Blogpost 1: Gratum Inferno!

This is the ultimate must-read for horror and non-horror fans out there. So sit back and relax. Get ready to be informed and horrified!

 

Me and Horror

        I'm Paolo Matias and I was just a kid when I watched my first horror movie ever. It was Darkness Falls. A 2003 film about a revengeful tooth fairy. Basically, it was the most horrying I have ever seen in my life. The following days after I viewed the film, I couldn't sleep properly, I was afraid of the dark, and i never wanted to lose a tooth because I fear that the creepy tooth fairy would come and get me. It literally haunted me. So I cursed that movie and never want to see it again, ever. Enough said? Horror is definitely influential but still thrilling for people like me (except for Darkness Falls).

What is Horror?

 Here is a quote from "Dance of Death" by Stephen King I found at "Goodreads".

The Horror: the unnatural, spiders the size of bears, the dead waking up and walking around, it's when the lights go out and something with claws grabs you by the arm. 

       Based on Stephen King's definition, horror is something that is unusual or out of this world. Something that you would not expect to be living or existing. They convey a negative feeling, a sense of fear, panic, alarm, violence, and dread from an evil force, person, or event or even mythical creatures such as ghosts, vampires, and zombies.

        For me, horror is an intense dislike of anything. We can encounter horror everyday. It's not only enclosed to the concept of films. For example, your friend is wearing an ugly outfit. We usually say "Dude, you look horrible."

Horror as an emotion

A scene from Insidious (2010)

       Horror, just like what I wrote, is something that disturbs or displeases us intensely in anyway. One of the articles entitled Horror (like emotion) by farizzada at Digital Karma mentions that horror is the feeling of despair that usually happens before something frightening is experienced. It is also coming to a realization that something dreadful has shown up. It is when we come to a realization that something frightening appeared and the only option we have is either to face or run. When I was just a kid, the closet has really been an enemy of mine. I am scared of stuff that might be inhabiting my closet. Anytime, a monster could jump out and kill me, sometimes, I think that they watch me when I'm sleeping. Those simple feelings tend to create tension between stuff, so that's what really horror is. Fear of the unsure.

Horror as a film genre

       Horror is a film genre seeking to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's primal fears. Horror films often feature scenes that startle the viewer; the macabre and the supernatural are frequent themes. Thus they may overlap with the fantasy, supernatural, and thriller genres. Horror films often deal with the viewer's nightmares, hidden fears, revulsions and terror of the unknown.

       Horror movies are the most well-known form of horror for anyone. Most of you hate these kinds of literature while some would actually pay to see it. I've watched a hundred of these films and my favorite kinds are those that make me put my hands in my eye while I cover my ears up.

The first ever horror film was created in 1896 entitled Le Manoir du Diable which means"The Manor of the devil" a french film by Georges Méliès which lasted for only 3 minutes. It was considered the first horror film even though it was intentionally made to amuse people. Here is the clip:

 

It's funny how people in those times would actually panic over this. We are lucky and at the same time pitiful by the fear we get from the modern horror films.