I often get asked the question, “How did you get into horror, Mal?”
Well…my entry into horror began mainly due to spending in video shops, seeing amazing artwork for movies, eye catching posters, and yes, invariably the ones that drew my attention were always the horror movies because they were so creative in their artwork, that’s how my love for horror movies started.
The first horror film I saw? Well, up until a couple of years ago I always said it was The Exorcist. I was about eleven or twelve I think when I saw it. It was one of those films that I shouldn't have seen but managed to see a copy from somewhere, it completely blew me away, its gripped me, had me questioning so much and a switch went off in my head, “this stuff is brilliant, I need more!”. However, I was talking to a cousin of mine recently and she reminded me that in fact the first horror film I saw was Halloween! I honestly forgot that I had, I must have been about eight or nine and my cousin had borrowed it or something. We were round her house to watch it, I don't remember much about it however. It was followed up by The Exorcist (corrected now as 2nd ever horror film I saw) and then films like The Evil Dead, followed Nightmare on Elm Street also (courtesy of friends at school) many others stand out that were formative like, Shocker, The Hidden, Stuff, Fright Night, Children of The Corn, of course Child’s Play. I remember ITV used to show some on TV, they had The Omen part 1 on one week and part two the following week! Late night TV watching while everyone was asleep was my gateway into discovering horror movies
Where I grew up there was a little video shop/convenience store and the chap there would allow me to rent videos even though I wasn't allowed so again, and that's why I think horror was always formative for me, it went against the grain to watch horror, they were always downplayed, plus I wasn’t 18 for many of the films I saw, so it was a sense of achievement! Add to this, in my late teens and early 20’s, I had a weekend job in a video store so I would get seven rentals a week and I was obviously renting loads of horror films, which I didn't know I would grow to love so much. My passion for horror movies translates over to an appreciation for soundtracks/scores, poster art, VHS and DVD sets, there was so much to absorb, not just the film. I didn’t get into reading too much horror however (apart from the classics or film books. I don’t read much fiction as it is, mainly non-fiction, but that's a different discussion for a different time)
For me horror has been such an important outlet over the years, growing up in the 80’s much of the films I consumed were juxtaposed to horror movies. Think of all the 80’s high school films, action films and comedy films, so many which everyone loved and enjoyed, but horror always became a conversational piece, a point of intrigue, it was almost like a badge of honour to be a horror fan
My passion for horror took me to film festivals and I immediately found a sense of acceptance, this is where I can just be me and talk about horror films, and no one judges you for it. I’ve always sought acceptance, growing up it was something I lacked in many guises, but horror gave me that acceptance and not because of the films no, but because of the people and it's that which has always made me feel welcome into the horror genre. I didn’t think I’d belong. When a guy looking like me, walks into a horror film event or festival I expected some judgement, but there was none. It allowed me to be accepted into a community of people so for me that was critical. The best movie fans are horror fans.
Horror challenges me too, you get see the most disturbing or brutal stuff on screen and it makes you question your enjoyment and yes I do get asked, “How can you sit there and watch so many horror films?”, my answer is always “I love how varied horror films can be and how much you get to learn your limits”. You see, mentally, horror is an outlet. I don't mean I feel better for watching something because there are films like Martyrs or A Serbian Film, where you don't feel better for watching it at all but it's so far removed from what you normally see it challenges what you absorb mentally and how you appreciate that form of art and its message and I love that feeling, no matter what's going on, I have that escape. Horror pushes boundaries, horror tests your limits and that I enjoy that from a film. Not everyone does of course but I enjoy how it. Horror has always been something that I I've always tried to experience on an emotional level too. There's an enjoyment in horror that you don't get from other films because of what you see and how you experience it and what you're being told or sometimes what you don't see, and your brain makes up for you. It's all about the choice you’ve made to watch this film, to explore this darker side, and then this catharsis kicks in, an outlet for expressing some emotions that you don't necessarily get to convey and I can convert some feelings and anxieties in the medium of a horror film because it's a controlled environment, it's a safe environment, I'm not putting myself at risk, horror for me becomes that type of thing, where it's very much about experiencing it on an emotional level.
My passion for horror will continue to grow, I don’t see myself as a gatekeeper or look back at classic horror films as a measure, horror evolves and with it so does my enjoyment of it. I’m not bound by nostalgia either, the horror genre has some exciting new voices telling brilliant stories in different ways while making amazing art which I'm here to embrace.
“It [horror genre] never dies. It just keeps getting reinvented and it always will. Horror is a universal language” - John Carpenter
