Zuleika Robson, “Coven Member”. On the right (pic credit is incorrect on IMDB images page). https://images.app.goo.gl/rQBVBwQaZFR9QnCd8 She doesn’t remember much about it as she was in loads of stuff. Said it was a chilly shoot, and the duty of care to the girls amounted to “stop moaning, you’ve got a nightie on!”
I really enjoyed reading this, and agree with your well defended top 5 reasons! Along with your idea of reflection, I wonder if horror stories also help us remember our mortality and act as a "memento mori" in a way?
Absolutely! That’s a great point, and an interesting point of contact between horror cinema and the early modern stage which is full of plays about murder and death…
Couple of recents I enjoyed, although not strictly horror in the usual genre sense, but horror none the less, were 'Possum' (written/directed by Matthew Holness and based on a short story also written by Mathew Holness), sinister paedophile puppeteer in a bleak seaside town. And 'Infinity Pool', (written/directed by Brandon Cronenberg), also not typical horror, but certainly horrific.
Old favourites are Wicker Man and The Shining. Oh, and Event Horizon.
I recently watched the original Beetlejuice for the first time, and it was so delightfully campy. I also like atmospheric, folk-oriented (e.g. Over the Garden Wall) and surreal creepiness (Miyazaki, Borges, Lovecraft? Haven't actually read much of him but I like the concept). But that's about where I draw the line...I just have a weak constitution for more extreme stuff. But as I've said before, I enjoy reading Wikipedia plot summaries of popular horror films out of morbid/FOMO fascination with the storylines.
Oh also, I was enthralled by Parasite, which has some violence in it but within the carefully constructed and paced atmosphere I could handle it. Worth the quality of the filmmaking and the power of the story.
Thanks for sharing! Horror is definitely an underappreciated genre, especially for the reasons you mentioned. One reason I love horror, and especially Halloween, is that we are all in agreement for one day we can scary each other and not weird people out.
The cathartic aspect is so true, and something I have never even thought about before, but you're totally right. Horror is my favorite genre to write and consume as well. Really great article, thank you for writing!
Love the lead image, Rebekah - new nightmare unlocked - thanks!
I'm not a fan of the Saw series, or the type of films that they represent, but I did really enjoy making it to the end of the first film. I thought it was a super twist.
I'm surprised to see you talk so highly of folk-horror and not throw so much as a cursory glance in the direction of Midsommar? A film I hope to never catch a solitary glimpse of ever again. But I can't stop telling people I've seen it. I'm pleased I've seen it. And nothing would please me more than to never see it again.
The same goes for the Ring - which I found infinitely more terrifying than Ringu, the Japanese original.
While I would have to say The Exorcist is probably my favourite horror film of all time, I do have a huge soft spot for Hellraiser, the 1980's Clive Barker movie that gave us Pinhead.
And I'm hugely excited for the upcoming release of Robert Egger's Nosferatu!
Thanks Johnson! I absolutely love The Exorcist and am also very fond of Hellraiser. Midsommar is an interesting one for me, I liked the first half but felt a bit fatigued by the end - The Wicker Man is my all time favourite. Likewise can't wait for Nosferatu - have you seen that shot in the trailer with the shadow on the curtain? *chefs kiss*
I write a lot of horror. I love digging deep into my worst fears and getting them out on the page. I definitely feel it's cathartic and the "safe environment" thing definitely helped me stick with the conjuring 2.
I love that you're going to do horror in Shakespeare. I based my novel Oceanus on The Tempest and definitely played with some horror in the sleep paralysis/hallucination scenes. I didn't do Ariel's frightening of the crew and passengers specifically but I played with them in other ways 😄. Another favourite for horror is Titus Andronicus. My 6 year old has kids in her class called Titus and Lavinia 😳
Love the sound of Oceanus, Hanna! There will be a lot of Titus Andronicus in this series because it's my guilty pleasure...but naming children after it is absolutely insane. At least they weren't Chiron and Demetrius!
Oh this is the thing— there's no way the parents are familiar with that play. Trust me. If it was a Netflix series, there'd definitely be a Chiron and Demetrius 😂
I discovered Titus Andronicus in third year undergrad and omg it's Game Of Thrones of the early modern era. Love it. Looking forward to seeing your pieces on it!
I still enjoy the thrill a well-executed horror movie can deliver.
I agree with you when you speak of disliking graphic violence to the detriment of plot.
