Well my dear readers, this is it. Over 16 posts (and one bonus one last week), I’m made the case for how a non-horror viewer could get into the horror genre, ensuring that with each topic I chose not to throw said viewer into the deep end. Rather, it was all about shallow baby steps, about explaining how to appreciate the genre and all that it has to offer.
We all know how the horror genre gets shat upon by the majority of popular society. Yes, the general public might flock to horror films during fall for that “Halloween experience”, but they don’t support it the way we do. They don’t buy the Scream! Factory Blu-Rays, they don’t go to the horror cons to meet the stars, they don’t hang up posters and art on their walls, etc… As I wrote in my “Why I Love Horror” piece from a few years ago, “We are society’s “The Other”“. But we’re not bad people. We just love our art to have a bit of a darker edge to it.
Even though we are deigned upon, that doesn’t mean we have to slink into the shadows and hide our love of horror away from our peers. In fact, I own it proudly. It’s a badge that I wear with no shame. Horror is a passion for me and, like any other passion, I want to share it.
In Kevin Williamson’s eulogy to Wes Craven, he explained how the director found, “…it was always nice to have “set virgins” for this very reason. They’re contagious. They remind everyone why we’re here — to make magic. I’ve never forgotten that.”
The exact same could be said about “horror virgins”. They remind us why we watch horror. They remind us of those times we actually got scared, when we would cover our eyes with our hands and beg our friends, our parents, our lovers, whomever for a blanket to hide underneath. We see our younger selves in those moments and it’s a joyous experience. After all, who doesn’t want to relive or recall those happy, exciting moments from the bygone days?
You can read the entire series by clicking the following link: How To Start Getting Into Horror.