Welcome to a Horror Revival

Movie award season is underway and I couldn’t help notice a lack of nominations for a particular genre: horror. I might be a little bias, I happen to write a lot of horror stories, but there have been a number of decent to good horror movies made over the past few years. I think some more than others deserve recognition.

Movies like Get Out, Midsomer, Us,  and the VVitch had amazing acting, were visually stunning, and  some amazing costumes (especially the VVitch). The new version of Suspiria was a little long and there were a few questionable choices, but the updates they made were creepier and more relevant than the original (the original is still my favorite because it is one hell of a trippy nightmare fairytale). I love watching The Ritual on Netflix on a quiet night and The Babadook along with Hereditary are emotional rollercoasters.

A lot of good horror movies came out this past decade, but few got the recognition I think they deserved.

The VVitch - currently on Netflix

I enjoy a good horror story for a number of reasons. Sometimes I need a creepy tale to get me thinking of what I might do in a similar situation. Other times it makes me think about the real life situations these stories are based on. Candyman has a lot of great commentary on class inequality and policing in minority communities (hopefully the remake will go a few steps further). Jacob’s Ladder, one of my all time favorite movies, has a lot of accurate and horrific facts about the Vietnam War. Maybe that’s why I like it so much - it’s a deadman’s dream rationalizing his senseless death.

The one type of horror I’m not super fond of is overly violent gore nor found footage. It’s one thing if it’s sparing and tastefully done, but the torture porn genre that emerged after the rise of Saw is not my cup of tea. I prefer atmospheric that causes a creeping tension with few releases of emotions. Minimal jump scares  and not too much found footage.

The remake is the better series of movies, but the original holds a special place in my heart.

I do have a few exceptions. If the story is good and I can watch the movie without feeling sick to my stomach, I usually enjoy them. The first Saw movie, though incredibly gory at times, has a lot of good twists and an excellent story. The found footage movie As Above So Below has amazing symbolism and use of layered story telling.

Unfortunately, horror movies and stories have a reputation for being terrible (and for good reason), but some of cinema’s greatest movies are horror. The Shining, Pan’s Labyrinth (yes I count this one as horror), Alien, and Psycho are all amazing and have had a major impact on today’s pop culture.

Even the more campy horror movies have merit. I love pretty much anything with Vincent Price in it and Christopher Lee is probably my favorite Dracula, but these movies aren’t always masterpieces and their shoe string budget occasionally shows. The Fog, Sleepy Hollow, The Woods, and even Halloween might have a few big plot holes and leave the viewer asking more questions than the movies probably intended, but the visuals, aesthetic, acting, and music really make the viewing enjoyable.

Evil witches and plants...yes please!

I hope that this next decade ushers in a new era for horror stories and movies. I want more movies with creepy atmospheres and lots of suspense. I want a good soundtrack that takes me out of the ordinary and let’s me live in a dream within a dream. I want gothic houses to explore and monsters that are never seen, but always lurking in the shadows.

An evil fairytale brought to life.

Bonus points if the stories have just enough answers to not confuse the watchers, but doesn’t hold their hands either.

Give more movies like The Woman in Black, Cabin in the Woods, and The Lighthouse. Plant the stories in both reality and in dreams. Let the mind wander and think.

And nominate some of these movies for awards.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please, like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Until next week.

Welcome to Monsters Part 6: The Monsters in My Head

I was originally going to end this blog post with the Monsters Next Door post, but there's one more type of monster that I feel I should address. Those are the ones my mind creates.

There's no doubt that I have an overactive imagination. I was one of those kids who could make up a fantastical story on the spot (but I couldn't lie to save my life). I definitely remember being absolutely terrified by a giant spider in my basement as a kid that would only be able to get me if all the lights were off.

Now that I'm older the monsters my mind conjures up have changed with me. I still get plenty of nightmares where a monster is chasing/hunting me (usually featuring a talking velociraptor). I'll wake up in a panic and it'll take me several minutes to realize that I'm perfectly safe and can go back to sleep. 

There are also the nights were I wake up for no real reason and feel like I'm being watched or there is someone in my room with me. Since I haven't shared a room with anyone since college, it's a freaky feeling. Suddenly every shadow contains a vampire waiting to suck my blood or a ghoul ready to feast on my flesh. 

Lately I've been waking up with the mental image of what I can only describe as a combination of a plague doctor, a Hayao Miyazaki creation, and a tengu (click here for the wiki page on tengu) watching me from across the room. Some day I'll have to create a story or mythos featuring this creature. But just because it looks terrifyingly cool, doesn't mean I enjoy confronting this image in my post-nightmare haze.

An example of a Tengu

These imaginary creatures are great inspiration for my horror stories. I want to know what they are and what they do. Why they might torment someone. Are they a corrupted spirit or an offended god? Will it drink my blood or does it feed off my fear? How do you kill it?

Famous monsters that appear is video games, movies, and books are often used to symbolize a character's (or even the creator/director/author's) inner turmoil. Pyramid Head from Silent Hill 2 is said to follow the player around because they are the manifestation of main character's (James Sunderland) desire to be punished for what happened to his wife. Another example would be the dementors from Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling said that the inspiration for the dementors were a manifestation of her depression. Seems appropriate since they suck out all the happiness from a person, leaving them cold and empty.

Fan fiction writers everywhere, write me a story based on this image!

For some people, depression and anxiety are like monsters. The constant feelings associated with these mental illnesses can feel like a person is battling a monster. And like most monsters I have mentioned in this series, they can be very difficult to defeat. (However, please do not tell someone suffering from a mental illness that it's just in their heads and that all they need to do to be happy is to "feel less sad".)

We all have our personal monsters to face, but that doesn't mean we have to face them alone. Unlike the ancient heroes of old, we shouldn't be afraid to ask for help when confronted with a monster. I know I feel better if I have someone with me helping me overcome my fears and challenges.

Monsters take many forms in our culture. They can represent what we fear most or be used to symbolize our emotional health. Some monsters aren't meant to cause harm, but to teach people to look past someone's physical appearance. Other times monsters are able to seamlessly hide themselves in our society and are only identifiable by how their actions.

I don't think the monster archetype will leave our culture anytime soon. Instead it will keep changing to match what our biggest fears are and reflect which challenges we still need to overcome.

I hope you have all enjoyed my series on monsters. I have certainly enjoyed researching and writing it. I might visit this topic again at some point (I do write a lot of horror right now after all). If you feel there's something I've missed in this series, please let me know.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. Until next week.