Poll: Horror - Do you actually LIKE it?

[thejboy88]

Title says it all. While nobody can deny the widespread success of the horror genre over the years, I personally have never found it that appealing. Maybe it's just me, but I've never enjoyed works of fiction that were designed to frighten me, nor have I ever tried seeking them out.

But, I'd like to get a feel for what the Escapist community feels on the matter.

 

[Twintix]

Well, there are several typs of horror, so the answer might not be that simple.

There're horror stories that focus more on atmosphere, some that focus more on shock (Jump scares and the like) and some that focus on gore. And some works who combine two or all of these elements. Not everyone are going to like all of these, and yes, some will not like any of it.

Now me? I'm not really a fan of shock horror, aka jump scares, or pointless gore. Because in the end, some of them just don't feel all that unsettling. It's just for a quick momentary shock, which might suit some, but for me, it just feels a bit cheap. Of course they can be used to great effect if done correctly. But they're tricky to pull off.
(Not to mention, whenever I watch a movie or TV show, horror or thriller, I just get annoyed that suspense is apparently based on how stupid you can make your characters act. I'm...not really a movie person)

Out of curiosity: When talking about horror, (Using games as examples) are you mainly talking about games like Five Nights At Freddy's-type horror, Silent Hill-type horror or just horror stories in general? Because depending on your answer, it might be that you're simply sick of one type of horror.

 

[Silvanus]

Yip. It's one of my favourite genres, and I enjoy horror games, films and books.

I also feel that games are the medium best suited to it as a genre, because you're in control, which makes you feel more personally vulnerable. The sense of threat is more real if you can genuinely fail-- it's mitigated in films and books, because the direction of the story is already set. Sure, horror games have stories, but whether the thing jumping out of the closet will actually kill the protagonist is in your hands. Much scarier.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Not really, I never got the appeal of feeling scare like my brother does (to him it's an uncommon emotion you exprienced on a daily basis).

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Horror is my favorite genre.

I read a lot of horror when I was growing up, still do, and that means a ton of Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft.

Later I started watching horror movies with Jaws being the very first one and then Halloween not long afterwards. Games shortly came after that and I think horror goes really well with games, if done right though. I lean more towards psychological horror more than anything else since I think it's the most interesting. I like the idea of seeing things go horribly wrong slowly and having everything mess with you.

Horror isn't for everyone and it's kind of a niche thing considering the different types of horror there are available.

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

I like horror, but I don't watch a whole lot. I actually used to dislike it for similar reasons you mentioned, but later grew to enjoy it.

The kind of horror I like are either very moody and atmospheric, like The Shinning or The Exorcist, or very fun and gory, like Evil Dead. Also, they tend to be from the 80s, 70s, and maybe even 60s, though there has been some recent ones that caught my attention.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I love the good kind. Poe and Lovecraft are titans. Chambers and Rampo were disappointing. King is overrated

 

[flying_whimsy]

Horror is my guilty pleasure. I just can't stand slasher stuff and the more recent trend of murderporn like hostel or saw that just celebrate sadism. I prefer supernatural, monster, or psychological horror the most, but I'm down for a good zombie or b-movie once in a while. I like stuff that is a little more thought provoking without resorting to melodrama. That's movies, anyways.

I love horror games, as well, but while I do buy them to support the genre, I'm usually too much of a chicken to play them much.

 

[Dalisclock]

I like it when it's good. It's just that it's hard to find good, unsettling and sometimes even scary horror. Lovecraft got me into Horror and Poe can be downright creepy at times. King, OTOH, I find his horror disappointing but I like his fantasy fiction(AKA The Dark Tower).

Probably the last good Horror book I read was House of Leaves.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

I enjoy the classical horror in literature from time to time, specifically Edgar Allen Pow. I think H.P. Lovecraft is massively overrated, especially because most of his stuff is actually racist as hell if you pay attention.

I like the occasional slasher film, but the parodies are batter slashers than the straight ones. Then again most slashers seem like a parody of slashers.

My favorite though is Thriller stuff like Alfred Hitchcock. Though the Silly stuff like William Castle is good. I also adore the classic monster movies, and kaiju(Godzilla, Gamera, etc...) The most out of any type of horror.

 

[FPLOON]

Meh... The genre, in general, has its moments for me... I still enjoys such horror classics such as Jaws, [the original] Poltergeist, and Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island for example, but unless it makes me invested in seeing it like with most classic 80s slashers, Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost, and Cabin in the Woods, then I probably wouldn't watch it to begin with unless I'm with friends or something like that...

Other than that, for some reason, reading horror as never "scared" as much as watching horror... Younger me watching/reading Goosebumps can attest to that...

 

[Zontar]

It's not a simple "yes/no" answer for me.

