Introduction:

For this paper I wanted to talk about the horror community because horror is a genre that I’ve loved ever since I was young. For me it is hard to fathom the fact that people hate horror movies which is why it was a topic that I wanted to delve into. I focused more on the controversy behind what outsiders think about horror as well as the disagreements people in the community have with each other and the way these disagreements make discussing the genre very interesting. I struggled a lot on the organization of my writing in this paper and looking back at it there were a lot of things that I would have changed. Despite this I am overall very happy with my writing.

A community can be described as a group of individuals that share likes and interests. Within these large communities there can be certain groups who share unique perspectives with differing opinions of their shared interest. Communities are united by one umbrella topic but these differences often lead to discussions, debates and conflicts which bring diversity to the community. 

The horror community is one such example. This genre of film includes classic movies such as The Shining and The Exorcist. The love of fear motivates individuals to dissect this topic and discuss what actually makes a good horror movie. Whether it be the gore or the sense of anxiety one gets waiting for the monster to jump out of the shadows, in my personal opinion the way a movie is written and presented to the viewers offers insight into the way the human mind works and our internal fears as a society. Horror identifies an audience’s biggest fears and forces them to confront it. The adrenaline rush from the way it makes many of these horror fans feel is why so many like it. While there is a sense of discomfort from the unknown it’s what makes it so engaging and intriguing. 

From the outside there are many people who believe that horror fans are desensitized to gore and tragedy. Religious people in particular see horror as promoting violence and evil when for many it is as simple as enjoying a good scare. Horror goes against their personal beliefs as it can often challenge religion. This is shown in the movie Heretic where the main antagonist makes his point that religion is used as a means to control the masses by fear. In many religions questioning the existence of god is looked down upon but I believe this is ignorant. In order to evolve as a society we need to question our beliefs. 

 I like horror movies that go into depth about how the topic relates to the real world and the way we think as humans. Religion is a big topic in many horror movies, a big reason being because it is engraved into our culture, providing people with a sense of moral structure. Many see it as their reason for living therefore without it there is no point to anything, if there is no god. This idea is terrifying to many and it forces its audiences to confront their biggest fears. Everyone eventually comes to the realization that death is inevitable and so religion provides comfort. When that is threatened being that a character dies in a horrible painful way or the proposition to the idea of god is brought up, it puts into motion the thought that maybe there is nothing beyond our life. 

There is often debate within the horror community on whether horror films now are just filled with cheap scares in order to get a reaction from the audience, as well as a limited plot. Some might say older horror movies are better than modern ones, but I would disagree due to the fact that I think a lot of movies still introduce complex themes as well as being very scary. I would even argue that movies now are scarier than the older ones due to the fact that editing and production quality has developed a lot. 

While many people might enjoy the horror genre, whether or not one might consider themselves part of the community depends on the types of movies they like as a whole. Personally I think liking one horror movie and being a really big fan of it doesn’t make you part of the community. You have to have a love for the genre as a whole, and the work it takes in order to produce these films. There are also many controversial subjects in these movies and I feel like someone who really is a part of the community would have a strong opinion on it. For example, many think killing children goes too far in horror movies, but I think if it is necessary to the plot then why hold back, obviously there are some things I do disagree with when it comes to how far a movie goes but hearing the ideas of different people are what make the topic interesting.  

The horror community is united by the shared enjoyment of the eerie and unsettling feelings the genre evokes. On the other hand, what an individual may define as scary is deeply dependent on their personal life experiences, morals and deepest fears.