Our friend Loren Eaton writes about the horror genre today over at his blog, I Saw Lightning Fall. He argues that conservatives ought to embrace the genre, quoting Stephen King saying that horror is intrinsically conservative. He also embeds a trailer for a horror film that seems to have a pro-life message (it appears to have been out since August last. Has anyone heard of it? Did it go straight to DVD, as one would expect would happen to a conservative flick?).
Now, as you know, I don’t care for horror at all myself, largely because I’m a fraidy-cat. Life is already scarier than I like; why should I pay somebody to make me afraid?
But you folks out there; normal people–what do you think about horror?
I don’t like horror either, and I wonder if the genre is all that conservative. Maybe in a limited way, but the excesses in sex (maybe other areas) which many horror stories take is not very conservative. (I’m out of my league with this topic) I could see a story like The Orphanage being strongly conservative, maybe The Exorcist or Blair Witch, but the Nightmare and Friday 13th stories are not. They’re just exploitative or sensational. When there’s not real depth to the story, when its just a bunch of sexy kids stuck in a traumatic situation with an demon-like killer, the only point being to get away, it’s stupid.
Conservative stories, I’d think, are likely to be, if not required to be, redemptive or meaningful in some way. That 22 Weeks may be that way. Horror in America has probably suffered from wicked storytellers reveling in sensational story elements loosely tied together by something of a plot.
I believe Loren’s referencing King’s very interesting book, Danse Macabre, which is one of the few Kings I’ve read. It’s not a novel but an essay on horror in general. I found it quite fascinating.
You might check out the short stories of Russell Kirk. Horror in the old style, and Kirk was definitely a conservative.
Yup, I was referencing Danse Macabre, which I really enjoyed, even though I find King a mixed bag.
I think 22weeks has gone directly to DVD, although it looks like they’re doing a few local screenings here and there. I have no idea if it’s any good or not. You can imagine the difficulties in finding a distributor.
And, Phil, I would agree with you. There’s a distinct difference between horror and horrible. I have precious little patience with the latter.
Wow, Loren. Your post on Manhunt 2 is chilling. I need to pray more.
I think there’s a difference between “conservativism” in form and content.
Most horror stories seem to be stories of transgression against society’s boundaries. Yet for the sense of transgression to work, it has to be shown as a transgression.
So Dr. Frankenstein plays God, and it goes horribly wrong. Vampires violate the boundries between life and death; the only “happy ending” to a (non-glittery) vampire novel involves them re-deaded and mourned. Even in contemporary “slasher films” (a horrible genre I’ll agree) there tends to be an unwritten rule that the sexually promiscuous characters are killed by the monster and a relatively modest character left to survive.
All this isn’t to say that every conservative must experience the best horror literature has to offer, or even that he or she would enjoy the experience. But it is worth noting that the root lurks there, behind the (often real) horribleness.
CR is absolutely right when he says, “Yet for the sense of transgression to work, it has to be shown as a transgression.” Otherwise you end up with awful things like the Final Destination movies that are more snuff film than story.
Phil, the good news about Manhunt 2 was that soon after I posted, it got slapped with an adults-only rating, the kiss of death for retailers. The Wii version was edited (I think), and the game itself I don’t believe did all that well.
I don’t think horror is intrinsically conservative or radical. It really depends on the context. A horror-story can be dignified and noble, or very definately not. I’ve just seen Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride,” and, I must confess, loved it. The Corpse Bride, Emily, is really sweet and appealing as a character and I can see why Victor gradually fell for her despite her having exposed bones and a maggot in her head (The maggot is quite appealing too). But the point here is, I think, that the story is about the redeeming power of love and sacrifice (As well as having some very funny bits).
An author I greatly love and admire is C. S. Lewis, but I didn’t like his story about the astronaut turned to stone by meeting a Gorgon on the Moon because it seemed to me illogical and, more importantly, pointless.
Incidently, I was put in charge of a five-year-old recently, and was somewhat dubious about letting him see Gandalf’s fight with the Balrog in the DVD of “The Fellowship of the Ring” as I feared giving him nightmares. It turned out, of course, to be the bit he wanted to see over and over again.
As a shameless plug, if I am permitted it, Man-Kzin Wars XII (Baen Books) has just been published with three stories in it by me (two collaborations with Matthew Harrtington). One of these might quality as horror. The Kzin (giant felinod predators with a taste for “monkey-meat”) are meant to be pretty terrifying, but some of them have their good sides. I think the most effetive and interesting horror – see my comments on “Corpse Bride above” is not when the horror is merely horrible but when the normal is in an “edgy” (for want of a better word0 relationship with it).
I think if you have conservative values, conservative values is what you will write, in any genre.
Well, King had a specific argument, and rather a generous one, considering his own politics. He said (if I recall correctly) that horror always rises from a perceived threat to the established order, to the things we know and love. (Hence, I suppose, the cliche, “The end of the world as we know it.”)
I havn’t read the King essay but that is an interesting idea. Mark you, I think Shakespeare had it earlier.
I wonder how Carrie or The Shining fit the idea of a perceived threat rising. Horror stories generally seem to be:
1. A monster arrives to wreak havoc.
2. The monster wreaks havoc, and a lead character comes close to death repeatedly.
3. At last, someone finds a way to stop that thing.
4. Or the lead character simply gets away and the monster is believed to be contained.
An alternative would be that characters flirt with the occult or some secret object or knowledge, unless the demon hoard, which is stopped at last by someone with another bit of knowledge. What’s the point of that? Don’t flirt with the occult?
Conversely, the movie Legend had many redeeming qualities. I’d think the book would have some decent points too. Do you think the horror genre is mostly sludge with a few jewels?