I like existential horror, but most other brands I'm not particularly a fan of.

 

[sky14kemea]

I think so...?

It's like a masochistic, morbid addiction of mine. I particularly love zombie ones. (Resident Evil is my fav series, even if it's super cheesy).

I also prefer the psychological horrors. Scary things tend to hold my attention a lot more than other genres, so it's usually the type of things I'll end up watching or playing. Even if I pay for it later by not being able to sleep.

 

[jhoroz]

I'm a huge fan of 70's and 80's horror film by the mavericks from that time e.g. John Carpenter, Williamd Firedkin, John Landis etc. The Exorcist, Chainsaw Massacre, The Shining, The Thing, Halloween, An American Werewolf in London and Alien are some of my favourite films of all time. While not exactly horror, I'm definitely a fan of Hitchcock and his suspense films. Modern mainstream horror I could care less for however. The stream of endless remakes, found footage films and torture porn has me completely uninterested. The indie horror film scene is something I'm more interested in. I'm grateful for discovering Good Bad Flicks and for having it pointing me in the direction of undiscovered, hidden gems.

I've always loved the atmosphere and style that Lovecraft and Poe are associated with, but have never actually read their books. I also like classic survival horror games (Silent Hill, RE, Clocktower, Fatal Frame), as well as some indie horror games that have come out in the indie horror game boom from a couple of years. The most recent horror themed game I played was Bloodborne and I fell head over heels in love with the atmosphere and sense of dread in that game. Basically, I've experienced enough from the genre to have an appreciation of it, but I'm definitely not what one would call a hardcore fan of it.

 

[infohippie]

I like well written, thoughtful horror, especially the stuff that you don't even realise is horror at first until you think through some of the implications. Can't stand slasher flicks or torture porn.

 

[pearcinator]

No, but I do enjoy playing Horror games (particularly ones like Amnesia and Dead Space) because I am in control. I choose when to open the door, when to go around the corner, when to hide, run etc. That's great!

Horror movies are generally designed to give jump-scares (so predictable...oh it's completely silent, better get ready for a jump scare! Which really just has to be a loud noise). I think they are shit. Horror-Comedy's though are funny purely because they are self-aware of how dumb the horror tropes are (For example, I like Scream, Cabin in the Woods, Shaun of the Dead etc. but hate stuff like Paranormal Activity and The Conjuring)

I hate it when people say "oooh this movie is so scary!". Why? Because the camera blocks out all the scares until the sound effects are ready? Now, I know not all horror films are like this and there are some good ones (such as the original Alien) but I mostly ignore them and choose an action, comedy or drama instead.

 

[Weresquirrel]

I wouldn't say I like it, but I at least respect it. A well crafted horror experience is definitely a sight to behold, but that said I don't really actively seek it out.

 

[Remus]

I've been desensitized to the point that I enjoy watching others react to horror more than I like watching/playing horror myself. I have a nephew - teenager so I'm not completely scarring his mind. I sat him down in front of P.T. He got to the point where Lisa grabs him and munches on his entrails and that was enough. I instilled a fear of clowns into another teenage underling - my niece - by exposing her to Stephen King's IT. This is how I enjoy horror now, vicariously through others. This makes haunted houses and mazes difficult if nobody will go with me as they simply have no effect unless somebody else is there to scream where I would not. Right now I have a big chest in my room that's just for gorifying my house over Halloween. I plan on making it multiple chests, and possibly a coffin this year.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

It has to be interesting horror, both visually and metaphorically. I don't go in for those torture porns that are all about cute women screaming "STOP!" for two hours. Likewise slasher films. I just find them to be lazy horror. going for the cheapest of reactions.

Things like Silent Hill, Fatal Frame, Amnesia. Games that have a plot beyond simply being simply scary. I mean fuck, spiders are scary but they're not good stories. There has to be a sense of dread alongside the actual fear.

 

[jklinders]

Doesn't do much for me. in written form from the so called masters of horror i felt very little of the tension i was supposed to. In cinematic form, it seems to depend too much on scare chords and jump scares. Cheap bullshit like that gets boring really fucking fast.

same reason old school FPS games never did much for me. All jump scares and monster closets. Being manipulated is fine, that's one of the tools of fiction.But it is done too incompetently most of the time for me to give a shit.

Edit:

I remember exactly one game, regrettably not by title that did a fantastic job of scaring the shit out me by not being cheap. It was a SEGA Saturn title from the 90s. Something about aliens that could not be directly seen but heard coming with the aid of a special gizmo. You were given sound clues when it got close on what direction and how close they were. the tension was delicious. Ammo was hard to come by and death came in a visceral cutscene if you failed. It was fantastic.