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The Beauty of Horror

I recently just started my first year of college with a major in film (oh all of the endless, endless job opportunities…). The experience has, naturally, introduced me to a variety of different perspectives relating to film within the student body, and I have seen a range of tastes that encompasses almost every genre posble. However, while most of the students have an eclectic knowledge of movies, I have found a lack of knowledge and appreciation for horror. In fact, I am often asked why I like horror, why I am in love with a genre that is largely ignored and disregarded by the film community. When discusng my favorite movies, my favorite directors, or even my favorite novels, people are often surprised to discover that many of them come straight out of the genre. To many, horror is trashy, horror is amateur, and horror is unintelligent; it is a type of film that is cheap and mindless and even exploitative.Unfortunately, this negative stigma is not new. Throughout my entire life, it has been a struggle to get people to take some of my favorite horror films seriously. People assume, based on the (largely) lazy mainstream movies produced, that horror peaked long ago, and is now filled with retreads of movies from the past. These assumptions (and you know what they say about those) caused me to really dig down and reflect as to why the genre is so appealing to me, to why I have dedicated days upon days of my life watching, reading, and doing anything related to horror.This reflection led me to analyze the misconceptions that people possess about horror movies, the biggest being about the lack of knowledge people have about the scope of the genre. Horror is not just Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and Jason Voorhees. Horror is not just violence, sex and nudity. It is the biggest and most complex film genre there is, filled with dozens of sub-genres that extend into any territory imaginable. Yes, there are many movies that are dumb, and violent, and full of nudity, but they do not represent the genre as a whole (although can still be loads of fun). In reality, there is a style of horror for anyone. For example, a movie like The Innocents captures Freudian themes of sexual represon almost as delicately as any movie I have ever seen and yet still manages to be subtly terrifying. A film like Martyrs manages to be unapologetically violent and disturbing and yet still possesses moments of beauty in its themes and images. Ginger Snaps succeeds in exploring the tragic deterioration of the strong bond of sterhood; The Wicker Man subverts all gender expectations and the role of a protagonist; May deals with the harsh effects of alienation and loneliness; Behind the Mask is an overall funny and entertaining treat. Horror is not just limited to being scary; it is multifaceted, multilayered, and challenging; it is scary, beautiful, and funny. It can appeal to anyone, and needs much more exploration than just the surface of the mainstream movies that are released.However, having been a horror fan nce birth (and probably before), I realized that I did not need to defend horror; the reasons for why I love it are enough to lence any dissenting opinions. I love horror because of its grandeur, because of its ability to deal with subjects and ideas that other genres would never touch. I love horror because it challenges me aesthetically, because it can portray raw ugliness and beauty at the same time. I love horror because of its community, because I can go to a screening of Chopping Mall and geek out with a couple hundred other fans who are just as excited to see teenagers get blasted away in a clasc retro mall. Most importantly, however, I love horror because it makes me feel like a child; when I watch it, I believe in the fantastic, I shut my eyes knowing nothing is there. To me, horror is equally fun, equally beautiful, equally horrific, and equally challenging. It is the only genre that can be comedy, drama, Meta, old school, experimental, and off the wall insane, sometimes multaneously. It is full of people who live their art, day in and day out, and has a community that is enthuastic not only about its own work, but also about its fellow fans. Before labeling the entire genre as trash, people need to look past the misconceptions that have given horror a bad name, and explore the films that remain unseen. So when I hear these criticisms, or face ridicule for thinking Deborah Kerr deserved an Oscar for The Innocents (it has happened), I turn my head, pop in a copy of Suspiria, and horror on.