Hello all. I am starting a new series of post which I am
entitling The Horror Of… That explains, in part, the title of this post. (See.
All the pieces are fitting together.)
I hope to inaugurate readers into a worthwhile selection of
“horror” films and shows. It’s a chance to share movies and other media of the “horror”
variety that I've enjoyed. More on the horror aspect as we go along.
Ideally, like I am doing with my Sleepy Hollow reviewing, I
can create a consistent stream of posts. But I've chose such an auspicious time
to start this project. October. Starting a look at horror right now all but
demands some extra effort (And me with my lazy bones.). So I am considering how
I want to proceed this month. And what I've decided…I’ll get to that shortly.
(I am all starts and stops, aren't I?)
First, I think it’s important to discuss briefly…hotter.
…That was a typo. Horror.
So,
now The Horror of…Horror
HORROR!
….ahem. Horror.
How do you approach such a topic? It would seem sensible
that’d we’d all eschew horror. Because horror is fear, dread, apprehension, and
the things that should send us into flight. Yet, people embrace it. They will
shell out money to experience it.
"...That's when Freddy's tongue came through the phone." "What's a phone?" "...I don't know." |
More than embrace it. People celebrate it. As a species,
we've carried horror in tales and legends from the age when we were first
capable of sharing our thoughts with each other. From early humans, huddled in
the dark, to people spinning yarns by the old Ben Franklin stove to someone on
the Internet telling you there’s someone behind you right now…
People are drawn to it.
Not all of us, of course. For some it’s all too much. It’s
not an addition to their lives that they want. Some have experienced all the
real horror they could care for, and need no one to give them more. And,
depending on the form the horror takes (amounts of gore, the subject matter);
it may just not be palatable.
So do I like horror?
Well that can be a complicated answer. So let me give you
the simple one first. Yes. I have a
taste for horror, in books, in comics, in TV, and in movies. It can be a fun,
engaging, and illuminating exercise. It can get the heart racing. It can take
you on unexpected journeys. It can serve to wile away an afternoon or turbulent
night.
But I don’t like all horror. There is always a matter of
taste.
It comes from my history with horror as a genre.
"Chucky says, 'Hi.' Well, he would if I hadn't dismembered him." |
Early on, in my distant youth, I gained a distinct aversion
to horror. I’ll blame some of those shows that the major channels (3 whole
channels) of the day would put on Halloween nights. I can’t clearly remember
what, but along the way, I caught some scary skeletons chasing someone, an evil
clown doll stealing a child, and I was freaked out by the idea of being scared.
And I avoided horror movies.
I had viscerally did not care for it, and would not let it
in my life. I made every effort to avoid these sorts of movies. This went on
for years. When I saw a Halloween
movie, a Friday the 13th
movie, or any scary gory movie come on I…was gone. (Heck. The “Catspaw” episode
of Star Trek would freak me out.) And
there’s nothing wrong with that. Just like some of you now, I didn't want to
have anything to do with that stuff. (And in that day, if you didn't order The
Movie Channel, you weren't seeing much of it.)
But over the years this sort of thing got less scary to
me. You see more, do more, discover more
and varied reading; you then find yourself enjoying some more classic horror
movies (Ah. Universal.). And you come to realize that there might be more than
you think to horror. You find enjoying something a bit creepy or of the old
Halloween spirit not far-fetched. (And that is odd. While I was troubled by
horror, I did always love Halloween. Maybe at first it was just the candy,
costumes, and celebration.)
"Star vampire? Yeah, what's that going to do?" |
By college I started played the role-playing game (RPG) Call of Cthulhu, and that allowed me to
play out terrifying adventures, and demises (You seldom last long in a Cthulhu
adventure.). That fun led to an interest in reading H.P. Lovecraft, and related
authors. And that lead to being curious about the movies tied to his works.
Being apprehensive, I tried watching some of them. And I
wasn’t thrilled with the gore in some. But I did learn to appreciate the often
ridiculous, supernatural, and unreal reality they existed in. That is a line
for me. In supernatural horror, you get violence. You can get weird creatures
and beings. You can get a person to be revealed to be a shapeshiting alien, whose
chest suddenly forms a mouth with razor sharp teeth. It’s unreal.
Now put beside more human acts, I find it more stomachable. I
can be more detached from it.
Because for me, I don’t like seeing people hurt, mutilated,
or killed. That makes it harder for me to partake in horror tales of more human
type stories (the slashers, etc.). Don’t misunderstand. There are some of these
I do enjoy. Interesting stories. Interesting characters or setting. Interesting
dynamics. But just offering me a crazed killer running around X wielding a Y while wearing a Z, I am just
not engaged.
