Horror Cliches

One of the things that makes horror movies great is that there is no true definition of what is "scary". What may be scary to some may not be..blah, blah, blah..you get the idea. But it's true. I've watched The Exorcist with people who had no reaction to it at all, and even some that found it funny. Needless to say, I don't understand that (see my previous Exorcist post), but I'm not one to judge. There are many horror cliches that I find annoying or unappealing, some that involve the movies themselves and some that involve those of us who enjoy them.  I'd like to touch on a few of those.

I know I'm in the minority on this but I'm getting kind of tired of the idea that in order to be scary a movie has to have lightning fast editing, that staticy (is that a word?) electric buzzing background noise, and have frequent scenes shot in sepia tones. I'm not saying that it doen't work sometimes, but it shouldn't be a requirement. The customary "person being dragged through an opening by some unseen force" scene is getting kind of tired with me too. I often find more subtle, psychological horror a little scarier than the in-your-face variety, a notion which will make the following sentence border on ridiculous: I get suckered in to the "six teenagers go to a cabin in the woods for a weekend of partying, but then get more than they bargained for..." movie every time one comes out. Of course there is no cliche in horror that is more well represented than that one, which proves my point that there is no true definition of scary.

I also find it annoying that there is a stereotypical "horror fan".  Take me for example. I seldom dress in black. I don't listen to metal, I don't even particularly care for it. I don't have any tattoos. I haven't watched wrestling since 1985. I haven't been to a haunted house or worn a costume since I was in high school. I'm a 40-ish, overweight, balding, married father of a well-adjusted grade schooler, who lives in the suburbs with a normal day job. I would suspect that many of you have a similar life, and many of you fit the stereotypes (or at least some of them), and it really makes no difference. I hear on occasion that I "don't look like a horror fan", to which I typically reply, "no, but you certainly look like an asshole!", then I stare at him with my glowing red eyes until his head explodes, another non-believer sacrificed for Satan...uh, wait, I mean..I just chuckle and say "yeah, go figure" and make my way home.