Why I love Horror Films

When I tell people that I enjoy watching horror films, reading horror books and generally being horrified by stuff they usually look at me through narrowed eyes, as if picturing me at home sharpening my axe, wearing a boiler suit and a ski mask. 

The truth is that I don’t harbor homicidal tendencies or latent desires for bloodshed and death. When faced with the real-life horror that I see on the news or sometimes, unfortunately, on the streets of the place I live, I have been known to sob uncontrollably, overwhelmed by sadness. Yes, I can safely assure you that I am not a psychopath but give me a good horror film and I am as happy as Freddy Krueger in a high school full of narcoleptics. 

This is why I love horror films:

You can be scared but safe.

A no-brainer to start with. For some people, myself included, being scared is enjoyable when you have the reassurance that you are safe. People have always enjoyed this feeling, which is why the horror genre has been so successful in literature through the centuries. Watching a horror film is like riding a rollercoaster (although oddly, I hate rollercoasters). You are turned upside down, you feel yourself falling into oblivion, you scream and you laugh because you know that you are held in tight by your seat. With a horror film, you know it will end. You know it’s just a film. 

Pushing boundaries.

Although some would argue that horror has become less adventurous in recent years, it has always been a genre that has pushed the boundaries in what is acceptable. Art that breaks taboo has always been the most interesting to me. Whether it’s pushing the boundaries of our reality or our taste, horror is the genre that is constantly on the move. 

The lure of the dark side.

My first experiences of watching horror were snatched glimpses when my parents thought I was in bed and were enjoying a video. The desire to see something wrong, something bad, something forbidden has stayed with me into my adult years and fuels my desire for more of the scary stuff. The horror genre is the film from the wrong side of the track. It rarely wins awards, recognition or great reviews and that makes me love it even more. 

Horror can be funny. 

Let’s go back to the rollercoaster again and listen. Is it just screaming we can hear? Nope. There are people laughing as well. There is something about fear that makes us laugh. I’m not sure that the great directors expect you to guffaw at their chilling masterpieces but it’s a very human reaction and part of the enjoyment. 

Even the bad films are good.

Horror is the only film genre where a truly bad film can be brilliant. Really bad horror films still have the unique power to engage and delight the viewer through their sheer awfulness. For example, I recently had the pleasure of watching “Zombie Women of Satan”, a British made film from 2009. Made on a budget of £40,000, I will admit my expectations were low. The bonkers story of how Pervo the Clown (yes, Pervo) and his band of chums uncover a zombie research library and basically spend the entire film being chased around by mainly naked and bloodied young ladies is not going to win any awards but it entertained me and made me laugh. I didn’t finish the film feeling that I had wasted an hour and a half of my life, like I have with other films. With horror, bad can be good. 

Bad. Yet good.

Utter brilliance.

There are some horror films which are just bloody brilliant. “The Exorcist”, “The Omen”, “Halloween”, “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Wicker Man” are just amazingly good films and complete classics. And those from more recent years: “Scream” managed to combine humour, a witty awareness of the genre and a truly scary psycho-killler; “The House on Haunted Hill”, a remake that made brilliant use of flickering and fast camera shots to present a view of the supernatural that creeped me out more than I ever expected; “Ring” in the original Japanese version (and yes, the US remake had me jumping at my own shadow on the way home from the bus-stop too) and “Paranormal Activity” with its slow and dreadful build up to the final shocking scene which I replayed in my head for days. 

All these films have bumbled around in my brain for years after I first welcomed them into my living room. They are, quite simply, great films. 

So next time you are perusing your film choices on a Friday night, consider a little zombie action, a few psychopaths, maybe a handful of vengeful ghosts or a child born of Satan. And remember, it’s only a film.