When you’re trying to discuss the horror
genre with someone, you may discover that is has a unique problem which it shares with only
one other genre*:
Smarmy McGee: What’s your favorite
horror movie?
Me: Hmm…probably Let Me In.**
Smarmy McGee: Psh. Whatever. That’s not
even scary at all.
Well…yeah. Actually I agree. It’s not that scary.
But you didn’t ask me about the scariest horror
movie - you asked me what my favorite horror
movie is.***
It’s the same with books, of course: I already explained that I don’t think books are scary, but that the scariest book I’ve read is I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid. But Ending Things is a far cry from the best horror/thriller book.****
You don't see this problem with, say, sci-fi or fantasy or literary fiction. Can you imagine telling someone that your favorite sci-fi series is Asimov's Foundation series, and then that person replying that those books aren't "roboty" enough? Or that The Fellowship of the Ring isn't really that fantastical? It's ludicrous, right?
And yet we find people very often judging horrors/thrillers based on how scary they are. Yes, of course the idea is that these books/movies unsettle us, but does it really mean they're somehow inferior if they aren't that scary or disturbing? Is scare factor the only thing that sets these genres apart from others?
Not really, no. Though horror media usually tries to unsettle, frighten, or disturb us, it also shows us things: the darkness and the light that we all wrestle with; how people react in the face of the worst possible scenarios; how we overcome our fears, our past, our demons, ourselves.
This is what good horror is all about. Scares and thrills are, actually, merely the byproduct of this.
Not really, no. Though horror media usually tries to unsettle, frighten, or disturb us, it also shows us things: the darkness and the light that we all wrestle with; how people react in the face of the worst possible scenarios; how we overcome our fears, our past, our demons, ourselves.
This is what good horror is all about. Scares and thrills are, actually, merely the byproduct of this.
What do you think about this, friends? What do you think makes a good horror book (or movie)?
*Comedy, if you’re wondering.
**This is true. It’s probably my
favorite horror movie. And yes, I like it just a hair more than the European original, Let the Right One In (though I sometimes feel alone in thinking that way).
***If you’re curious what the scariest horror movie is, it’s probably The Babadook.
****Which, obviously, is Dracula. Does that even need to be explained? 😉
I like horror movies that doesn't rely on hot people. Hot people are more distracting in horror films than regular. I feel the same way about video games.
ReplyDeleteYes, when the entire case is too attractive, it makes the director's motives quite suspicious. It's okay to have a couple good lookers in the lot, but filling up the film with heartthrobs is (or should be) a big no-no.
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