13 Reasons It's Awesome to be a Horror Fan
13 Reasons It's Awesome to be a Horror Fan
In celebration of Friday the 13th and the Halloween season I thought I would share 13 reasons why I think it's awesome to be a horror fan. Plus Dr. Lector also thinks if I start making lists it will help channel my "creativity" in a more postitive direction.
2. Our genre isn't one dimensional - I hear a lot of people say they don't like horror movies because they don't like slashers, zombies or crappy SyFy movies. Although those are part of the genre what a lot of people don't realize is that there are a ton of other subgenres to horror, unlike romantic comedies that seem to consist of boy finds girl or girl finds boy, miscommunication insues and it is all resolved at the end horror doesn't work that way. If you don't like slashers or zombies, that's fine maybe foreign horror may suit your taste or creature features, sci fi, supernatural, comedy, found footage, classic horror, 70's & 80's horror, vampire, werewolves and more are all available for your viewing pleasure. Horror is not just limited to just what is popular in pop culture at the moment there are endless different elements and subgenres to horror that can appeal to almost anyone.
3. We have the best subtitled movies - Have you ever been forced to watch a really long boring and confusing foreign film with subtitles? The horror genre has subtitled movies too the only difference is ours kick ass! I could just say watch the [REC] series and leave it at that, but I won't because from Pan's Labyrinth to The Frontiers to Trollhunter and Dead Snow and The Devil's Backbone there are many more great subtitles to choose from that won't leave you bored.
4. We have cons devoted to our genre - Much like comic cons our genre gets their own con too. With Horrorhound, Days of the Dead, Texas Frightmare, Spooky Empire, Flashback and more horror cons let us get up close and personal with our favorite horror actors, directors, writers and special effects people. Even if you don't like horror there is still a good time to be had with the costumes, vendors, contests and panels. What is also nice about horror cons is that they don't necessary cater to be big named horror stars, which they do attend, but you also get to see a lot of the supporting characters from different horror series and reunions with members of the cast from a particular film, which helps to complete an autograph collection or gives fans an opportunity to relive their favorite scenes from the film.
5. We have amazing horror icons - Sure regular genre movies have their icons, but will any of them be as cool as Dracula, The Wolfman, The Mummy or Frankenstein? Highly unlikely! Even if you don't like horror in the least you still recognize our icons. Even Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, Leatherface and Jigsaw have worked there way into pop culture. Even my personal favorite The Bride of Frankenstein can be found on a ton of things from shirts, purses (which I have), wallets, dresses, art and more. You can't argue the uniqueness and beauty of a horror icon.
6. Our genre is everywhere - Horror is just not regulated to movies. There are horror video games, music, comics, tv shows, channels, zombie walks, zombie apps that help you lose weight, horror game apps, shirts at local department stores, glassware, crafts, receipes for horror treats, hundreds of horror driven websites, pinterest boards (mine included), tattoos, customed clothing, cell phone covers and more.....we are everywhere!
7. Pretty much everyone is a horror fan, but they just don't realize it - Don't you love those conversations with people who tell you they have never watched a horror movie, but Ghostbusters is their favorite movie, or Beetlejuice, or The Nightmare Before Christmas or Gremlins. Well my friends those are horror movies and see you really do like horror movies and you didn't even realize it. Like I said before horror isn't all slashers and zombies horror falls into many subcatgories and maybe your defination of the movie is not horror, but by our criteria it's a horror movie. So, embrace your gateway horror movie beause it's only just the beginning.
8. We may not have a plan for the future, but we do have a zombie survival plan -Sure maybe we haven't saved enough in our 401(k) or don't know if college is the right step for us, but one thing is for sure when the zombie outbreak happens we will be ready!
9. Everyone wants a piece of us - But in a good way....most of the time. Unlike all the other movie genres children's movies and horror movies are the only ones with a built in audience. So, of course Hollywood is quick to cash in on our genre with remakes, reboots, reimagings and anything else you want to call it. Although a lot of them can be misses there are some hits and when they are hits they are oh so good!
10. Our community is great - Like most fandoms there is a great kinship that comes from loving the same thing and horror is no different. I have meet some great and amazing people in the genre and sometimes the stereotypes people put on us are undeserving, not to say we are all perfect, but overall the horror community is a welcoming one for a beginner or a long term fan.
11. Our movies make the best first date material - When people go on a first date and a movie is included a lot of the times it's a romantic comedy that someone (usually the guy) will have to suffer through. But, with a horror movie, which can produce anxiety and nervousness even before watching. Your date my being holding your hand sooner, putting her arm around you sooner and overall just wanting to be closer to you sooner all due to the effects of a horror movie.
12. We are a female driven genre - I know a lot of people when they think of horror they think of a blond bimbo running around half naked who gets macheted by Jason or chainsawed by Leatherface, which does happen. But, we also have a lot of horror movies that are female driven, where the women save the day and the men are already dead and buried. While comic book fans are fighting to get Wonder Woman made into a movie we have had female lead horror movies for years. Women play a very important role in horror and not just as the victim or eye candy. The villain maybe the star of the show, but the women are the ones bringing him down. From Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, Resident Evil, Underworld, American Mary, Wrong Turn and many more horror films have female leads who are kicking ass and taking names! In fact sometimes the woman doesn't even have to be in the movie for a lengthly amount of time to make her mark on the film. Look at Elsa Lancaster who was The Bride of Frankenstein her time in the movie is short, but she is one of the most recognizable horror icons around. Friday the 13th, the original didn't even have Jason Vorhees as the killer, his mother was. Which just goes to show what a strong impact women make on this genre.
13.Our genre has something for everyone - If you have read everything I just wrote above (which I hope you have) as you can see horror is a vast area that truely does have something for everyone from a beginner to hardcore fan there are parts of horror that can be pleasing to a lot of people, even if they won't admit it.
