Not So Terrified: My Current Grievances with the Horror Genre in Film and Possible Solutions.

By Andrew R. Duckworth

I suppose my first encounter with the horror genre of film occurred when I was maybe five years old, three decades ago, with the film Poltergeist. Looking back at the film now, I can barely sit through it. However, my five year old self was terrified. If I were to erase the massive library of horror films from my mind and not have the extensive knowledge I do about special effects in film, Poltergeist might hold up today. Might hold up. But, let’s face it: the horror genre has changed so much even since that film, and generally for the worst. Horror films simply are not as frightening as they once were. Throughout the body of this work, I will be discussing some of the techniques in horror films, some of the great horror films of the past, the current terrible state of the horror genre, and how the horror genre can once again find its way back to the top of the film food chain.

First, for technique. What scares an audience more than what lies inside the mind? Not too much. This is for a few reasons: 1) the unique individual knows what scares them best and this will be different depending on each individual. 2) the mind is rather good at creating the largest terrors from the smallest hints. And 3) mystery is the largest monster.

I was listening to a podcast recently where the host lamented the fact that there aren’t many horror films that take the approach that Ridley Scott’s Alien does. I can’t agree more for many reasons. First, let’s acknowledge that Alien is a fairly old film (at least by today’s standards where a new “blockbuster” premieres practically every week). Are there elements of the film that are dated? Sure. But what Alien does do for the horror genre it does very well. Alien is a blending of sci-fi and horror, and, because of this, it may not land the same with everyone. However, there are some extremely noteworthy aspects of the original film that can’t be denied. First, there is the rather isolated setting that is coated in ominousness. The characters are trapped without us, or them, even realizing it. The scene with the eggs or egg chambers is the first scene where we start to realize that something is off. And then there is the gruesome scene that will forever cement “chest burster” in household vocabulary. What Alien then proceeds to do very well is obscure the monster. We get glimpses of it here and there, mostly obscured in darkness, but it is not fully revealed to us until near the end of the film. When it is revealed, it is the xenomorph, the dreaded thing of some sort of hellish nightmare. This is one of the very effective aspects of the film: withholding the full reveal until absolutely necessary.

It is important to point out that this is not always effective. In order for the withheld reveal to be effective, the payoff must be great. The audience has been waiting for that moment when they finally get to see the creature, their mind running wild with ideas. The payoff has to shatter all of these expectations, otherwise disappointment is sure to set in. Had the otherworldly (literally) creature in Alien appeared as something too outlandish, the payoff could have gone in a completely different direction. The clever aspect about the xenomorph is that it is not TOO alien. It walks, has arms, has a weirdly familiar set of teeth (barring of course the extra mouth that pops out of its throat), and has an oddly similar form. It is identifiable, yet not too identifiable. The differences are clear. It is slimy, almost machine like, it’s teeth are gritted in a manner that can only be compared to anger and fierceness, and it is lacking eyes that we can notice. There is a shroud of mystery surrounding the xenomorph. How does it see? Does it see at all, or does it rely on some other hunting mechanism? How does it move so fast? How did this walking, hissing beast emerge from the slithering, serpent-like thing that emerged from John Hurt’s (God rest his soul) chest?

Another film that takes this approach, yet goes far beyond it, is The Thing, another sci-fi and horror mashup. The Thing features exactly what it sounds like, a thing. It is something that is undefinable, yet alien (having landed in a spacecraft). The undefinable element comes in the idea that the extraterrestrial can shape shift to take on other forms. This inability to define the creature and the idea that the protagonists of the film are dealing with something so beyond their comprehension gives the creature a very Lovecraftian Cosmic horror element. Cosmic horror is something that defined horror literature of the 20th century. Transferring it from the written page to film can seem daunting. However, there are a few aspects that make this particularly effective: the undefinability of the creature and how the characters react to it. Character reactions play a crucial role. If the characters know too much about the creature too early, it destroys the believability of both the creature and the story. However, if characters spend the narrative attempting to figure the creature out, the believability is maintained. The struggle of the characters involved must be great.

Around the 1980’s, horror began to take a bit of a dive (unfortunately for any fan of Lovecraft, not the sort that deals with deep ocean mysteries). To say that Jason Vorhees was a terrible villain would be a mistake. In all respects, Jason Vorhees, from the Friday the 13th series, should have been the ultimate villain. His face is obscured by a mask, he never speaks, he comes out of a creepy lake at nighttime, and turns his rage towards the visitors of a summer camp. There are a few reasons this doesn’t really work, particularly in today’s society. First, the audience that is going to find this particularly frightening is the younger audience, the sort that might find their way to a summer camp in the future or perhaps has just returned from one. Throughout the series, we get key pieces of information about Jason Vorhees, but perhaps too much information.

To lay this all at the feet of Friday the 13th would be a mistake. Plenty of other films followed suit. The creature or villain is revealed far too quickly and any shroud of mystery vanishes soon after. The only thing left, by that point, is the danger the protagonists are left in, often caused by their own stupidity. The protagonists are no longer piecing together a puzzle, but just running.

