Showing humor at a horror film is typically a defense mechanism. It's how I got through slasher movies as a kid when watching with other kids (boys' sleepovers involved lots of candy and all the R-rated films the host could persuade his dad to rent, if memory serves.) In fact, I wouldn't go see The Birds on the big screen because I nervously crack wise throughout just to keep from freaking out over the entire concept. It's the only Hitchcock film that gets such a reaction from me. (He was very good at pushing all kinds of buttons for suspense; those particular buttons happen to be mine.) What you've described is not borne from that mechanism, though, and is sad to hear.
I had a very similar disheartening experience at the Brattle (of all places!) when they were showing The Dark Crystal a week or two back. Yes, some of the special effects are outdated and Jen is a truly frustrating protagonist (All the "What do I do? Where do I go? Who is this Augrah? Which shard should I take?" voiceovers were dubbed in after a bad preview, apparently) but this young hipper-than-thou crowd talked constantly and laughed ironically at every effect and Muppet movement and every time the Skesis Chamberlain did that simpering whine of his. It doesn't help that he does it so many times that it does grow funny through repetition, but they laughed at it from the very first. I guess I should just be thankful they didn't echo it back at him.
But the art direction is gorgeous, the puppeteering is incredible, some of the large character movements are amazing when you consider how many people it took working simultaneously to pull off what looks so damn natural, and it was all lost on them.
(An example of the high wit on display: "My name is Jen." "THAT'S A GIRL'S NAME, HURR HURR")
I was annoyed and very much felt Get Off My Lawnish about it all (I saw the film first-run in 1982; this film was older than these moviegoers by a third fer crying out loud.) However, I chalked it up to going to the second half of a double feature on a Saturday night at a movie theater that serves booze in a college town. The crowd had just seen Labyrinth and were on quite a few drinks already, so they were well socially-lubricated and in top ironic form in their minds.
Happiness at seeing local movie theatres do good business at war with annoyance at local movie audiences who just don't know how to behave. I'm very sorry it had to happen to you at a Hitchcock film.
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I had a very similar disheartening experience at the Brattle (of all places!) when they were showing The Dark Crystal a week or two back. Yes, some of the special effects are outdated and Jen is a truly frustrating protagonist (All the "What do I do? Where do I go? Who is this Augrah? Which shard should I take?" voiceovers were dubbed in after a bad preview, apparently) but this young hipper-than-thou crowd talked constantly and laughed ironically at every effect and Muppet movement and every time the Skesis Chamberlain did that simpering whine of his. It doesn't help that he does it so many times that it does grow funny through repetition, but they laughed at it from the very first. I guess I should just be thankful they didn't echo it back at him.
But the art direction is gorgeous, the puppeteering is incredible, some of the large character movements are amazing when you consider how many people it took working simultaneously to pull off what looks so damn natural, and it was all lost on them.
(An example of the high wit on display: "My name is Jen." "THAT'S A GIRL'S NAME, HURR HURR")
I was annoyed and very much felt Get Off My Lawnish about it all (I saw the film first-run in 1982; this film was older than these moviegoers by a third fer crying out loud.) However, I chalked it up to going to the second half of a double feature on a Saturday night at a movie theater that serves booze in a college town. The crowd had just seen Labyrinth and were on quite a few drinks already, so they were well socially-lubricated and in top ironic form in their minds.
Happiness at seeing local movie theatres do good business at war with annoyance at local movie audiences who just don't know how to behave. I'm very sorry it had to happen to you at a Hitchcock film.