Everyone is human, even me (I promise). I love horror — and I mean LOVE horror. I started Let’s Talk Terror because I wanted to share my love of the genre with everyone, screaming it out from the rooftops. I thought that if I could reach one person who didn’t love the genre as much as I did and convince them otherwise, I could grow our super awesome horror community even larger. But back to my first sentence — I am human. Although I try to be optimistic, excited, and willing to give things a shot, I do have some toxic traits from time to time. And what better time than the present to air them out!
Edits Happen
Have you ever watched a movie, saw a plot hole, and immediately counted the movie out? I do this all the time. Thing is, there’s such an act as editing. Probably 99% of all films have been edited in some way. And what can happen sometimes is that certain parts of the film could be taken out for any number of reasons: runtime, favoring a different scene, appealing to the ratings board, etc. A lot of times, you’ll find that plot holes can be explained by a scene that was unceremoniously cut out. Take Longlegs for example. End credits state there is a “Adult Ruby Carter,” but the character is nowhere to be seen in the film. There are speculations of what could be going on, and it could well have been filmed but left on the cutting room floor for all we know. Regardless, I tend to forget about things like editing right there in the moment.
Opting Not to Watch
Speaking of counting scenes out, I sometimes opt not to even watch movies that I have a feeling I won’t like. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the new Scream movies the upcoming Killer Klowns remake — there are quite a few of them, actually. I can see a trailer that just doesn’t do it for me, or I can read the synopsis and be highly disinterested. Either way, I tend to count a lot of movies out before giving it a solid chance. It’s just that I’ve been burned too many times by the hype train or by a trailer that really doesn’t do the movie justice. But what I will say, though, is that even if I opt not to see a movie in theaters, I may see it when it becomes free and readily available through streaming. This is because a lot of the time, I go through eras of horror genres. One month I may be super into monster movies, and the next it’ll be elevated horror. There’s no telling how I will take a certain movie in any given era, and just because I’m not feeling it when it comes out, doesn’t mean I won’t like it later. It’s the least I can do.
A Specific Focus
If I see one thing I don’t like or that doesn’t make sense in a movie, I will hyperfixate on that specific thing and it will undoubtedly ruin the entire movie for me. Case in point: Nosferatu. I’ll let you read my entire rant — essentially the main character Ellen isn’t my favorite person, to put it lightly. I can say a similar thing for Late Night With the Devil; it is not in fact a found footage/POV-style film when many of the scenes would not have actually been filmed in the first place. Anyway, I have a bad habit of harping in on one thing I don’t like, letting it turn the whole movie into utter garbage. The good thing is that I’m working on it and doing better. Just like the editing bit, I try to keep in mind the parts of filmmaking we’re not seeing and how that may have changed the end product. I also try to look at the things filmmakers did right. Thinking positive, basically! I’ll even be doing a 6-month catch-up for Nosferatu, y’know, after I’ve calmed down a bit… coming soon!
Gatekeeping
Yes, yes, I know, gatekeeping isn’t cool. But I can’t help it! It’s my subconsious way of protecting my beloved genre from trend-jumpers. I don’t do it publicly — because at the end of the day people can like whatever the hell they want to — but I don’t like when some movies get a lot of attention from people who don’t normally like horror. My gatekeeping falls into two categories: (1) those who label horror movies as other genres to make it more acceptable to watch and enjoy, and (2) those who only like horror because it is trendy at the moment. A few pieces I can name right now are the Wednesday series or any sequel to a 90s IP (Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, etc.). Horror is a stand-in for current and historical societal trends with a clear links to huge cultural events — always has been, always will be. I totally understand that people want to experience trends and be part of a relevant cultural shifts. The thing is, the hype with these types of people always dies down; for me, a benchmark of a horror fan is being able to relate something in your life to a film, no matter the time period. I mean, that’s why we have a constant stream of documentaries talking about movies from 40+ years ago. It goes hand in hand with people who prefer “thrillers” because horror is apparently for degenerates. News flash: just because a movie is period accurate or has a musical number or a slew of A-list actors doesn’t mean it’s not about a giant monster or a serial killer flaying people alive. It’s still horror, and it’s OK to enjoy it. It’s what makes us human.
So thinking back to why I originally started this article, I just wanted to say this: even as a gigantic horror fan — like, obsession-level horror fan — I can be a bit toxic at times. But at the end of the day, I’m just glad people are finding an avenue into the genre. Whether you’re here for the long haul like me, or just taking a short trip down Final Girl lane, I’m glad you’re here. Horror is known to be a place where everyone is welcome, and regardless of what I think, that hasn’t changed. Horror movies are here to stay.
What are your horror movie toxic traits? Let us know in the comments!
