Why Horror Is My Favorite Genre, And A List Of Some Of My Favorite Horror Films

Well, October's here. By far the greatest month the world has to offer. It's when the fall really starts to get underway (although this week has seen temperatures in the 80s).

The leaves start changing, the sweaters start coming out (ignore the previous paragraph about our current climate, which is horrific in its own right and imagine cooler temperatures if you will), and Halloween vibes are out in full force.

What better time to gush about horror - my favorite film genre - than October? 'Tis the season.

First thing's first: Why is it my favorite film genre?

It's a question even psychologists deem worthy enough to explore, with countless studies being conducted to determine just what kind of sick fucks willingly pay money to get scared?

Well, being that I'm one of those sick fucks, perhaps I can shed some light on the topic.

Yes, I'm cynical. Yes, I embrace my dark side. Yes, I'm a sexual deviant. But those aren't the reasons why I enjoy horror.

I enjoy horror because most horror films today are smart. And I like being challenged. They also have more variety within their genre than do most other genres. A comicbook blockbuster is a comicbook blockbuster. You know the superhero's gonna save the day and survive at the end of it, because he has sequels to cash in on. Crossover films to appear in. Merchandise to sell.

Crime dramas, my previously favorite genre, often suffers from the same rehashed conventions. The bad guys get caught at the end, and justice is served.

Whereas, horror has a litany of subgenres that in my opinion, keep things fresh. You have slasher films, films about demons and the supernatural at large, films about aliens, psychological horrors, found footage films. The list goes on and on. All with their own conventions and frequent subversions of those conventions. There's a constant shattering of norms within the genre.

Now, for the record, every genre goes through a life cycle.

You start off with a concept for a film, you experiment with what works/what doesn't, norms are established, plenty of films come out that embody those norms and tick off every box, then a new batch of films come in that shatter those norms, and eventually, parody/satire films are made poking fun of the previous norms of the genre, which now look dated and predictable by comparison. And then you start all over again.

But for whatever reason, horror goes through this cycle much faster than any other genre.

First you have a slew of slasher films. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Friday The 13th, Nightmare On Elm Street. Before you know it, you get Scream, which is a satirical look at those previous slasher films. Then you get Saw, Hostel, and a host of other films considered to be "torture porn," and end up with Funny Games, a film that serves as social commentary for the sense of bloodlust those torture porn films evoke. Flash forward to 2012's Cabin In The Woods and you get another smart, meta film that smashes genre conventions.

And again, the amount of variety within the genre is impressive. Get Out, Annihilation, Mother!, and A Quiet Place all fit under the "horror" umbrella. All of them are vastly different films. I never feel fatigued watching horror the same way I do when I watch my 500th Marvel film of the year, or a crime drama with a car chase scene and subsequent shootout.

There's also the fact that the variety of those horror films also provides a variety of different emotions. I felt one way coming out of Hereditary and The Witch. I felt a very different way coming out of Annihiliation. The former bringing up feelings of haunting creepiness and overall classic, heebie geebie vibes. The latter, feelings of existential dread which prompted me to question the meaning of life itself.

Horror films, more than any other genre, rely on atmosphere to help tell their story. It's all about mood. Things are subtly implied. Everything from the camera direction, to the colors used, to the music, or lack thereof, all aid in creating a very specific type of vibe.

Again, all films do this, just not to the extent horror does. And that level of detail, for me personally, elevates the film to another level, to the point where it stays with me for weeks, months, or even years.

Simply put, horror films make me feel something. I may watch other films and enjoy their stories, appreciate the acting, marvel at the special effects; but few touch me in the way that horror does. Horror stirs up something primal in me. Whether it's good old fashioned fear, bewilderment/confusion, or commentary that gives me food for thought; I always wake away with something to hold onto, long after the movie's over. It's entertainment plus. Entertainment, plus human emotion of some sort. Entertainment, plus relevant topics to munch on.

So, that's why I personally enjoy horror, and why I don't see my love for it changing anytime soon.

With that said, I'd like to name 15 films in no particular order (outside of the first one I name, which is my all time fave) that I'd consider my favorite horror films of all time. I'm not gonna give you a list of predictable classics that make every similarly themed list, and most will be fairly recent as again, I'm relatively new to this horror film awakening.