And this goes double for torture porn. I know there are many
fans who hate that term. I can’t help it. If a movie is built around following
the torture/abuse/slow murder of a person or persons, it’s torture porn. And if
you like those movies…I am just not there with you. I mentally appreciate the
idea of following any given process or event can have artistic merit. But I
just don’t have to watch it, laud it, or be approving of it. So, yeah, I won’t
be looking at torture porn.
But for the rest of horror, I am pretty open. I just want to
find some films and show I like and share them.
But what is horror. (Yes. I did note the definition above.)
How are you defining
horror then?
I will be honest. (And I will be pissing off many horror afficionado.)
I, for these posts, will be using an amazingly liberal definition of horror.
Some will riot. Some will collapse in outrage. Others will wonder when I will
be covering It’s the Great Pumpkin,
Charlie Brown.
But in any talk of horror, or any genre, you can get into
some fisticuffs over the boundaries. Science Fiction has some advantages here.
You can demand that an application of science be present.
But horror? A question of fear and scares?
What scares you? What makes you uncomfortable? What are your
limits?
The answer is going to vary between you and the next person.
We aren't all the same.
Consider the Universal Horror classics of the 1930’s? Are
they horror movies?
I was on a stream a few weeks back and listened to a horror afficionado
running it laugh at Dracula. He saw it as silly and ridiculous. He was agape at
the idea of someone finding It scary. I've also listen to a horror writer I
respect dismiss these movies as not being horror. Yes. By the standards of many
today, they are not scary. But for some they are.
Do we dismiss horror as horror, when it no longer gives us
our requisite buzz?
I just don’t feel it is fair to dismiss so much,
particularly with such fun, wonderful, and historical works out there to enjoy.
It’s like being a fan of very hot (peppers) food and refusing to eat a dish with
jalapenos, because it’s too far down the scoville scale.
If horror doesn't strike terror in you, should you look
elsewhere? I think it comes down to a question of what you are looking for. It’s
your prerogative. I am not a religious person. So when I watch The Exorcist, it doesn't strike me with
a sense of fear for an immortal soul. But I am engaged by this struggle against
an evil being that’s using and destroying a young child. It can affect you. On
the other hand, I could put on a movie like The
Audition, and have my stomach churn and be sickened by what happens in it.
I am not looking for that. That’s not a fun time for me.
It’s why I usually stick to the more unreal horror. Or mood
based horror. It takes me on the journey I want to take. I may end up a little
shaken by the trip, but I've enjoyed myself.
So what types of
Horror are you going to look at?
There is so much material to choose from.
There are the classics. Things many find too tame. But they are worth a little love and attention. From the early silent horror to the days of Hitchcock, it behooves you to experience them. (Anyone feeling a sting at movies like Bird getting called an older movie? Don't worry, I'll get mine.)
Then there are the the more recent (relatively) set. The movies that came out in the 70's and 80's. These movies have some cache. (And get treated by many as old classics. -- See? Now I feel old.) They get there time on TV still, but their are some people don't get around to. And that is a shame, and should get rectified.
And, of course, we have the more current crop of horror. Those many of you have seen. But so much is produced that a lot of it gets lost amid Direct to DVD, Direct to Online, and Direct to Syfy. There are some good fare in it's midst, and there is some silly stuff that you can enjoy with some friends some night.
Over the years their is the gory lot. Like I said, I don't care as much for the visceral. But some are worth the squirming, or can be a legitimately fun time with friends. I'll try to be clear when you are going to get hit with some nasty imagery.
And despite what some horror finds might lament, I want to look at the lighter fare. Things geared more towards kids, and TV shows. It is always a shame when these things get dismissed. I hope you'll agree.
And, finally, I want to talk Horror Host. Oh, how I love my plethora of Horror Host. (I'm not saying I have them locked in my attic. I just have shows I try to watch plenty.) They are often an entry point for so many to old movies over the decades. They also
give you an excuse to feel like any time can be Halloween. And while their
first hay day has come and gone, many have actually held on, or reinvented
themselves. And others have emerged to carry on the legacy. If you don’t know
much about them, I hope you do get to learn about them and appreciate what they've done for the genre, and its fans.
What now?
So now that I've doe the introductions, given you my card, and made my intentions a bit clear, we get to business. I'll later put out a plan for the month. But to start off October, and to start off Horror off..., let's go for something more classical, that you likely haven't watched.
How about something centered around a man who takes on the imagery of a bat. Woe those who get into his way. For they will not know what hits them.
...It's not Batman.
1 comment:
Nice choices! I can't wait to see what you have in store for movie choices.
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