Horror isn’t for everyone. This statement isn’t meant to belittle those who can’t enjoy it, nor to praise those who do; it’s a simple fact of the moviegoing experience. Until a few years ago, horror wasn’t for me either, and my single condition when going to the movies was no horror. I was the kind that had to sleepwith the lights onfor days after watching a horror movie, no joke. Things only started to change in 2019, whenMidsommarcame out. I was in my late 20s and still couldn’t bring myself to voluntarily watch horror, but, afterHereditary’s success,people were talking so much aboutAri Aster’s new “horror movie inbroad daylight” that I felt thatthis could be it. Mind you, I obviously hadn’t watchedHereditary, but, seeing how people talked so much about it, I thought Aster was maybe the guy to help me out. And, it turned out, he was!
‘Midsommar’s Focus on Character and Plot Makes It a Great First Step Into the World of Horror Movies
Growing up, my friends didn’t much care whenever I told them I was afraid of horror movies or didn’t like the genre, and often made a point of watching one whenever we hung out, so I either forced myself to follow them, or felt excluded. Most of my trauma comes from watchingThe ExorcistandRECin those contexts, whichultimately made me believe that I would never be able to partake in the horror experience because I was afraid, while everyone else was having fun. Ten years later, no one forced me to watch it anymore, but I never dared do it myself, either.
I Thought I Couldn’t Watch Horror Movies as a Christian — I Was Wrong
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UntilMidsommarcame up on my radar. It was sold to me as a different kind of horror movie, and the colorful imagery helped me get around to watching it in theaters with trustworthy company; by the end, I was hooked. The movie tackles head-on themes like anxiety, depression, and grief, which resonated with me a lot at that time, so I could relate to Dani’s (Florence Pugh) story in a way that I couldn’t even with some of my favorite movies.Her journey through grief with no support network also felt very personal; everyone wants to be around for the good times, but it’s the bad ones that show who you can count on. Dani’s toxic boyfriend, Christian (Jack Reynor), felt like the embodiment of this idea; we all know at least someone like him.
Most of all, however,Midsommartaught me that horror movies are often about release, not fear. Much of this can be credited to Pugh’s raw take on Dani and her sorrow, but the script also fascinated me by building a whole context in which Dani could reach her catharsis. The crying scene and the May Queen sequence feel almost wholesome, in this sense, with her finallyfinding her communityafter enduring so much. We’d all like to see some parts of our worlds go up in flames, and the story that Ari Aster builds around this notion took me by surprise. Itmay not be perfect, butMidsommarfelt like finally finding the key to a treasure chest that I was frustrated about not being able to open for so long.
Personal Experience Does Affect How One Enjoys Horror Movies
AfterMidsommar, I finally gained the courage to open that treasure chest. I knew I should take baby steps, so watchingHereditaryinitially felt like a huge jump, but I decided to trust Ari Aster again, and, again, he showed me that there has always been more to horror than what I was led to believe.Toni Collette’s acting felt explosive, andthe movie’s deep take on loss and motherhood blew me away, as did the imagery of the Grahams being torn apart one at a time. More than finally being able to enjoy horror, I became an Ari Aster fan, but I did feel betrayed byBeau Is Afraid— I watched thatwith my mother, man!
Once I found my footing in the horror genre, I promised myself to keep on pushing. The idea wasn’t necessarily to become a horror buff, but to feel comfortable watching it regardless, soI established a system based on my own fears and beliefs. Slashers and psychological horror are more grounded, so yes. Supernatural and body horror are usually more allegorical, so they’re okay, too. Zombies are implausible, so that’s an easy “yes.” Spirits, demons, and the supernatural in general? Now that depends. I’m not religious, but I am Latino, and there’s always a hint of belief deep down. But, in time, this system got more and more flexible. Recently, I’ve been able tothoroughly enjoymovies likeMalignant,The Black Phone, andLonglegs, for example, and classics likeRosemary’s BabyandThe Blair Witch Project.
What I learned from this journey with horror movies is that that treasure chest can’t be pried open. I always knew I was missing out on a lot of great stuff, but I wasn’t ready for them (and peer pressure only made it more fun for the peers in question). I have never been able to rewatchThe ExorcistandREC, for example, and it may take some time, but I do have a much easier time watching and enjoying the genre, which I would never have imagined until a few years ago. Of course, I’m still very careful about picking the movies I’ll watch, because I learned the hard way thatpersonal experiencedoes affect one’s ability to enjoy horror— any genre, really, but horror is particularly stimulating, which makes it even harder. But since then, I have finally been able to open that chest, and all thanks to Ari Aster for providing me with the key withMidsommar.
