franchises. 福特汽车公司的代销商都是独立的联营商。 来自辞典例句

8 suspense   

n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑

参考例句：

• The suspense was unbearable.这样提心吊胆的状况实在叫人受不了。
• The director used ingenious devices to keep the audience in suspense.导演用巧妙手法引起观众的悬念。

9 thriller   

n.惊险片，恐怖片

参考例句：

• He began by writing a thriller.That book sold a million copies.他是写惊险小说起家的。那本书卖了一百万册。
• I always take a thriller to read on the train.我乘火车时，总带一本惊险小说看。

10 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

11 ploy   

n.花招，手段

参考例句：

• I think this is just a government ploy to deceive the public.我认为这只是政府欺骗公众的手段。
• Christmas should be a time of excitement and wonder,not a cynical marketing ploy.圣诞节应该是兴奋和美妙的时刻，而不该是一种肆无忌惮的营销策略。