Horror misunderstood?

[ERIN_LoJ]

I am tired of people always bashing horror when in my opinion they are being narrowminded about it, and not understanding what it is really about. How many people here know of people who hate horror? If you loved comedies and they didn't, they would just shrug their shoulders and say ok. But if you dislike horror they give different reactions for their dislike of it. My mother for example ;)

Here are some of my general thoughts on horror I wrote for another list a moment ago that I thought I would share with you guys, and see if you agreed/disagreed:


Religion

This brings up something I was thinking of earlier concerning religion and horror. Religion shows it undertones in many horror movies. Whether as a lack of strength of faith (Pitch black, Signs), or a dependency on God, a supernatural horror movie involving demons/ the devil directly (Exorcist, demon night), or indirectly, as in a general religious theme.
A lot of people consider horror wrong, immoral, evil, whatever you'd like to call it due to their religion. As a Christian myself I disagree. I like the quote, the biggest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. I think he would have hated the exorcist being made. Church attendance increased, people were more afraid of the devil and hell than ever. The ideas of hell has been brought to light with horror movies. The good is almost always trying to fight the evil in horror, usually the good wins. We are generally taught (simple slashers- which I like, don't get me wrong - excluded) to want the evil destroyed, to not like it, to be glad it is not us confronting the evil but rather the people on the screen.

Fear

Fear is as old as time, and can be used the right or wrong way, but it is part of everyone. There are basic drives people have. Psychology courses and books covers fear a lot because fear is such a strong and driving emotion that can control people or change what they will want to do with their lives. It influenced a lot throughout time. A comedy is just that - fun and games. Mystery is fun for the brain to figure out, entertaining. On the other hand, drama tugs at the heartstrings, makes us think, makes us cry, whatever. It usually can bring compassion (Terms of endearment) or more (war movies). Horror works on the fear, terror, disturbing levels. Because of this, horror and drama can work their ways into our brain better and reach us at a much different and deeper level.

Types of Horror

People who dont care for horror usually just look at the slasher films with the no-plots, one liners, easy killings, unrealism. But all horror put together, not just the fun and cheesy movies we all love, is much more powerful and deeper than that. Psychological and supernatural being one of the strongest. Some horror is meant to scare you, some make you think, some just disturb and bring about a message like in I spit on your grave or Henry: portrait of a serial killer. There are many subliminal messages in horror, such as isolation being the major theme in NOTLD and The fear of technology in Alien and Aliens. Horror seems to work at a a more complex level than most other media and not just senseless slaughter.

People's oposition to violence

Movies and tv are more violent now of days but they do not bring more violence into our society. The violence has always been there only in different ways. The stuff I read about in older times makes me cringe, thinking those people were barbarians. They would probably think the same about us if they had looked into the future. I dont see how human nature is really worse now, just that society's standards have changed. Back then rape seemed more accepted, public hangings and beheadings for people and little kids to watch and cheer on, outright torture were common. Our society is different now only the cruelty of human nature has showed itself in other ways. Reading romance books in older times shows this . If a woman made a little slip up, she was outcasted from family and friends and for the rest of her life condemned. She wouldnt get good work, respect, was basically spit upon, and was guaranteeing her children and grandchildren to the same fate. The stuff that went on in those "proper, respectable" societies were vicious and life-destroying. They didn't kill people outright but they may as well have. Are we really worse now of days than then? That is why I have such a problem when people who have a problem with horror movies, blaming what they consider "increased violence" on movies and books we watch, saying we are desensitized.
Human society as a whole will remain violent as it always has, violence and fear just conform to the different situations as time and people change.

Anyone have thoughts on these things? Sex also plays a big part in horror as just one other thing, I just covered the religion and people's views of horror movies :D

[Requiem-for-a-Dream]

Nice topic, surprised no one else has replied yet.

I think horror is misunderstood. There are so many forms of horror and sub-genres that most will overlook them because of the label of "horror". I hate it when horror bashers watch horror flicks like Halloween and say they're great but ehy aren't horror because there's no gore.

Your point about opposition to violence is interesting and true. What I hate about horror bashers is the way they can sit through Black Hawk Down and cheer it (a movie which I love) and then pass off any number of horror films because they believe them to be too violent. Violence is a part of reality, one which needs to be expressed sometimes. Horror is a great outlet for anger because of the sometimes extreme nature of the violence.

I watch all kinds of movie but horror is number 1. I can sit through any movie but most of the time the unrealistic actions are so pathetic that I can't enjoy the movie. In horror, you know that the situations will most likely be unrealistic so you're not dissapointed when psychic powers, demons, zombies etc. show up. Horror will appeal to most right brained individuals, the creative one's who love art. Many people go to the movies with similar intentions, to escape from life for an hour and a half but most will go see the next American Sweethearts (or is it America's?) than they will the next groovy horror flick.

There isn't a genre out there that I dislike as long as the movie's play out in realistic fashion. With horror, I love realistic premises but I also love strange and unrealistic one's as well that show creativity.

Matt

[Cronos]

I also think the horror genre is very misunderstood,

This is partly die to most of my friends at school have only seen the recent slashers that have been churned out (scream trilogy, IKWYDLS, etc)

Also they only have watched the classic series such as Ft13, Halloween and NoES and they base the horror genre on those films, never really delving into the other sub-genres within it.

