BLOGGER - ARCHIVE MONTHLY FILM SERIES
OCTOBER 2024 - Horror-a-thon 2024
Monthly Film Series: Horrorothon 2024
My goal with these themed posts is to get me more engaged with writing about movies in a more in-depth way than just word vomiting onto Letterboxd. I want to learn more about all elements of movies and film as a whole and I think a good way to do that is to identify and analyze different movie actors, directors, themes, periods and movements, genres and subgenres, etc…
This month, I decided to start things off with Horror-athon; am annual period devoted to horror movies. Horror has been such an interesting Genre in the late 2010s and early 2020s. Growing up, I was a bit of a scaredy-cat, but I’ve grown to associate this genre with some of the greatest films of all time. There have been so many great Horror films historically such as Onibaba (1960s) and The Shining (1980), that I saw this month. Furthermore, I feel that Horror is in such a renaissance period right now with directors like Jordan Peele and Robert Eggers at the helm. One of my favorites that came out this year
Why is horror so popular right now? I think there’s many different reasons- I think that with the internet and the 24/7 contentization of modern life, most types of movies have lost the ability of shock value (because we’ve seen everything on our timelines); most Action movies aren’t that thrilling to watch as they were in their Hey day of the 1980s and 1990s. Horror almost has less perameters and lets Directors use more creativity in creating new subgeneres such as Body horror (S/O Cronenberg; I rewatched The Fly this month along with The Substance (2024) which was no doubt inspired by his work) that are able to recapture that thrilling shock value feeling that ultiamtely gets people out to see movies more than any other genre type (I think). I also think unlike other genres theres a myriad of opportunity to overlap and combine Horror with other types of stories like Romance, Action-Thrillers, Adventure, Drama and really anthing else. Horror is dynamic and thrilling and is in a great place as a film genere at the moment.
I might add to this at a later date because I have many thoughts on this genre, but right now I’ll get to my favorite of the month. I’d be lying to myself if I said that the movies that I loved the most that I saw this month weren’t rewatches. I rewatched Onibaba (1964) in early October and was thrilled with a second watch. I am eternally fascinated anthropolgically by the “folktale” format of horror and how it connects us to human storytelling from our very beginnings. I also quite enjoyed (as I said) The Fly (1986) and The Shining (1980) that were also rewatches- but I realize that the reason that I chose to rewatch them again during this month is that I know how perfect they are as movies. Overall, my favorite of these rewatches would have to be The Thing (1982). The special effects, the pacing, it all makes for a perfect whodunnit set in the artic. The template of this film is one of my favorite in all of the horror genre that reminds me of films such as The Lighthouse, Alien and others. That template is one of a small group that are stuck in an isolated environment with a perceived threat. One of the natural conclusions of these tend to be that the real threat is the people around which leaves us with an interpretation of how we lose our humanity to easily when confronted with fear. (Its interesting what this interpretation might imply about contemporary American Politics). These types of films are the best at holding thrilling tension, and for that reason this was my favorite film to watch this month. I also got to see one of my roommmates watch this for the first time ever which was thrilling in itself. (he liked it!).
If you held some Freddy Kruger claws to my jugular and asked me politely to pick a favorite movie that I had never seen before that I saw this month I would likely say House (1977). I had been anticipating this one for a long time mostly due to Bill Hader’s (older) Criteron Closet video on YouTube and it holds up. While the story itself doesn’t hold up, it is a visually stunning movie with several images that you have no doubt never seen before. Its kinda batshit in the best way.
I also enjoyed Bram Stoker’s Dracula along with The Substance (2024) for their ~visuals~ I liked the Train to Busan (2016) for its unexpected emotionality.
Horror is alive and well!
Next Month: 70s Sci-Fi (Subject to Change)
