By Victor Dixon, Editor-in-Chief
The newest “Terrifier” movie is a good reminder of some of the issues that exist in the horror genre.
The third installment in the gory “Terrifier" franchise was released earlier this month and with it came yet another wave of critics and casual viewers alike having qualitative discussions about the story, visual effects and other aspects of the film, which features a clown named Art hunting down and killing people.
I’m less picky about those details, and I am enjoying where the narrative is going. It does also raise some age-old questions about horror media (without necessarily making any further commentary on it), such as the value of depictions of hyper-violence toward women, scenes of children’s deaths both on and off screen, and – “Terrifier”’s favorite – how much gore and cruelty is too much?
“Terrifier” isn’t alone in these conversations, as we’ve found ourselves in a horror renaissance in recent years with other titles such as 2022’s “Skinamarink,” this year’s “Longlegs,” and A24’s “X” trilogy, as well as the growing popularity of analog horror online.
Being a longtime horror fan, I’ve had a lot of opportunities to contemplate the genre and consider what purpose these macabre movies serve, particularly gross-out slashers such as “Terrifier.” I think that, when consumed mindfully, gory movies can serve both as a great memento mori and as a form of education about the state of the world.
In reality, people do get tortured and murdered, great terror and tragedies do happen, and I believe exploring that reality using a creative outlet such as movies can be helpful in forming a healthy relationship with the concepts of death and grief.
These are themes that “Terrifier” calls back to consistently, as characters deal with trauma, disfiguration and the violent loss of their friends and family members. I wouldn’t say it treads lightly in that respect, or that it necessarily approaches those problems in an educated way, but movies of this sort can still be a valuable launching point for developing this part of a worldview.
However, I also often find people in horror fan communities treating gore and death as a novelty – purely a form of entertainment. This bothers me because it throws all of that opportunity to explore such aspects of humanity straight out of the window, and I feel as though it can cause a person to become insensitive toward others’ suffering.
I’ve encountered people who go out of their way to seek out banned movies that depict things more serious than simply a mess of blood and guts, things that should not be portrayed on screen, including real gore. It’s a serious issue that I’ve noticed, especially online, where such material is increasingly easier to access.
I find that sort of behavior to be simply unacceptable.
Of course, everyone copes differently with these hard topics, but there is some cruelty and disregard for others that comes with treating gore like it’s funny or entertaining.
Usually I would say there shouldn’t really be any rules for being a fan of something, but since horror consistently deals with some of the hardest facts of life and death, I believe it is an exception, and it’s important to remember to consume it thoughtfully if we’re going to consume it.
PHOTO: Courtesy, Dark Age Cinema
