I’ve been wanting to create an article about horror films for quite some time but didn’t exactly know where to start; with Halloween right around the corner, I figured there wasn’t a better time to jump right into it!
Keeping with the tradition of the other articles I’d written - who would I be if I didn’t start the article with a relevant song!
What do I appreciate about horror?
Beyond the jump scares and cheap tricks, there is something deeper at the heart of why horror resonates with people.
Horror is a tool for bringing to light the collective fears and anxieties experienced in human culture.
Stories such as Dracula at their core are about a powerful elite exploiting and oppressing the lower class. Zombie stories are about the mob and other tribes. Some horror comes from within, a fear of our own minds.
The medium adapts as the cultural landscape changes - different demographics of people are hit harder by different kinds of horror.
Get out
The film Get out by Jordan Peele is a great example of this; the film is enjoyable regardless of demographic, however, if you’ve experienced racism as a minority group, it’s going to hit much harder. You’re going to understand this film at a more visceral level.
A girl walks home alone at night
A girl walks home alone at night by Ana Lily Amirpour is an unconventional movie; that I wouldn’t classify as strictly horror; It does however exhibit strong horror themes.
The film portrays a woman who wanders the street alone in a city filled with drug addicts and criminals; a situation in which many people would feel vulnerable - and flips this vulnerability on its head.
Videodrome
Videodrome is a body horror film by David Cronenberg; it leans into our fear of technology, the media and how it is shaping society - with a particular focus on fictionalised violence.
There are strong metaphors in the film pointing a light towards media being like a collective social organ.
Vivarium
Vivarium by Lorcan Finnegan is a film leaning into the horrors of suburban life; being trapped in mundanity, raising a child, doing the same thing every day.
Alien
Ridley Scott’s Alien lean’s into the discomfort that viewer’s feel being on a spaceship; our fear of isolation, claustrophobia and the unknown.
The crew are trapped with a monster they know nothing about in a place where nobody can come to their rescue.
It leans into elements of body horror when an Alien is born from within a crew member’s chest.
Suspiria
Dario Argento’s Suspiria takes an extremely visceral approach to horror; with a heavy emphasis on colour, sound and raw emotion.
In the mouth of madness
John Carpenter’s, In the mouth of madness, is concerned with the contagion of ideas through written media, societal collapse and a fear of not trusting your own mind.
Based on the works by H.P Lovecraft it has a heavy emphasis on our fear of the unknown.
She dies tomorrow
She dies tomorrow by Amy Seimetz is a story about the contagion of ideas and our fear of death.
Resolution
Resolution by Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead is a meta, horror film about voyeurism, audience expectations and how much one can subvert those expectations whilst satisfying the audience.
Velvet buzzsaw
Dan Gilroy’s, Velvet Buzzsaw points its gaze towards the art world, its gatekeeper’s, critique and the pretentiousness surrounding it. It explores the relationship which these things have on pure inspiration.
The elevation of horror
Horror has been going through a resurgence in recent years; the medium has been mixed with other genre’s and begun telling more complex stories.
We can often get caught up in critique and trying to apply logical frameworks to define what is good or bad art. At the end of the day, however, whether a movie resonates with us or not, will often come from a very visceral place.
On that note - I’m going to go rewatch Scream.