What Kind Of Horror I Most Enjoy
I love suspenseful horror. Anything with a good build of tension and suspense usually scratches my itch quite well.
I like to be left in the dark with my thoughts a lot, just as far as movies are concerned.
A fresh spin on a common trope usually works well for me. TWISTS! Give me a twist that is clever and well-executed, and I will love you forever! M. Night Shamaylan holds a dear place in my heart for his movies.
Practical effects rule the day in my book. I grew up watching Jim Henson stuff, and I believe that shaped a good portion of my tastes as far as horror is concerned. Labyrinth is still one of my very favorite movies.
Some of my favorite horror movies are:
Hereditary
The Witch
The Thing
Paranormal Activity
10 Cloverfield Lane
It Follows
Evil Dead Franchise
The Sixth Sense
Alien
[REC]
The Invitation
The Shining
Misery
Pet Semetary
The Exorcist
The Fly (1986)
Most zombie movies
What Kind Of Horror I Least Enjoy
I’m not a big fan of the gore-porn-esque stuff. Don’t get me wrong; gore doesn’t bother me terribly. It’s reveling in the physical torture of others that bothers me. I guess you could say that makes it the most effective version of horror for me, but I would rather not have to deal with the mental ghosts that come with watching that kind of story. You know, the sickly feeling in your gut that follows you around and niggles at your soul every time you remember watching that movie.
If it’s good, I am usually appreciative of it. That being said, I hold some controversial stances on some horror. While I get Rob Zombie, I don’t like most of his movies. When I watch a Rob Zombie movie I always feel as though I’ve been dragged through an old, dusty barn by the neck in the sweltering heat; I need a shower.
I’m not a huge slasher fan – there, I said it. They can be fun and funny, and those that are, I enjoy. I don’t usually love them. The ones that I like the most are typically home invasion, reality-based ones.The Strangers comes to mind.
How I Came To Horror
As a small child, I slept with the lights on for years because of Skeletor…
Skeletor from He-Man? Yes, Skeletor from He-Man, the kid’s cartoon show. I was very bothered by disturbing visuals an concepts. I once saw a commercial for a Nightmare on Elm Street movie as a child and had persistent terrors of leaving my bed at night to go to the bathroom. That being said, I couldn’t look away.
There was something amazing and over-the-top about scary things. I always had the mentality that the world was not exciting enough, fast enough, fun enough. Things that scared me gave me more out of life, made the fantastical possible in my mind. They lit up excitement, albeit scary excitement, within me. It’s the same reason I enjoy science fiction and fantasy so much. It’s just so much more interesting to believe that the impossible could be possible.