The Witch, “Indie Arthouse Horror” And Our Obsession With Overclassification

Yet, here we are, where self-appointed gatekeepers are demanding that The Witch doesn’t belong anywhere near horror because mental manipulation isn’t enough. A fucking possessed farm animal who’s able to tear an entire family apart just isn’t horrifying enough, and bloody, breast mutilation just isn’t evil enough to signify true horror.

These types of claims devalue a wide-open genre, and strip it down to exaggerated characterizations we fans have fought to disprove. Horror can be anywhere, and certainly will change from person to person – some find clowns scary, while others hate spiders. You can’t tell someone The Witch isn’t scary because you don’t find it so. Horror is about community and connection, not proving who is the purest horror fan through close-minded deviations from what the genre truly represents.

Giving credit where credit is due, Jason Coffman previously expressed similar feelings, through the frustration of so-called horror gatekeepers. Brilliant stuff that needs to be said.

This is not only on general audiences, though. As a critic myself, there has to be a downscaling in outrageous festival hype. Films now a days are always “THE NEXT [INSERT RECENT HIT],” and that’s not necessarily fair. Movies need to prove themselves organically, and carve out their own legacy. There’s nothing wrong with promoting a movie, but here’s a topical example I’d like to motion away forever.

It’s time to retire “[X Movie] is this year’s The Babadook!” I hate this phrase for many, many reasons:

1. If you, like myself, did not enjoy The Babadook, you’re already rolling your eyes. Yes. I was one of the few outspoken people against The Babadook – yet The Witch tickled my satanic fancy, and It Follows earned a “Bloody Brilliant” pull-quote from yours truly.
2. Saying this statement is essentially claiming no psychological horror film before The Babadook has achieved the same quality, grandeur or status. Again, this is an absolutely ludicrous suggestion that not only slights decades worth of psychological horror, but generates comparisons that might not be true. The Witch couldn’t be any farther from The Babadook, so why falsely proclaim it as such?
3. There is only one The Babadook, and there will only ever be one The Babadook (until an inevitable remake, of course). Movies are their own unique journey, and despite classifiable generics, no two films are identically the same (well, except for that useless Cabin Fever remake). The Witch isn’t this year’s The Babadook – it’s this year’s The Witch.
4. Just. Stop. Comparing. We’re too quick to categorize movies, versus digesting them individually. This needs to stop, because it’s exactly how we got in this whole Deathwave/”Not horror”/Indie Art House situation.

If people continually read articles that tout a film as the scariest movie of all time, they’re probably going to expect a generic type of fear. Jumps, jolts, and hideous demons who terrorize human victims. Paranormal Activity or slasher kind of scares. It’s our duty, as critics, to ensure that people understand what kind of movie to expect, be it adrenaline-pumping action, or restrained, atmospheric scares.

As stated before, people experience horror in many different ways. Festival reviewers are the front line in this battle to find worthwhile, momentous genre fare that unlocks giddy excitement – but with great power, comes great responsibility. Quotes are nice, and conducting the hype train sure is fun, but without a proper representation of a film’s essence, audiences will continue to react against warped, influenced expectations. And, like Bret Easton Ellis, they may not like it.

You all saw what he tweeted, right? No? Oh, here ya go:

As a critic, I respect all opinions. Differentiation is fair, and tastes vary. That said – what the hell?