When people mention “creative kills,” it’s a tip off to me that we’re not kindred horror spirits.
I’m into horror for characters I care about in situations that resonate with me.
Gore and violence for gore and violence’s sake doesn’t interest me. Others’ mileage does vary.
I disagree when you characterize Saw in that way. Characters and plot led the way, putting the characters in a horrific situation that forced them to question their moral values.
I want to stress I was speaking only about the first Saw.
I’ve seen parts of the earliest sequels thanks to streaming, but quickly lost interest. Struck me as a thin story stretched to the breaking point across gore and violence scaffolding.
I watched Spiral hoping Chris Rock’s involvement would make for better material. Marginally better, for my tastes.
I want to see Saw X because the premise seems fresher and character/situation driven.
Rebekah, I just want to ask you something. A few years ago, I created a minimalistic dark ambient music album, which was funded on Kickstarter. It was designed to serve as a companion for reading and playing horror and weird fiction tabletop role-playing games. This means it gradually builds atmosphere and does not include many acoustic ornaments, allowing listeners to focus on reading or the story told by the Game Master. I have a few codes for this album. Could I DM you some so you can organize a giveaway?
Ooh looking forward to this series! I got into horror from my teenage comedy fandom (the League of Gentlemen's interest in horror comedy led me down folk horror rabbit holes) so I look forward to more on how those two genres which evoke different visceral reactions are connected. Plus some horror recommendations for Sunday evenings as the nights grown shorter and spookier...
Nice to see that BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW shot. I was chatting last week to a lady who performed in it, when she was 19.
No way!! Do you remember which part she played?
Zuleika Robson, “Coven Member”. On the right (pic credit is incorrect on IMDB images page). https://images.app.goo.gl/rQBVBwQaZFR9QnCd8 She doesn’t remember much about it as she was in loads of stuff. Said it was a chilly shoot, and the duty of care to the girls amounted to “stop moaning, you’ve got a nightie on!”
Brilliant! I’ve always wanted to dress as Angel Blake for Halloween but might similarly have problems in the cold October air...
"turning someone inside out through their arsehole on a budget of 17p" is everything
Hehe ;)
I love horror comedies like Tucker n Dale vs. Evil. I also like thriller horror movies that have many layers and leave you at the end going… huh… 🤔
My favourite horror comedy is American Werewolf in London. I also love the Evil Dead films
I really enjoyed reading this, and agree with your well defended top 5 reasons! Along with your idea of reflection, I wonder if horror stories also help us remember our mortality and act as a "memento mori" in a way?
Absolutely! That’s a great point, and an interesting point of contact between horror cinema and the early modern stage which is full of plays about murder and death…
Oh, yes! They were more clearly surrounded by death back then (we're so tidy with death in the western world these days...).
Couple of recents I enjoyed, although not strictly horror in the usual genre sense, but horror none the less, were 'Possum' (written/directed by Matthew Holness and based on a short story also written by Mathew Holness), sinister paedophile puppeteer in a bleak seaside town. And 'Infinity Pool', (written/directed by Brandon Cronenberg), also not typical horror, but certainly horrific.
Old favourites are Wicker Man and The Shining. Oh, and Event Horizon.
I saw Possum recently and was very freaked out by it. That puppet…
Yeah. The puppet is something else. The short story is good n'all. But the film takes it to another level. The puppet is proper sinister.
Sent.
I recently watched the original Beetlejuice for the first time, and it was so delightfully campy. I also like atmospheric, folk-oriented (e.g. Over the Garden Wall) and surreal creepiness (Miyazaki, Borges, Lovecraft? Haven't actually read much of him but I like the concept). But that's about where I draw the line...I just have a weak constitution for more extreme stuff. But as I've said before, I enjoy reading Wikipedia plot summaries of popular horror films out of morbid/FOMO fascination with the storylines.
Oh also, I was enthralled by Parasite, which has some violence in it but within the carefully constructed and paced atmosphere I could handle it. Worth the quality of the filmmaking and the power of the story.
Thanks for sharing! Horror is definitely an underappreciated genre, especially for the reasons you mentioned. One reason I love horror, and especially Halloween, is that we are all in agreement for one day we can scary each other and not weird people out.
It’s Christmas for us weirdos ;)
The cathartic aspect is so true, and something I have never even thought about before, but you're totally right. Horror is my favorite genre to write and consume as well. Really great article, thank you for writing!
Thank you so much! Thrilled to be finding kindred spirits.