Without further ado, here's a list depicting my incredible cinematic taste:

Funny Games (2007): A shot-for-shot remake of the 1997 original, both of which were made by Michael Haneke. [Watching the trailer after all these years stills gets me pumped.][1] It subverts expectations, provides social commentary, and slightly tweaks the cabin in the woods norm by changing the setting to a house in the Hamptons. Warning: It's slow. Painfully so. But that's part of its charm, in my opinion.

Black Swan (2010): Not gonna lie, the draw for 22-year-old me was essentially "Wanna see Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis get all sorts of freaky?" The answer to that was a resounding "Hell yes." I just didn't anticipate the dark, psychotic mindfuck that would await me. Thanks Darren Aronofsky.

Green Room (2015): I've routinely referred to this film as "Reservoir Dogs meets American History X." Neither of those films are considered horror, but this one technically is. It's even labeled as such by IMDB. While there's no monsters, zombies, or ghosts, it's just as terrifying and disturbing. Actually, more so, because the kind of people depicted in the film absolutely exist.

Annihilation (2018): Much like Black Swan, I went into this film expecting one thing, and got something completely different. Both of those films star Natalie Portman. I'm seeing a trend here. Regardless, I watched this movie back in February and it still gives me the feels whenever I think about it. This movie messed me up for a good two weeks. Not so much because it was "scary," I'd argue that it's largely not. Haunting, yes. Creepy, sure. But not scary in the traditional sense. It just opens your mind up to all sorts of existential thoughts. Thoughts I wasn't ready to dive into at that time.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974): I'm always hesitant to go back and watch old films. I truly believe it's rare for a film to age well. Even a lot of the so called cinema classics. A lot of them were great for their time period, but simply don't hold up. This is not one of those films. This film absolutely holds up in today's world. A lot is made about the "scream queens" of cinema. Marilyn Burns has my vote for the greatest in that category. Her portrayal of Sally is what carried the film in my opinion. Her screams are absolutely haunting throughout. Bone-chilling.

Hereditary(2018): If Marilyn Burns' screams throughout the previously mentioned film were enough to give me goosebumps some 44 years later, then Toni Collette's scream in one scene in particular should be enough to keep those goosebumps going for the next 44 years. Seriously. If you watch that film and don't feel some sort of way about the scream she lays out about a third into the film, you might be a soulless demon. But on the bright side, that might make you the subject of your very own horror film!

Mother! (2017): Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) delivers another dark, psychotic mindfuck of a film. This time with Jennifer Lawrence in the starring role. Except it's way darker and psychotic-er? than Black Swan. The third act is an acid trip of insanity.

It Comes At Night (2017): Cabin in the woods setting, some sort of evil threat lurking outside its confines. We've seen that premise before, sure, but it's still enjoyable, and really delves into the protective, tribal nature we have at our core.

The Witch (2015): Cabin in the woods, but back in the day. This was all about the atmosphere for me. The cinematography was eerie by design and used to great effect. And that goat in the movie is bad news. Baa-aa-aad news. That was a pun. I'm sorry.

Raw (2017): My tastes skew indie. So essentially any horror-themed indie film is gonna grab my attention. This one was pretty visceral and strange. Just how I like 'em.

Under The Skin (2013): Okay. So I mentioned Black Swan, I mentioned Mother!, but this film is the biggest mindfuck of a movie I've ever seen. Hands down. It's not even close. It's incredibly sensual as well. But that's besides the point. Fucking movie is just weird. Weird and beautiful. Watch it if you're tired of the same run of the mill Hollywood story structure. And aren't bashful when it comes to nudity.

Ex Machina (2014): This one isn't listed as a horror on its IMDB page, but it pretty much is. It follows a ton of horror conventions with sharp precision. Also, at this point, anything involving the potential evils and pitfalls of technology is a horror to me personally. Because we're getting closer and closer to that sort of stuff becoming a reality.

Get Out (2017): Social commentary loaded with tons of subtle touches and hidden meanings. Takes the conventions of horror and subverts them with cultural significance. By all measures, a landmark film and watershed moment in cinema.

The Devil's Candy (2017): Really dark. Really fucking dark. Could have gone even darker, but I think audiences would've been a little put off had they gone in the direction it felt like they were going in.

It Follows (2014): Takes the classic final girl/virgin heroine trope of horror and satirizes it. Provides an 80s slasher film nostalgic vibe and gives it a fresh coat of paint.

Notable mentions: Goodnight Mommy, Don't Breathe, Lights Out, It, A Quiet Place*