BOO!

Horror fans were recently graced with the international release of Robert Eggers’ debut film, The Witch, which stunned audiences with its atypical approach to horror, the likes of which we have rarely been seen since Kubrick first tackled the genre. While the film was nearly unanimously praised by critics, and a sly marketing campaign resulted in an unexpected box-office success, general audience reaction was divisive, at best. Many moviegoers were put off by the film’s pacing, and others were even offended by its religious undertones. The most common complaint about what was marketed as one of the scariest films of all time, however, was that it simply wasn’t scary enough.

This isn’t the first time that a film has generated this kind of controversy, nor will it be the last. The celebrated It Follows suffered a similar fate once faced with a wide release. Despite receiving rave reviews from the festival circuit, most moviegoers weren’t impressed by David Robert Mitchell’s retro thriller. Could film critics and general audiences be so out of touch with each other that they would generate these contradictory opinions, or is there something more to it? Though I personally thought that both It Follows and The Witch were creepy films with more than enough menacing atmosphere to haunt viewers long after the credits rolled, the more important question here is: “Can and should horror movies only be judged by how scary they are?”

Horror films are defined by dealing with horrific and unnatural elements like murder and the supernatural, but that’s an incredibly broad classification. There are certain super-hero films that could fall into this category, not to mention most crime thrillers and action films in general. Swarchzenneger’s Commando would obviously be a proto-slasher film if it were presented from the point of view of one of the antagonist’s henchmen. This is why perspective may be one of the most important elements of a horror movie, as fear and horror are extremely subjective and can’t be consistently quantified. Some people are absolutely terrified by jump scares, while others have nightmares about being slowly stalked by immortal serial killers.

Is this not scary enough for you?

These differences are responsible for the various sub-genres present within horror, be it the proverbial gothic ghost story or grindhouse slashers. This is where things get complicated, however, as some of these films don’t rely on fear at all to be effective. No one is actually afraid of Jason Voorhees anymore, and ‘torture-porn’ movies like Eli Roth’s Hostel franchise work with disgust and morbid fascination instead of fear, not to mention respect for the special effects work and creative kills. Even horror classics like The Exorcist don’t really hold up in the scare department nowadays, unless you’re a devout catholic. In fact, almost everyone can agree that The Shining is an absolutely amazing film, but it’s not the scares that make so many people remember it after so long, it’s the fact that it’s a well-made movie!

Regardless of horror, “classic” movies have many elements in common. From relatable characters to well-developed plots and presentation, these films transcend their initial release with timeless stories and memorable moments that continue to be appreciated through the ages. Though many of the snobbier critics out there might disagree, horror movies work the same way as other genre pictures, and do not depend on vague definitions of specific emotions or story-beats to be successful. Horror movies shouldn’t just be about scares, so how can we judge them only based on that characteristic?

We remember Young Frankenstein as one of the greatest comedy films of all times (and it certainly deserves that honor), but it stands the test of time due to Mel Brooks’ impeccable direction, not just the plentiful jokes. These directing skills were acquired through an insane amount of love and respect towards the Universal Monsters and what Brooks perceived to be the filmmaking giants that preceded him. Gene Wilder’s performance also further elevates the film, but that could be said about most, if not all of his roles. This amounts to a love-letter towards a certain kind of film, and almost anyone can appreciate this level of dedication to something, despite the laughs.

“Actually it’s Fronkenshteen!”

It may seem that I’m needlessly bashing scary movies here in favor of “superior” intellectual films, but that’s not the case. There certainly is an important place for fear in the film industry, it’s just not the only criteria through which horror movies should be judged (or made, for that matter). Audiences should not be angry at a film because it wasn’t scary enough for them, they should be angry if the film built around said scares was a hollow shell of what decent cinema should look like. If people only want sudden scares with no regard for other aspects of filmmaking or even storytelling in general, there are tons of incredible YouTube videos and other media with jump-scares and gore as far as the eye can see. Even videogames are an option, though scary games have greatly evolved from their primitive survival-horror roots.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t want to be scared by movies, or value the ones that manage to do so. Everyone has the right to like and dislike certain media based on their own personal views and opinions, and that’s a good thing. It makes the medium grow and adapt in order to become what society wants to see. There is a place for every kind of genre or sub-genre, no matter how niche it may seem, and no particular way of making art is inherently better than another. Nevertheless, if we want to break the cycle of generic horror movies that come out every year, pandering to the lowest common denominator and preventing more creative films from being produced, fans of horror should celebrate the release of unique horror films. Even if they don’t particularly enjoy this specific kind of story, it’s important that horror hounds use their voice (and wallets) to help improve the current state of scary movies.

Whether or not you enjoyed and/or were scared by The Witch, and other similar films, is entirely up to you, and there’s no right opinion on the matter. However, it’s important to realize that horror movies are so much more than just the sum of creepy atmosphere, jump-scares, murderers and other scary elements. They’re a tool through which artists can tell terrifying and sometimes even thought-provoking stories. Like any tool, it can be used to make good or bad things, but it’s up to us to gently push the genre to where it can grow and become even better. Whether or not we’re scared by these movies shouldn’t be the only thing we care about.