Welp, another year under the tyranny of Miss Rona. Though not as bad as 2020, we still had some ups and downs, cancelations, reschedules, weak releases, strong-as-hell releases, and a new variant spearheading it’s way into junior year of the pandemic. Through it all though, we still have horror — the genre that cannot be killed and can survive anything.
I think everyone would agree that the pandemic has changed how we consume media forever. The days of waiting in line for a ticket at the movie theater is not gone, but severely lessened as streaming services dominate the TV and movie space. Usually I pay for one service (Shudder) and mooch off my in-laws’ Netflix account. Now, I have those plus 3 other services that I’ll probably forget to cancel for another year (especially Peacock, because I have no idea about Halloween Ends and I might as well keep it for that release). With a now-toddler, a telework position, and relaxed mask mandates, streaming horror movies has been my saving grace. Of course I miss going to movies (see why I love Alamo Drafthouse), but I know that will come again one day — hopefully in 2022.
Streaming seems to have affected who watches movies and when as well. Two heavy hitters, Halloween Kills and Candyman, released in theaters as well as on demand to record numbers. Coupled with watch parties and live tweeting, we still get the vibe of going to the theater, without the sticky floors, dirty seats, and stale popcorn. I’ll also give a shoutout to two other 2021 releases: The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and A Quiet Place 2. In my opinion, they weren’t as highly sought after as Halloween and Candyman, but they were still heavily watched as they were sequels to already-loved movies.
Streaming-specific, we had heavy hitters V/H/S/94 and Malignant, both available on Shudder (and other platforms). V/H/S in particular was a hit, being the fourth installment of the series; for a time after (and even now), social media was a-buzz with one character in particular — a giant rat-man hybrid — with tweets declaring “HAIL RAATMA” and an account all its own. It seems many of the horror films coming out this year were top level in terms of character design. Malignant‘s Gabriel, a sentient teratoma twin to the protagonist, Emily, was a wonderfully disgusting paring of practical and CG effects. And though it wasn’t my favorite movie as a whole, I did find Emily and Gabriel’s movements striking and cool, but hard to look at at the same time.
And what about the convention scene? I myself was ecstatic to be going back to Scares That Care Charity Weekend in Williamsburg, VA, which was just as lively as ever. Some conventions failed to make a return this year unfortunately, as the virus was (and still is) mutating and causing events to be rescheduled for later dates. Halloween Horror Nights resumed as well, as did other Halloween theme park events. Again, with reduced capacity and/or timed or staggered entrances.
Really, 2021 might as well have been “2020 lite.” We fared better because places were opening slowly and theaters started showing movies again (at reduced capacity). But just as people are getting comfortable working from home, we’re getting more comfortable with the thought of consuming more horror at home. Sure, there’s nothing like the theater experience, but it is also nice to skip the lines and watch at your leisure.
I won’t say 2021 was a dud for horror, but there was definitely something missing. Understandable, considering we had an actual year of horror the year previous. So of course we’d all try to manage our trauma and slowly get back to “normalcy.” Thing is, I think this will become the new normal. Good thing horror in general is hard to kill!
How was your 2021? What were your horror hits and misses? Let us know in the comments!