Also people attach certain aspects of the slasher flicks to all horror films, such as they must have teens, nudity, sex, kills with kitchen appliances, garden equipment or a meat hook.
And as Requiem-for-a-Dream said, people bash horror flicks that dont contain the above or large amounts of gore.

I think that all your comments on religion, fear, types of horror and espcecially violence are true

[zsofika]

excellently put...much food for thought...later...

[the night watchman]

Religion

I've encountered a lot of religious types who actually believe watching horror movies makes you vulnerable to evil spirits and demons. But in the long run, I think many of them are afraid to confront negative feelings and to face the moral ambiguity horror films present. Sometimes "good" doesn't always win, and sometimes what is "good" is uncertain and vague. The religious like absolutes and certainties, which is what religion claims to provide, so a horror movie, by shaking up the status quo or operating inside a sort of moral ambivalence, makes them nervous because they don't like to face the idea that maybe their perceived absolutes are not much more than wishful thinking.

Fear

I have a friend who flat-out does not like being made to feel fear, and gets aggressively defensive when a horror movie is pushing his buttons. Horror movies are not "fun" for him. I suppose many people are like him, and simply get angry that a form of entertainment exists whose purpose is, in a manner of speaking, to provoke sensations of vulnerability. These are probably the same type of people who find it difficult to face mortality or test their own limitations in real life.

Types of Horror

I agree with you here: Most people who dislike horror categorized all horror as brainless slasher-style gorefests. I think it's simply because they are unfamiliar with the genre as a whole and assume the worst about it.

People's opposition to violence

Again, I think you've hit the nail on the head about some people's assumption that violent art propagates violence in real life, and the fact that our world (or at least, the Western world) is -- despite what cultural conservatives would have us believe -- actually a more civilized place than it was even 70 years ago. There are folks who believe a movie that presents violent images advocates violence. The twisted thing is, these same people seem less concerned about Steven Segal type ultraviolent action movies that really do glorify violence and dehumanization, while protesting a movie like, say, TCM which aligns viewer sympathy with the victim -- not the aggressor -- and feel horror and dread about the violent imagery on display. To them, I guess, even a false, over-simplified form of morality (only the people who were bad, i.e., deserved it, get killed) is preferable to moral ambiguity.

[Fulci_Fan]

You hit the nail on the head there my friend.... I need to show this list to people who are against horror movies (My mother too.) Are you sure this isn't a college term paper? :)

[thirdeye]

ERIN_LoJ you just become my personal hero.

[Weird_Kitty_Cat]

what gets me is alla these like preps an junk at school like sit here an talk about this "horror" movie they saw an scared em so bad, and it's usually one of the newer ones (*got nothin against em it's just like you guys said, they stick to the new stuff*) and they consider themselves "fans". i mean, in driver's ed this girl was talkin about rose red an she didn't know wtf she was talkin about and when i would speak up an say somethin to correct her they would give me nasty looks like i was the one that was wrong. and then when i'm walking around school wearing my evil dead shirt, the teachers look at me in this weird way...(*course when i was in 8th grade, the year of columbine, i had been writing what i considered a horror story and this girl had such a big mouth she like told this teacher about it and he got a lil suspicious of me...*). just from that experience i gotta say horror is very misunderstood. this girl isn't allowed over to my house now because her mom found we watched a few movies like that...

-meghan

[ERIN_LoJ]

Originally posted by Requiem-for-a-Dream

Your point about opposition to violence is interesting and true. What I hate about horror bashers is the way they can sit through Black Hawk Down and cheer it (a movie which I love) and then pass off any number of horror films because they believe them to be too violent. Violence is a part of reality, one which needs to be expressed sometimes. Horror is a great outlet for anger because of the sometimes extreme nature of the violence.
Matt

Matt I completely agree. Braveheart is another movie I love but find pretty violent. Usually I stay away from war movies, I find them more disturbing than horror. Interesting non-horror lovers don't seem to pick up on the violence in their other movies as much. :D

[ERIN_LoJ]

Originally posted by Fulci_Fan
You hit the nail on the head there my friend.... I need to show this list to people who are against horror movies (My mother too.) Are you sure this isn't a college term paper? :)


LOL It seems to be turning into one. Really good things to consider as horror fans I think. Maybe I just put too much thought into things, but that's just me. I think what brought all this up in my mind was the girl's survey. Not hers specifically, but many colleges and other groups seem to be more curious why people like to watch horror and how it affects society. If they can do all the wondering, so can we!

[ERIN_LoJ]

Originally posted by Weird_Kitty_Cat
this girl isn't allowed over to my house now because her mom found we watched a few movies like that...

-meghan

Meghan,

This happened to me when I was growing up too. The ironic thing is the girl who was no longer allowed at my house is the one who got me into TCM and NOES in the first place!

Also, there are email prayer groups out there where people post prayers for others to pray for them, and vice versa. I am on a few of them. One group wrote back, though, saying they checked my profile and since I liked horror movies, they didn't want me in their prayer group. This really pissed me off to no end.

By the way thirdeye, thanks for your comment! :)

[Luke-Abbott]

Nice topic ERIN_LoJ, I myself am a christian but I still love to watch horror. I see it as fantasy, you know like the dead coming back to life, it aint realisic cause really it can't hapened, if you know what I mean.

Thats my two pence on the horror subject ;)