Getting the living daylights scared out of you might not be how most people wanna spend their free time, but horror fans will choose that activity as one of their favorites. Scary movies have been popular ever since the 1920s with the release of “Nosferatu,” an adaption of the traditional Dracula story. Some of the most popular film plots include ones about mythical creatures, ones about a serial killer and those about ghosts or any paranormal or extraterrestrial phenomena. In the past five years, a subgenre in the horror movie category has been documentaries, TV shows, movies or any other media about real life history of serial killers in the past. Horror movies can elicit many different emotions and actions, such as crying, jumping, shielding face and fast-beating heart. When many people first watch horror movies, some of the common feelings that they might typically have are suspended and replaced with ones of wariness, distrust and discomfort.
Something that I think also contributes to people’s interest being peaked regarding horror movies is the idea of the unknown, and horror movie plots typically relate to situations that we would not run into on a daily basis. While people might believe in ghosts or aliens or other unexplained creatures, most people will not see a masked serial killer terrorizing their town on a regular basis.
A popular complaint that comes from people who are not fans of horror movies or are even against it are that they incite too much violence and can possibly ruin kids’ development. Recently, the movie “Terrifier 2” was released in theaters, and witnesses say that people were running out of the theater and vomiting due to the graphic nature shown in the film. After watching a scene from the movie on YouTube as my interest was piqued, I do not blame people for running out of theaters and throwing up. The gore was exactly how people had described it.
I myself prefer thrillers compared to horror movies. Horror is the only fictional genre where the movie purposefully tries to scare the viewer; thrillers are movies with high suspense, such as murder mysteries, that less focus on the actual killing of the character and more on who did it and finding clues and even plot twists along the way. My favorite thriller is the film “Us” which is about a family who goes on vacation and is met by a family of doppelgängers all dressed in red, who wish to take their places in the human world. It’s super frightening while not purposefully trying to scare you too much.
Horror movies can be such great stress relievers, as you can watch the film and think about your own life and probably think, “hey it could be worse, I could be getting chased down the street by a guy with a bloody machete.” While they are not everyone’s cup of tea, horror movies will continue to be a fan favorite for many with its undeniable charm and unique movie-making aspects.
Vanessa Rodriguez-McClean is a third-year English major with a minor in journalism. VR925245@wcupa.edu