I have a hard time understanding why “Saving Private Ryan” is a war drama and “Night of the Living Dead” is a horror film. What? It’s because there are flesh-eating zombies roaming the countryside in the latter? Oh. Okay. Yeah, that’s much more shocking and gruesome than the
And don’t get me started on “An Inconvenient Truth.”
I am fascinated by horror.
And not just as it exists in film, literature, art (i.e., realms of imagining). I am intrigued by the underlying elements of horror. The concept of horror. The psychology of horror. The definitions of horror. The taboo of horror. The manifestations of horror in real life.
And indeed, horror exists more in our daily lives than in does in any artistic incarnation (aren’t the most terrifying tales those based on the base nature of man? isn’t horror primarily inspired by mankind’s most gruesome acts?). I am always amused by those who balk at the brutality of “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” while avidly reading tales of war and torture in newspapers; while allowing their children to play video games in which the near-universal objective is to “kill” the enemy (and not just games like “Grand Theft Auto;” even Super Mario Bros. necessitates that you beat King Koopa into the ground); while rubbernecking at the sight of a car wreck or road kill; even while deciding on how best to eliminate their rodent infestation (was it a gentle mind that invented the snap trap or glue trap?).
Okay, the everyday scenarios do not assault our delicate eyes with buckets worth of bloodshed. But that which scares us is not defined by the amount of blood spilled. My boyfriend is quite afraid of rats and ghosts (despite the fact that he doesn’t believe in them… ghosts, that is); he jumps three feet in the air if even a windswept plastic bag passes underfoot late at night. I am a severe claustrophobic; extreme terror for me lies in elevators, storage closets and getting my jacket zipper stuck.
I am even more frightened of human nature at its worst. And regretting. And of myself, at times.
Which I think is at the heart of the issue. It is absurd to censure/shun “horror” (as a genre), which is merely a representation of the worst side of our selves. I think that “horror” can even be a positive thing, as it showcases the atrocities of man… it perhaps exaggerates them to such a degree as to inspire opposite behavior through reactions of shock and disgust and fear. Or perhaps it establishes a self-awareness that allows one to keep the darker side of oneself in check. There is also the argument that it provides catharsis of our innate violent tendencies… I’m not sure where I stand on that one; however, it’s an interesting idea.
The above having been said, I embrace horror.
Through this blog, I intend to examine the full spectrum of this macabre concept – the secular, the spiritual, the cerebral, the absurd, the all-too-real, the extreme and the simple.
If you have any horror-related links, recommendations, ideas, tips, or knowledge of events, I would appreciate hearing about them (drop me comment).
Have a horrifying day!
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