But why harp on and on about 80’s horror? After all, it all went significantly down a steep, slippery hill in the 90’s with such ‘gems’ as Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. I do not hold that these types of films, regardless of what some critics may say, hold any place in the horror genre. They MAY perhaps hold a place in a sub-genre of Comedy. These films attempted to go back to the mysterious, but only did so with characters that couldn’t be believed if one were forced to. The overarching plot of the respective films were, in a word, terrible.

In order to move further, we must first take a trip back to 1973 (Ironically, I would not be thought of until 1988). In 1973, one of the most iconic horror films to ever grace the silver screen sunk into the hearts and, dare I say, souls of practically everyone everywhere. The Exorcist was a film that not only frightened theater goers, but actually changed the culture. The Catholic Church, for example, experienced an uptick in demonic possession investigations. I first watched this film at the age of nine (against the firm warnings from my parents. My mother, to this day, will not allow anything related to the film anywhere near her home). It traumatized me, to say the least. It was the first time that I had ever thought of evil being some sort of invading force that could sink an individual to the point of little hope. Being raised as a Catholic had much of an impact as well in relation to this film. After all, the priests were familiar, the Latin was familiar, the prayers at the end were familiar, the quoted scripture was familiar, the concept of possession was familiar, yet not fully realized (and hopefully, fingers crossed, never will be). The film had such an impact that it still holds up today. The practical effects throughout the film are still horrifying. Yet, we are introduced to the film’s antagonist roughly early on in the film. The difference is that the film takes a concept that people already somewhat understand and fleshes it out in a way that it is no longer obscured in mystery. The Exorcist throws the concept right in the audience’s face and forces them to see it in all of its terror (I normally may have used ‘glory’ here, but I trust you’ll understand why I’ve held back on such irony). And yet, there is still mystery in the film. There is the dramatic irony in the middle of the film, where the priest is investigating the possession and making absolutely sure that what they are dealing with is something diabolical. The audience is fairly certain, by this point, that this young girl is indeed possessed. Yet, who really is ‘Captain Howdy’? What does it all have to do with the film’s beginning in an archeological excavation? Will Regan survive? The Exorcist becomes a challenge for audiences. Can one sit through the entire thing and then wander, by themselves, into a dark room? What if demons lurk there? And that is what The Exorcist does extremely well: taking the familiar and warping it. Regan, the girl possessed throughout the film, goes from an innocent, fun-loving child to a scarred-faced, rotten teethed monster who, although tied to a bed, can unleash terrifying displays of power all the same.

Now, fast forward to the present. We have had several Exorcist films since, as well as other films that attempt to capitalize on audience’s fears of the supernatural and unknown. Most of them have come nowhere close to the original, although some have surprised me. Many are comical in their inaccuracies. Now, there is another Exorcist film due out in a few weeks, one that looks as though it might be worth a five dollar bargain buy only if you are hard pressed to find decent logs for the fireplace.

Originality in horror, just as practically every other genre, is horribly (pun intended) lacking. Yet, there is hope on the horizon. In 2018, a film titled Hereditary, from Ari Aster came to theaters. I was unfortunate in that I did not get to see the film in theaters, but the film is surprisingly effective (perhaps even more effective) in the comfort of one’s own home. This is largely to do with the fact that the film deals a lot with the concept of home and family. It will be difficult to describe the film and it’s horror without giving away the punch at the end, but I will try my damnedest (again… pun intended).

It is difficult to find something that Hereditary does not do well. From the film’s score, which is haunting in itself, to the unsettling plot, to the believability of the characters, Hereditary was the horror film for which I was longing. The entire film focuses on a single family being torn apart, little by little, leading to the worst conclusion in the best way. It puts trauma and emotional turmoil under a microscope. But the thing that makes Hereditary unique as a horror film is the fact that the entire film is a puzzle to be put together, and the audience is unaware of the work they’re doing. To this day, there are new things I notice in the film whenever I rewatch it (and it is a disturbing watch to be sure). The mystery throughout the film is only really revealed at the very end. When rewatching, it is frustrating to see all of the potential hints that one may not have picked up on during the initial viewing and fascinating all the same. And the score is something that will stay with you long after the film is over with its long droning chords that seem to creep their way into your mind and drone on forever.

Yet, Hereditary was not Ari Aster’s only masterpiece. Midsommar is what Aster himself has called a fairytale. Yet, the further down the hole the mind travels, the more devastating it becomes. Midsommar begins on a somber and dark note, with the death of the main character’s family. The setting goes from dark to nearly blindingly bright, a sort of commune in a valley where the sun seems to always be shining. And it is against this bright and cheerful backdrop that some of the most horrific moments of the film occur. The most terrifying aspect is seeing many of the characters exposed to these events in an almost unflinching manner, an exploration into the human psyche and desensitization. By the time all of the characters wake up, it is too late. The character who was awake to the horror the entire time has drifted off into the trance-like state of the cult surrounding them.

There are plenty of reasons to remain hopeful for the horror genre, Ari Aster among them. However, as much of Hollywood leans towards the sequels and prequels, it will be very important for the horror genre to continue to be creative with a wide variety of voices bringing forth new stories. It will also be important for those up and coming writers and directors to watch what the masters before them have done and see where they can improve. All in all, the future has the potential to get very scary in a good way.