My Authoritah: The Horror!

The human psyche can seem as confounding as the universe itself, if not more so.

The horror genre is very much in vogue right now. Recent film offerings such as M3GAN, Barbarian, and Smile absolutely slayed (no pun intended) the box office. This is at a time when the movie business is supposed to be in a state of slow decay (perhaps on life support thanks to streaming services and social media).

Genre does tend to reflect society. I find it interesting that on the heels of a pandemic, horror is the choice of escapism. Then again, horror is fun (for some). When effectively produced, it activates one’s fight or flight stimulus. It is an adrenaline surge, an exploration of the unknown, and a reminder of the darkness that may lie beyond societal boundaries (and a more secret and more sinister darkness within the self).

I’ve seen all three movies mentioned above. Of the three, I found Barbarian to be the most wildly unpredictable and interesting. Smile was the scariest (it’s relentlessly intense). M3GAN is formulaic but fun.

There’s an upcoming sequel/new installment to the Evil Dead franchise as well: Evil Dead Rise. The previews hint at something macabre, but whether the movie has a sense of fun remains to be seen. I do wonder if it can capture the comic and at times campy bodily horror of the Bruce Campbell-starring originals. The previous Evil Dead revamp had tons of horror, but zero chuckles. I need the modern equivalent of an Evil Dead 2 highlight: Ted Raimi dancing around in a “zombie grandma” costume and spitting profanity. What the Evil Dead originals effectively realized is that horror and comedy are closely intertwined.

The current horror series taking viewers by storm is The Last of Us. My first thought upon viewing episode one was, Damnit, they beat me to the idea of a zombie plague being started by fungi!

However, the series is based on a video game, and the idea of a fungal epidemic has actually been floating around for years. I can’t claim it as my own.

Aside from the idea of a fungus turning people into zombies, it’s a fun zombie show. It’s entertaining enough to keep me watching. It also pales in comparison to the far-superior South Korean zombie series, All of Us are Dead.

I think the series is off to a solid enough start. Pedro Pascal is an immensely talented actor who was a highlight in the Nicolas Cage meta-film Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. It’s no surprise to me that he can carry a franchise.

I think back on horror being an addiction one final time. How is it that nightmares can be so unbearable, but horror films so intoxicating?