Cool Video: Is Horror Too Problematic to Enjoy?

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Now, don't let that title scare you away, because – SPOILER ALERT – no, of course horror is obviously not too problematic to enjoy. However, the vid from YouTuber Scaredy Cats (a.k.a. Thought Slime) does a great job talking about the thorny issue of how horror can often be othering, exploitative, and…well…problematic, and how it's okay to enjoy films with these questionable elements regardless.

Thing is, this is unavoidable in a genre built on pushing boundaries and often making an audience uncomfortable. But just because that's its intent, doesn't make it free from criticism – and in fact, might need an even more critical eye than most. And Scaredy Matt (the host) does a great job navigating these issues and seeming contradictions to find a satisfying synthesis.

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Damion Damaske

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Favorite Movies: Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Dogma, Mulholland Drive, Donnie Darko, read more Network, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Pulp Fiction, Mean Girls, Can't Hardly Wait, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, Cabin in the Woods, The Lives of Others, Beetlejuice, Watchmen, Fight Club, Cloud Atlas, Mortal Kombat, Sky High, Seven Samurai, Cinema Paradiso, Oldboy, In the Mood for Love, Breathless, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Battle Royale, 400 Blows, The Royal Tenenbaums, Clergyman and the Seashell, The Kid, Safety Last!, Unforgiven, Little Sister, It Follows, Evil Dead 2, Man of Steel, The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 2, Coherence, Primer, Birdemic: Shock and Terror, The Room, Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie

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