A surprising new outlook on horror

​After a lifetime of avoiding horror movies, I realized recently that I actually like them. Well, certain types. My girlfriend and I (neither of which have ever watched horror before) have been on a bit of a horror kick lately. In the past couple of months we’ve watched Get Out, IT (part 1 & 2), The Haunting of Hill House, American Horror Story, and most recently Into the Tall Grass. I really enjoyed all of them.

​When I think back to what links all these movies together, and why I liked them a few things stand out. The first, none of them are “torture porn” or gross-out horror. The second is that they all cross-genres, combining horror aspects with something else. This is what I really liked. They aren’t just trying to scare you, they’re trying to tell an interesting story, and there happens to be scary stuff happening.

Part one and two of IT are a good example of this. Although the source material is thought of as classic horror, to me it was a childhood adventure story and a coming of age tale that happened to involve horror aspects. It felt as if the Goonies had to deal with a killer, shape-shifting clown.

The Haunting of Hill House is another great example. This was probably the scariest of all the stuff I’ve watched recently, but at its core, it’s a family drama first and horror series second. A broken and estranged family is brought together because of the death of a family member. They must come to terms with their childhoods, deal with current relational issues and solve a decades-old mystery about a house they once lived in. Oh, and there are scary-as-shit ghosts haunting them. The story is what draws you in and keeps you watching episode after episode, and the horror aspects add fun in a suspenseful way, increasing the stakes for all the family members.

If you were like me and have stayed away from horror in the past, give one of the ones above a try. You may find a new genre to explore and have fun with this October. If you’re already a horror fan, I’d love to hear what you thought of the shows and movies mentioned above, and what your recommendations for me would be. Let us know on our Facebook Page.

Author : Cole Elliot