I already spoke a little about why do we love horror so much, but I’d like to take it further and speak about the types of people that enjoy horror. After all, we’re building a following and, perhaps eventually, a community of people who do. So, what can we expect to find in the crowd? Let’s break it down.
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| The Beach House (2020) |
First of all, we have two big groups: those who enjoy horror and believe it’s worthwhile, and those who enjoy horror and don’t believe it’s worthwhile. If you’re in the latter, you wouldn’t want to be here.
• Believes Horror is worthwhile.
These people can be anywhere from indulging in horror only once in a veeery long time to almost every second of every day. Whether they can take part in it, and to what degree, depends on various factors. However, what sets them apart is that, despite whatever may tell them otherwise, they see value in horror and believe it worthwhile (for themselves, at least).
• Believes Horror is NOT worthwhile.
These people may enjoy horror to some extent, but consider it too much trouble. It may be for religious or spiritual reasons (e.g. see it as too sinful, tainting, and/or disturbing), for practical reasons (e.g. preferring to not be shaken up and put in a nervous condition, which would interfere with their routine), for personal reasons (e.g. not currently in a state where they can handle it as mere entertainment), and so on. Therefore, they keep horror consumption to a minimum or avoid it completely.
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| You Should Have Left (2020) |
But then, who do we have among those that believe horror is worthwhile? We have a WIDE range of personalities. But let’s break them into another two big groups: those that draw a line, and those that don’t.
• Draws a line.
These people distinguish between what is right and what is wrong, what is correct and what is incorrect, what can be freely explored in fiction and what should by no means be normalized in reality. They may not have all the answers yet, and be quite off with the ones they already have, but they look for them to continue to clarify where the lines are to be drawn.
• Does NOT draw a line.
It’s a blur for these people and anything goes. If they have any principles, they’re base and plain ones that don’t account for much. I wouldn’t want to be near them and, trying to educate them, to raise their conscience, would be a strenuous and hazardous job (to say the least). Unless they, themselves, choose to start drawing lines, there’s little you can do about it.
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| The Cabin (2012) |
Let’s split a group in two again. Among those that draw a line, we have: those with the opinion that Political Correctness has gone too far, and those with the opinion that Political Correctness should get away with way more. Noticed the lack of impartiality there, in the naming of the groups? That’s because I’m in the former group and fed up with the latter. Ain’t trying to hide it either.
• Of the opinion that Political Correctness has gone too far.
Keeping it in context, these are people that still draw lines, but are comparatively loose with them. Motive, intent, approach, and effect may be significant and important to examine, but censorship and cancellation are not favored solutions in a lot of cases. They may actively seek alternatives that work better for everyone or simply wish everyone would chill the fuck down and/or grow a damn backbone.
• Of the opinion that Political Correctness should get away with way more.
I’m not even going to bother typing a serious-sounding paragraph for this group. These people want exactly what they ask for, no more and no less, and you’re a horrible person if you don’t give them just that. And even if you do give it to them, with no faults or shortcomings, chances are they won’t support it. It’s not really about what they would appreciate and would back, it’s about how much they can nitpick.
Then, of the opinion that Political Correctness has gone too far, what types of people do we have left that enjoy horror? That’s an essay for another day.
Where do you fit in?