Love the lead image, Rebekah - new nightmare unlocked - thanks!
I'm not a fan of the Saw series, or the type of films that they represent, but I did really enjoy making it to the end of the first film. I thought it was a super twist.
I'm surprised to see you talk so highly of folk-horror and not throw so much as a cursory glance in the direction of Midsommar? A film I hope to never catch a solitary glimpse of ever again. But I can't stop telling people I've seen it. I'm pleased I've seen it. And nothing would please me more than to never see it again.
The same goes for the Ring - which I found infinitely more terrifying than Ringu, the Japanese original.
While I would have to say The Exorcist is probably my favourite horror film of all time, I do have a huge soft spot for Hellraiser, the 1980's Clive Barker movie that gave us Pinhead.
And I'm hugely excited for the upcoming release of Robert Egger's Nosferatu!
Thanks Johnson! I absolutely love The Exorcist and am also very fond of Hellraiser. Midsommar is an interesting one for me, I liked the first half but felt a bit fatigued by the end - The Wicker Man is my all time favourite. Likewise can't wait for Nosferatu - have you seen that shot in the trailer with the shadow on the curtain? *chefs kiss*
I write a lot of horror. I love digging deep into my worst fears and getting them out on the page. I definitely feel it's cathartic and the "safe environment" thing definitely helped me stick with the conjuring 2.
I love that you're going to do horror in Shakespeare. I based my novel Oceanus on The Tempest and definitely played with some horror in the sleep paralysis/hallucination scenes. I didn't do Ariel's frightening of the crew and passengers specifically but I played with them in other ways 😄. Another favourite for horror is Titus Andronicus. My 6 year old has kids in her class called Titus and Lavinia 😳
Love the sound of Oceanus, Hanna! There will be a lot of Titus Andronicus in this series because it's my guilty pleasure...but naming children after it is absolutely insane. At least they weren't Chiron and Demetrius!
Oh this is the thing— there's no way the parents are familiar with that play. Trust me. If it was a Netflix series, there'd definitely be a Chiron and Demetrius 😂
I discovered Titus Andronicus in third year undergrad and omg it's Game Of Thrones of the early modern era. Love it. Looking forward to seeing your pieces on it!
I still enjoy the thrill a well-executed horror movie can deliver.
I agree with you when you speak of disliking graphic violence to the detriment of plot.
When people mention “creative kills,” it’s a tip off to me that we’re not kindred horror spirits.
I’m into horror for characters I care about in situations that resonate with me.
Gore and violence for gore and violence’s sake doesn’t interest me. Others’ mileage does vary.
I disagree when you characterize Saw in that way. Characters and plot led the way, putting the characters in a horrific situation that forced them to question their moral values.
Thanks for sparking this discussion! 🎃
To be fair I haven't watched them all - which of the Saw sequels do you recommend? I thought 'X' had a great premise
I want to stress I was speaking only about the first Saw.
I’ve seen parts of the earliest sequels thanks to streaming, but quickly lost interest. Struck me as a thin story stretched to the breaking point across gore and violence scaffolding.
I watched Spiral hoping Chris Rock’s involvement would make for better material. Marginally better, for my tastes.
I want to see Saw X because the premise seems fresher and character/situation driven.
Oh we're definitely on the same page then. Maybe I'll try Spiral...
The Lighthouse (2019) 🖤
Rebekah, I just want to ask you something. A few years ago, I created a minimalistic dark ambient music album, which was funded on Kickstarter. It was designed to serve as a companion for reading and playing horror and weird fiction tabletop role-playing games. This means it gradually builds atmosphere and does not include many acoustic ornaments, allowing listeners to focus on reading or the story told by the Game Master. I have a few codes for this album. Could I DM you some so you can organize a giveaway?
Please do dm!
Ooh looking forward to this series! I got into horror from my teenage comedy fandom (the League of Gentlemen's interest in horror comedy led me down folk horror rabbit holes) so I look forward to more on how those two genres which evoke different visceral reactions are connected. Plus some horror recommendations for Sunday evenings as the nights grown shorter and spookier...
Ah yes I love the League of Gentlemen, they captured that combination best, I think. Great to have you along for the journey, Christine!
Folk horror!!! Huge Midsommer fan here, and I loved The Maid (Singaporean 2005 film, not the Netflix one). Scared the hell out of me.
I'll have to check that one out!
Horror in Shakespeare? Hell yes!
Howl! Howl! Howl!
I'm so excited :)