A few weeks have passed since you’ve heard from me in my little corner of the interwebs.  Migrating from Substack wasn’t just an exercise in patience. It gave me an opportunity to rethink how to differentiate the experience for community members of Reflections on Horror, and casual readers.

By way of a re-introduction, I’ll explain what you can expect to find in the new digs, what will be different for community members as well as new features I will be including.

Why horror?

A good friend recently asked why I like horror movies and novels so much.

My response? It has very little to do with those movies actually being scary. If I were truly scared every time I watched a horror film, I cannot imagine I’d continue watching.

I love a good mystery. I’m the audience member who actively seeks the clues to solve the puzzle as I watch. The vast majority of the horror movies I enjoy include an aspect of mystery. Why is this place cursed? Why has a ghost chosen to haunt the house? What clues are left behind that point to the killer’s identity?

Beyond a good mystery, the way I see it, a horror movie can be any genre at all. Just amplified, like a car with a nitrous tank.

They are love stories. They are murder mysteries. Stories of adventure and survival. They are science fiction and period pieces. They are comedies (sometimes, on purpose). They are fantasy. They are true crime. They are film noir. These films can be any genre, with the tension ratcheted up. Or the absurdity. Or frights.

Identity is an amplified version of And Then There Was None. Both are great.

While I did grow up in the heyday of 80’s horror, I’m always upfront about being a former ‘fraidy cat. I was not one of those kids watching Freddy slice and dice at age 6. No siree. I used to pour over the entertainment section of the newspaper to look at movie posters and ad campaigns. There were some absolute genius marketing ideas back then and I was fascinated by the artwork and visuals. Just not ready to see the movies or read the books.

Now, decades later, only a handful of my friends are into horror (note to self: review friend list). Their patience with listening to me as I explain how artfully grief is depicted in episode 6 of The Haunting of Hill House, has its limits. 

What does anyone do these days when looking for an outlet? Post online.

Reflections on Horror

What can you expect to find here?

I will continue to post short essays, featuring my perspective on how humanity is portrayed in the genre. Genre films are overlooked when it comes time to recognize cinematic greatness. That dismissiveness means stellar performances are also overlooked. I love to zero in on a role, storyline, even just a single moment, where these films reflect our human nature back to us. Its imperfection. Its kindness. Its morality.

Admittedly, not everything needs to be so heavy, so I stroll on the lighter side at times, including the recent Totally-Made-Up 2023 Horror Awards.

As the title of this blog implies, everything I am posting is reflection of what I see onscreen. You may see things completely differently.

That is the start of a good conversation.

What you won’t find

Needless negativity. Personally, I make a poor movie reviewer. Reviews are entirely subjective. The genre is so rich with titles, and different generations of fans born into vastly different storytelling devices, that we’ve reached the point where a reviewer could state, with a straight face, that they enjoy Saw IV more than The Exorcist, claiming the latter is too slow. They’d be 100% wrong and need to issue an immediate apology before spending five days alone in a cave with Pazuzu.

Which is why I don’t give reviews.

The world is full of negativity and I don’t plan on adding to it.  I use humour to poke fun at some silliness, such as the Useful/Useless Idiot requirement of some films, but I have no desire to seriously trash someone’s work.

What’s New

In addition to written essays, I will include short videos in the weekly community newsletter. They give me an opportunity to share short book and movie recommendations. Or, they may be standalone appreciation post on a specific film sequence that is living rent-free in my mind.

I’d also like to increase the opportunity for community collaboration. The former Subscriber Profile at the other place will be resurrected as the Community Profile. This feature allows members to share their journey in the genre and attempt to escape a unique horror movie setup.

The community newsletter. Formerly, weekly updates simply contained the full version of a post. Here, I would like to transform the weekly update to be broader and a more fun experience for you. Community members will receive a newsletter with a combination of the following:

• the lead-in to the latest essay

• links to video posts

• reflections on what I’ve seen recently

• anticipated new releases

• links to posts or commentary from our members, or the larger genre community

• a preview of upcoming topics

• genre-related puzzles and brain teasers

Next week, Reflections on Horror returns with a regular feature.