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Horror Can Be More Than Just Shock Value, Blood, And Gore
I’m heading to see A Quiet Place this weekend and I couldn’t be more pumped. Following my rule, all I needed to see was that it had a great first trailer and that it stars John Krasinski and Emily Blunt to be convinced to see it. And that’s a surprise for me.
I have seen fewer than ten horror movies in my life. This is mostly because I’m a scaredy cat who doesn’t want to have bad dreams. But within the last year and a half, I have watched three or four movies that have “horror” listed as one of their genres on IMDb. My eyes have been opened to what can come from this genre. I want to see more. And I’m going to, starting this weekend.
The first horror movie that really got my attention was Split. I wanted to see this because a guy with twenty-three personalities seems like an interesting concept. On the surface, it simply seems like a movie about a creepy guy who kidnaps teenage girls. But if you watch it, you’ll see that it’s a very intentionally made movie by a director who is trying to make a comeback in M. Night Shyamalan. It also includes a great and terrifying performance from James McAvoy who continues to show his acting range. This movie showed me that despite some scary elements of the film, a horror movie can be really interesting and engaging when it doesn’t limit itself to being exclusively horror.
The next horror film I was interested in was Get Out. This only grabbed my attention because of how much of a phenomenon it became to mainstream audiences. It’s an indie horror movie directed by a comedian in Jordan Peele and it deals with racial issues. So as you probably know, it got lots of attention. I initially watched the trailer for it and I felt like it was too creepy for me to see. Fast forward a few months, and I watched it with a group of friends – and I loved it. It showed me that a film with some heavy horror themes and elements could also deliver an excellent story with layers. The characters, to my surprise, were much more than just people running away from the Scary Thing in the movie. Instead, they were developed and there was a deeper meaning behind the Scary Thing.
Fast forward another couple of months and IT was released. After seeing Get Out, I knew that IT was going to be something that I was interested in. There is a Scary Thing (Pennywise) that torments children, but it’s for a purpose. The movie isn’t just a montage of jump scares and gore for shock value, like I thought all horror movies were. Instead, it’s a story about a group of kids who learn about true friendship and camaraderie through this extreme situation that they’re put in. IT is able to be a drama/thriller with horror elements. And that’s what I’ve learned that I really like.
Now, I see A Quiet Place and I see a movie that will be scary, but will also put story first. From the very limited amount I have seen about this movie, Krasinski, who also directs, has said that it will focus heavily on family. That really piques my interest because I trust Krasinski (who has already shown he can do horror) and Blunt and their chemistry (they’re married in real life). I believe that this will be a heavily suspenseful movie with lots of scary moments. But it will also be a movie with a highly engaging story, characters with relatable traits, and actual positive themes. My eyes and my mind are open to the possibility of the horror genre and I can’t wait to experience it more in the future.