Horror Fans vs. Horror Genre

(Please forgive the trespasses contained within this ramble)

This isn't really about anything specifically said in this forum. Rather it's a question and comment put out to a bunch of people who know more about horror than I do.

I've often wondered when watching horror became so much like wine tasting. I don't remember it being so highbrow when I was growing up watching it. Formerly shit on by "serious" movie people, horror used to be junk food. So why is what used to be considered pizza and beer, now keeping shop on the corner of smarmy and highfalutin? I miss the days before the snobbishness. Horror used to be all about getting your girl to hold your hand and bury her face into your shoulder (I always tried to guide her lower. Towards the Staff of Comfort).

If I like a movie, I like it. If I don't, I don't. But I don't hold anything (especially an entire genre) to such a high standard that practically anything I would put before my eyes is doomed before it even starts. I hear so many people make blanket statements about horror. These usually revolve around either hating remakes or exclusively loving foreign horror. I happen to have liked the remakes of DAWN OF THE DEAD and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. I also enjoy Asian and Italian horror, but I don't swear by any of this.

It seems to me that we are overly critical on horror. People seem to go out of their way to hate certain horror movies, like no other. If my friend Monroe hated GANDHI or MAD MONEY, I would probably never know it. But if Monroe hated any particular horror film, he would likely spare no effort or expense to announce it. Because somewhere along the way it has become fashionable to claim what is "good horror" and what is "bad horror."

Part of the problem is that there are so many sub-genres. It's difficult to know what to call "horror" anymore. Personally, I tend to think of horror in very basic terms. It's a film with either elements of the supernatural, or a flat out slasher. It has suspense, a build up, and then a payoff. It should also have some sort of a fucked up twist somewhere in there. It's also got to be at LEAST R rated. Of course the exact specifications are up to the individual, but this does seem to be an area where people tend to disagree. It's tough to label some of this stuff. It's even tougher to get everyone to agree. I think THE FLY (1986) is a good example of this. What IS THE FLY? (Besides a kick-ass fuckin movie!) Sci-fi? Horror? Something else? The point being, we're not always talking about the same thing to each other.

For me, I want as much "shock" as possible. I can never see enough blood and guts. I can never see enough outlandish deaths or monsters. I want to see the most violent, bloody, obnoxious, gratuitous fucking thing known to man. RIKI-OH (although not a horror) was a good start for blood. I want the absolute pinnacle! All the best scenes, edited together like a music video, two hours, maybe two and a half, strapped into the theater seat. I covet the Ludovico technique.

I would pay my admission, and I would ask for seconds.

Previously horror was simply an unsightly satisfaction. It could afford to be light on story, because it didn't always matter if the reasoning behind what we were seeing made perfect sense. (I don't care that HIGH TENSION had elementary plot holes. I enjoyed watching it.) All that used to matter was that it was happening, and we were loving it.
It's no different than what we tend to love about action flicks. The big kill, the gruesome event, and the over the top violence is a lot of what we remember. It's certainly a lot of what we talk about after. Nobody on this site confuses COMMANDO with being a brilliant achievement in motion picture history. But it was what started this site in the first place, and I would wager that we could talk for hours about the brutal shit that John Matrix pulled in that movie.

I liked when he threw Sully off the cliff!
Remember when he shaved the head of the dude with the saw blade?!
What about when he chopped the soldier's arm off with a machete?!

And yet, we all love horror films. Who doesn't? Sure, maybe there are a bunch of fruity chicks out there who can't stand to watch the spooky. Fuck them. But are we really talking about such an incredible coincidence? Is anyone here amazed that we all love horror? Of course not. It's pretty much universal. As long as we can keep our eyes on the ball, and not lose sight of what it is that we love about these movies, the thrills will come to us. I'm not saying you shouldn't hold horror to certain standards, but remember what you're watching. Isn't it just possible that our prejudices are keeping us from seeing some worthwhile shit?

As I mentioned before, there is a sense that disliking certain films has become fashionable. And it's certainly not exclusive to horror films. Even the beloved-by-all Stanley Kubrick was not immune to this. I do not think I have known a single person who enjoyed EYES WIDE SHUT. It's to the point now that I've given up defending it. Of course it wasn't Kubrick's greatest film, but to treat it like an Ernest P. Worrell sequel is just obnoxious. So isn't it interesting that the late, master filmmaker is responsible not only for EYES WIDE SHUT, but also one of the most universally loved horror films of all-time in THE SHINING? I don't know anyone who would have the balls to say they didn't like THE SHINING. On the other hand, there are people with whom I avoid mentioning my enjoyment of (some of) the SAW movies.

Wow, I really am rambling. Let me try to bring this fucker home.

What I really want to say is that horror films don't have to be something they're not. Enjoy the sub-genres for what they are, and always remember that horror should always be taken with a grain of salt. If we keep taking this shit too seriously, pretty soon we're going to end up bitching about horror films and Oscar snubs.

Ugh!

Look, for me the best case scenario I really hope for from my horror (besides lakes of blood) is to maybe see a creepy situation. That's it. I like a movie that shows me the most uncomfortable situation possible. It should have just enough realism to allow me to trade places with the protagonists in my mind.

Just like the endless conversations that couples had after seeing INDECENT PROPOSAL "What would you do if someone offered ME a million bucks to fuck him?", I want to discuss the "what ifs." I want a film that makes me consider what I would do (or even be capable of doing) if I found myself in the horrific predicament of your choice.

Finding yourself identifying with, and being scared by the goings on - I believe that is the mark of a true horror film.

But don't take my word for it. I'm the dolt who's about to watch BARRY LYNDON followed by COBRA. It's all about ranges, pizza and beer, and loving what gets you off.