Fright-night movies can stay to replay

Ever notice how you can feel romantic coming out of movie with a convincing love story - or have an urge to race the guy in the next lane if the picture has an exciting car chase?

Harmless enough. A lot of people get a visceral thrill out of horror movies, too. They see it as an opportunity for a good scare without encountering any real danger. But a study released last month suggests the effects may last much longer than a quick check under the bed!

"These effects were more serious than jumpiness at a slammed door or the need to use a nightlight," the study's co-author, Kristen Harrison of the University of Michigan, told Reuters.

About 26 percent of 150 college students participating in the study said that even weeks or months afterward they were still disturbed from watching a horror movie or television program.

Not every filmmaker is pushing the limits on profanity. First-time director Maya Angelou insisted on no profanity in her film "Down in the Delta," which was released in theaters over the holidays.

"I ask that we say what we mean to say, use our intelligence to say what we mean to say," the honored poet says. "Don't punctuate it with profanity. I do want to show that you really can use English to make yourself understood."

Loud praise for silent movies: "Sometimes people laugh at silent films because they find them corny or feel superior to them. I can understand that. I felt the same way about 'Armageddon.' "

- Film critic Leonard Maltin, discussing the 1923 silent classic "The Ten Commandments.''

* Send your comments on Arts & Leisure to entertainment@csps.com