My first experience with the genre of horror was listening to my mother tell me North Carolina urban legends. She had me on the edge of my seat as she told me about Lydia’s Ghost and the Devil’s Tramping Ground. She planted a seed of the macabre for me in those early years and that would blossom just a few short years later as I watched 1990’s Popcorn (my first horror movie). It was around this time I began checking out the Crestwood Monster series at the school library, fantasized about joining The Monster Squad, and then eventually stumbled upon the all-time great John Carpenter’s Halloween.
My infatuation with horror took off after seeing Halloween. My father realized I could handle the violence, and he allowed me to rent whatever I wanted. I began tearing through the horror sections at various video stores, and even began collecting my favorites on VHS. I loved watching movies that no one else talked about. It made me feel part of a special club and there was something magical about sitting alone in the dark on a Friday night watching some strange movie I had never heard of, and I had no idea how many other people may have even seen it. Then of course, I began stumbling upon horror websites, chatrooms, and newsgroups and through them, I was able to learn about horror movies that were out of print or rarely seen in video stores.
Horror became my genre of choice and not out of some sick fascination for the violence or even chasing a scare (I can’t remember the last time a movie scared me, 1993 maybe. Oh, what I’d do to get back that terrifying feeling again while watching a movie) I think I fell in love with horror because it felt alternative. It was this weird little genre that wasn’t appreciated nor embraced, and it felt small enough that I could really be part of it. I loved that and between Joe Bob Briggs and issues of Fangoria, I kept my horror love alive through the 90’s and well into my adulthood.
For quite a few years, I ran a horror website where I’d review various films. At first, I loved it. It was a way for me to explore movies that I hadn’t seen in years or hadn’t seen ever, as well as a way to remind myself how I felt about said movies. I noticed over the years, I’d revisit certain films and get halfway through and ask myself, “Why am I watching this again?” because I forgot on my second or third viewing, the film just wasn’t worth seeing again.
Eventually, I began watching more than I could keep up with. I had a backlog, then I’d spend days catching up, and then I’d have a backlog of drafts. I marketed the site on Instagram and got a little following, but once I left Instagram, I lost my following, and I was lucky if anyone read my reviews. So, the site went through a few different iterations before I finally shuddered it early this year.
I really love reading Paolo’s reviews, and he tends to watch quite a bit of horror. Each week, I look forward to his recaps, but I can’t help feel like I’m missing something. I guess, I feel like I’ve lost my love of the genre.
I’ve been trying to figure out where things went wrong. I mean, just last summer I watched dozens of horror films and TV shows. Why do I feel like I’m over it now?
I think it boils down to a few things.
1. I’m not a fan of a lot of current horror.
I lived through the great horror drought of the early 2000’s, where torture porn was the rage and not much else. Still, I found things to like and lots of revisit. Horror has been riding a resurgence wave for a few years, but the films are getting more artsy, and I just don’t have any interest in that. Give me a run-of-the-mill slasher film any day over someone channeling their childhood trauma through some monster lens.
2. There is a lot more of it
For the longest time, horror releases were few and far between. It was easy to stay on top of the big studio pictures, as well as the indie movies, but now there are several horror films hitting streaming, DVD, and even VHS on a weekly basis. Occasionally some of these lower budget offerings are great, and then other times they are a complete waste of time.
3. I’m over the nostalgia
I feel so odd saying this, especially since I ran various nostalgia blogs for years, but I’m really over it. It peaked with Stranger Things, and let’s move on. There is nothing worse than watching a modern “80’s horror movie” and seeing a brand new bagless vacuum in the back, or modern snacks on the counters. You either have to go all-in or just find a different way to eliminate cell phones from your script.
Maybe I’m just going through something, or maybe horror has served its purpose in my life. I’m not really sure, but I’m really hoping I can find the urge to watching something scary before Halloween.
I’m famous in my family for being the one who 100% does not dig scary movies. My Mom let me read Helter Skelter when I was in the 5th grade and even though that was a book and not a movie, the feeling of terror was the same. Ever since then I have a dislike of anything that sparks that feeling. I was persuaded to watch the last Scream movie with my grandkids a couple of years ago and it was campy enough not to be too bad.
Thanks a lot for the mention!
I am quite new to genre, having started watching horrors only 4 years ago, more or less, so I had a huge backlog to watch through and still a bit of enthusiasm. I think it’s normal to stop being passionate about a genre or in general a hobby, or to just take a break… I guess ‘elevated’/trauma horror is on the way out, and maybe a new trend will conquer you back!