6) The Fans Themselves
I already touched on the community feel horror has, but the fans that make up this collective are even more unique. These are people ballsy enough to embrace the most f*cked up genre of filmmaking, love every minute of it, and scream it from the mountain tops with pride. Horror fans are some of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet (scientifically proven), and they treat their favorite genre right. Going to horror film festivals is always a riot because of the people you end up meeting, and the insanely unique personalities each one possesses. Walking into a room, you look around and never see a herd mentality type situation where everyone just appears to be the same – we’re all black sheep, and we’re proud of it. You don’t get that with other genres, because horror is so niche, and that brings us back to that communal feeling that is oh so warm and fuzzy.
7) The “Zero F#cks Given” Mentality
I’ve seen it all in horror – whether I like it or not. Sometimes it’s for the best (Dead Alive), sometimes it’s for the worst (The Human Centipede), and sometimes I seriously can’t even react to what I’ve just witnessed (A Serbian Film). Nothing is off limits. Nothing is sacred. No one cares if you’re offended. If a director wants copious amounts of pointless nudity, no actress will have her top on. No celebrity is safe. No one gives a fuck about status. Basically, the horror genre doesn’t care about anything, and if you don’t like it, then just go away.
There’s no better feeling than loving a genre that isn’t always caring about winning new fans or being widely acceptable to all audiences, as a good horror film already knows its audience. We want our films bigger, badder, meaner, and more vicious, and again, a good horror director always strives for that. There’s exceptions to every rule, but for the most part – the horror genre doesn’t give a single f*ck.
