Have you ever been talking to a friend or relative about your favorite movies and they say “Titanic” or “La La Land” or “The Godfather,” then you proceed to bewilder and or traumatize them with your extensive knowledge about horror movies? Me either. The horror genre can be off-putting to many movie consumers, whether it is discomfort, fear or some other unknown reason. Many Christians view the genre as being taboo, but something that is often overlooked is the capability that horror has for storytelling.
I, for one, was in the camp of being too scared to watch horror movies until the age of fourteen. Something in my head clicked and I was no longer scared. I wanted to watch any horror movie I could get my hands on. For most, this is not the case. Most of my friends and family were weirded out by my horror movie obsession. I would try and make my friends watch them with me and be confused as to why they were not interested. I have only recently discovered how many people were against horror movies, which made me wonder what made people feel this way. I advise caution towards researching or watching these movies since most horror films receive an R-rating.
There are many different subgenres to horror; there is the slasher, body horror, horror-comedies and—the most polarizing one—supernatural horror. There are plenty of other subgenres, but these are the big ones that are in consistent conversation.
The slasher is your stereotypical guy (usually in a mask) attacking young adults when they are about to partake in activities not honoring to God. My personal favorite is “Halloween” (1978).
This slasher is used mostly to display the fear and discomfort that comes with growing up and being an adult from the perspective of a babysitter, played by the magnificent Jamie Lee Curtis. Almost like a coming-of-age movie but with people trying not to get stabbed. The aspect of this subgenre that makes people scared is probably how realistic it is. Unfortunately, we live in an earthly world where violence and murder happen. There are people who kill people and as sad and scary as that can be, it is true.
Body horror is a little bit different from the slasher. This subgenre uses practical or even visual effects to create grotesque creatures or situations for protagonists to deal with. This genre is uncomfortable and involves more gore than most other genres.
One of the most notable of these is “The Thing” (1982). The film is often regarded as being gross because of the use of stretchy practical effects giving the monster a sort of silly putty texture to it. The Antarctic crew in the film uncovers an imposter among them who tries to blend in and appear normal. This gives the film amazing themes like paranoia and isolation, which is ironic since my first watch of this movie was during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Horror comedies are clever and ridiculous depictions of the horror genre. The subgenre is used for looking at the common tropes that the horror genre uses. “Scream” (1995) sticks out. The humor of “Scream” is that they are all sort of self-aware that they are in a horror moviesque situation. The characters poke fun at common tropes in the genre and try to learn to overcome them.
This film is relatable to people such as myself who use humor as a defense against the real world. Sometimes funny takes on fear can creep people out because violence and scary situations can be played off as jokes. Fear is a powerful emotion but when cushioned by humor, it can make watching horror movies easier.
Last but not least, is supernatural horror. Supernatural horror is usually a haunting or possession that makes the family learn to grow closer together to overcome this evil. My favorite is “The Conjuring.”
When I say that this movie is one of the scariest movies out there, I mean it. The reason I love this movie is not just because of the good writing, excellent cinematography and likable heroes, but it is actually because of the family dynamic portrayed in the movie.
This subgenre is in my opinion the entire reason that horror is seen in a negative way. The reason for this is that supernatural horror movies don’t often mesh with people’s religion and because demon possession is Biblical. This is understandable, especially with modern examples like “The Nun,” which gives a sacrilegious theme to this film by making the demon take the form of a nun. Many of these films have Christian undertones. The main characters usually are Christian, like the priests who exorcize the demon and strengthen their faith.
There are so many unique stories to be told in a horror film that other genres do not do as effectively. I understand the opinion of not wanting to watch horror films for whatever reason you have, but through years of extensive research, the atmosphere of a horror movie is what makes it scary. If you watch a horror movie in a dark room by yourself with headphones on (which is how I usually do it), you are guaranteed to scare yourself. But if you watch with your friends, with the lights on, then you probably will not be as scared.
Horror has been impactful to me, and most of my fondest memories growing up were watching horror movies with my brother or dad. My advice to you is to consider going out of your comfort zone to watch a horror movie.
