Photography by Erin Nicole

Happy Horrorthon

Hello and welcome to Day 8 of our annual October Horrorthon. I hope everyone is enjoying the horror content that we’ve offered so far. There’s a lot more to come! I was being somewhat flippant when I originally said that I was hoping for 1,000 October posts this year, but still, October is traditionally the month that brings out the site’s prolific side. One of the more interesting things about the horror genre is that there has always been a demand for it. People have always been in the mood for a good scare. Perhaps it helps them deal with reality. If I can handle seeing something scary on a screen, I can handle seeing it on a street corner as well.

I Blame American Horror Story

That said, I do have to say that I worry horror is becoming too “respectable” for its own good. When I was growing up, horror films got terrible reviews and were hated by parents. Today, they get nominated for Oscars, and horror filmmakers are given glowing write-ups in glossy magazines. That just doesn’t feel right to me. The best horror tended to be subversive, rebellious, and fearfully fun, and I fear that’s something that has been lost in this age of “elevated” horror.

Personally, I blame American Horror Story. Ryan Murphy’s deathless series normalized the idea of horror as something you watch in your living room with your family, as opposed to something you watch with all the lights out and the sound turned down so you don’t get in trouble. I’ve always felt that American Horror Story was essentially a horror show that was made by people who think that they’re better than the genre. We’re meant to be impressed that American Horror Story has a political and cultural subtext, as if that weren’t true of thousands of horror productions released before AHS aired its first episode. We’re supposed to be impressed that Jessica Lange and Sarah Paulson are willing to do horror, while ignoring all of the truly talented actors who worked exclusively in the genre before them.

Probably the worst thing that could have happened to the genre was American Horror Story winning that first Emmy for Best Limited Series. True horror doesn’t need awards.

In Praise of Older Movies

With all the controversy surrounding AI, I will say that, speaking for myself, I will always prefer movies with human beings, and I will always prefer practical effects to CGI. I think that’s reflected in the movies that I choose to review. I prefer older movies, and it worries me that those classics are running the risk of being forgotten.

That’s why I’m going to keep reviewing and promoting older films. I’m going to keep watching It’s a Wonderful Life every time it airs, because I know that, as soon as the ratings slip, NBC will use it as an excuse to yank it and replace it with Caroling With Celebs or something similar. And I am going to hold onto my physical media and keep it safe. That doesn’t mean that good films can’t be make use of AI, though I do think that it’s something that will work better for short films than for feature length productions. But my heart will always be with movies starring real people and shot in real locations and I’ll always admire the ingenuity of low-budget filmmakers who managed to make a compelling movie while spending very little money.

In the end, I think the future of AI in the film industry will depend on whether or not the studios feel that they can increase their profits by using it. That’s just the way things work. That said, I also think that there’s something a little bit boring about the inauthentic perfection of Tilly Norwood, and hopefully audiences will agree.

Who Are These People?

I’ve noticed that films are now being advertised with pull quotes taken from Letterboxd and other social media reviews. At the risk of being a snob, that really bothers me. I don’t know who any of these people are. Why should I care what they think about a movie? In the advertising for Backrooms, a Letterboxd user is quoted as saying, “Horror fans are eating good.” What does that even mean? Why should I be impressed that someone couldn’t even come up with something original to say?

Is That It?

That’s it! I hope everyone continues to enjoy Horrorthon and that this October is a great one for you!