Horror not ‘scary’ most of the time?

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Chypmunk's Avatar
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08-17-20
Kill List has elements of horror so if anyone wants to call it a horror film that's fine by me even if I don't regard it as one myself. Personally I don't fuss over how others categorise things, there are far, far more important things in life to devote my time and energies to.



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08-17-20
Originally Posted by honeykid
FTR I think of horrors as films which were 'sold' to me as horror films or films which I thought of as such when watching them. So, not only is Aliens not a horror film, neither is Jaws (my favourite film), Psycho, Silence Of The Lambs or Se7en (still can't believe I have to even bother to make that point with Se7en but I know for some it 'obviously' is.) I agree that Horror/Comedy is much more difficult to categorise, but for me, they're their own category and just because something funny happens in a film, doesn't mean that film qualifies as a comedy. So, for example, Shaun Of The Dead not a horror film. An American Werewolf In London is. SotD is a horror comedy, but while I accept that aAWiL is looked upon in that way, for me, it's a horror film. Plain and simple.

Also, @Takoma11 said someone had argued with them that

"Anyway, this led to them asserting that Psycho could only be a thriller and not a horror film"

Now this could just be a difference in how that's read, but was this person implying that thrillers are less than horror films? If so, could that be where some of this genre stuff comes from? I think Se7en is great and I can't stand Aliens. Now how people categorise them doesn't affect that. It only matters if we're talking about a particular genre and whether or not the film can be included in the discussion.

Question to those who've seen it: Is Kill List a horror film?

WARNING: "Kill List" spoilers below
I saw that film without knowing anything about it. I started not watching a horror film, but it ended very much with that in mind. Still don't know if I like the film or not or whether it's a horror film or not. I've been saying for 8 years I'm going to have to watch it again to see if I can make up my mind but I've yet to do so.

For todays audience, it probably is, but I'm not a man of today.
Fully with you on horror comedy and An American Werewolf in London. Seven definitely isn’t horror as far as I’m concerned. Otherwise, I mean, sure, everyone has their own understanding what a horror film is. But I think in the most basic sense, any story that aims to install a sense of dread or extreme unease is a horror. From that POV, Jaws is definitely a horror film (and that’s how Spielberg himself sees it, not that I’m saying authorial interpretation is superior to others). What’s also part of it for me is that it seems to revel in the final scene
WARNING: spoilers below
with the boat sinking and the shark slowly biting Quint in half
. I’d say if it didn’t last so long or had been less graphic, it could be argued it’s a thriller, not horror. But that’s completely subjective.

Edit: I just read an article from 2015 which calls Jaws a comedy, so I officially give up... we live in a meta-modern environment.

I would definitely argue that Kill List is a horror film, because
WARNING: spoilers below
as with A Serbian Film, the ending is most sane people’s worst nightmare
, and it definitely aims to install a sense of dread and discomfort. From that perspective, I’d always say intention is key. If Jaws could potentially be interpreted as a straightforward thriller, I don’t think Kill List can. Also I’d argue that horror films as opposed to thrillers are likely to have bad endings.
Last edited by AgrippinaX; 08-17-20 at 11:36 AM.



Takoma11's Avatar
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08-17-20
Originally Posted by honeykid
Now this could just be a difference in how that's read, but was this person implying that thrillers are less than horror films?
The person in question was arguing that Psycho could not be considered a horror movie and that therefore another person was "wrong" to consider it a horror movie. I think it was purely an argument of categories--though I agree with you that some people seem to consider horror a "lesser" genre and don't seem to like it when a film they like it put in that group.

Question to those who've seen it: Is Kill List a horror film?

WARNING: "Kill List" spoilers below
I saw that film without knowing anything about it. I started not watching a horror film, but it ended very much with that in mind. Still don't know if I like the film or not or whether it's a horror film or not. I've been saying for 8 years I'm going to have to watch it again to see if I can make up my mind but I've yet to do so.

For todays audience, it probably is, but I'm not a man of today.
I personally would consider Kill List a horror/thriller.

But I think it's another good example of a movie where I mostly think "Does it really matter?". If one person thinks it's a thriller and another thinks of it as horror . . . they will probably end up discussing the same elements of the film (the foreshadowing, the final sequence, the stylistic choices, etc).

Part of the problem, surely, is that there I've never seen a definition of horror (or, really, most genres) that totally encompasses the range of films that you can get in a single genre. I'm fine with someone saying "To me XYZ isn't a horror movie . . ." or "I don't consider XYZ horror becuase . . ." or "I don't tend to think of XYZ as horror because . . .".

It's when I say, "Hey, I just watched this really interesting horror movie . . . " and someone chimes in with "Well, actually that's not a horror movie." Art is an intersection of authorial intent and how a film is received by the viewer. It always makes me a bit snippy when someone else tells me how I should think about something.

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