Looking Back on the Horror Genre This Semester

I’d like to take some time to thank everybody for keeping up with my TakaNekro Reviews this year so far. With dozens of horror movies under my belt, it was my first time taking them in as more than just guilty forms of entertainment. We’ve had some laughs and a lot for scares along the way, but it’s time to move on now that Halloween has passed us by.

Laughs, you say?

What’s that, laughs? Of course! Horror being subjective in one way or another means that we are all going to have different reactions to what we see onscreen. That’s something about movies that I adore to no end. The horror genre has been especially entertaining, whether there’s a possession onscreen or if characters are slipping into madness one scene at a time.

Horror Highlights

Two highlights for this year come from In the Tall Grass (2019) and Eli (2019) which were spectacular movies in their own rights. Eli had a great twist in the third act that left my jaw on the floor. Not so much because I was appalled by what was happening, but in response to what was happening. The movie just had a great way of escalating the absurdity all the way to the end and it was just a lot of fun to watch.

In the Tall Grass was simply way too clever to ignore, with sounds and visuals that have solidified my newfound fear of mazes and cornstalks. Being unable to distinguish fantasy from reality left me puzzled for days. Analysis videos online were very helpful in breaking this one down for me.

No Chills, but Lots of Spooks

Horror is one of my favorite genres and it’s honestly been hard to find anything that gave me “the chills” that many would expect. Am I in the wrong for enjoying movies like this and then sleeping like a baby afterward? After all, I did my best to view these type of films at night for maximum spooks. It might just be that exposure has numbed me to how disturbing and graphic these movies are supposed to be.

That’s not to say that I’m immune to being easily disturbed, as I have my list of pet peeves in genre and subject that turn my stomach in the most unpleasant way imaginable. It sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it. 

Going into the rest of the year, let’s lighten things up with some feel-good movies and wholesome fun.

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