Many fans of horror, amateur and professional alike, have devoted themselves to blogging about the thrills, chills, and no-frills side of the genre as seen in cinema and print. In this ongoing series that
highlights the writers behind the blogs, we meet the unique personalities and talents that make the online horror scene so engaging. Up close and personal.
In this installment, NM from Gruesome Details tells us how horror took a little while to embrace her.
Horror has always been a part of my life; however, I never embraced the genre until middle school. My father and my grandmother were the horror fans, enjoying the stories and the gore of the genre without a care in the world. Nothing frightened me more as a child than a scary movie; it was the music that haunted me when I traveled up the stairs to go to bed. My father would watch his weekly episode of Tales from the Crypt or another spine-tingling horror film from the 80s while my mother tucked me in at night. The music was the worst, chilling me to the bone because I knew something terrible was happening or going to happen on the screen in the living room.
After years of anxiety and torment from the horror genre, I made the conscious decision to watch a horror film without my cousins or my father. My cousins had tormented me as a child, tricking me into watching parts of horror films without my knowledge and laughing when I realized what was on the television screen. I embraced the horror genre in that first viewing without regrets or remorse, especially when I realized that I had such a selection of films I had ignored for years. Films have always been prevalent in
my life, renting movies with my parents and traveling to the movie theatre
sporadically during my childhood. And the horror genre was a new outlet of
films I could enjoy.
And how I have enjoyed the horror genre! I am no expert nor would I categorize myself as a connoisseur (not yet). I am a horror enthusiast, enjoying the scary and the campy ever since that
faithful day in middle school. Luckily, my father is a horror fan himself,
which made it easier to contribute numerous horror titles to our film library
at home. Films led me to television shows and to literature; truthfully, I had dabbled
in the horror genre in literature years before I voluntarily watched a horror
film. Each year I revisit the classic 80s horror films that spawned numerous
sequels, and every week I check advertisements for the latest horror film
releases.
Music in the horror genre still thrills me, heightening the experience of a horror film. No matter the quality of the film, whether it is horrifyingly amazing or simply mediocre, the music is necessary for the actions to truly mean something to me. Whether it is the haunting voices from The Omen or the shrill music behind that
famous shower scene in Psycho, the genre is better with the music that haunted me as a child. It frightened me, it tormented me, and I cannot fully enjoy a horror film without it.
Gruesome Details started as a simple project for a multimedia design and writing course. It soon became something more. Horror is a passionate subject for me and with each post, I became more engulfed in the genre. With Gruesome Details, I am expanding my knowledge and my interest. Delving into the lesser known horror films and horror in literature, I am becoming a well-rounded enthusiast. I have embraced the genre and turned to the dark side, never looking back even with my friends and roommates’ snide comments and strange looks. I am proud to be a part of the horror blogosphere; I have felt nothing but welcomed since making my presence known.
Whether it is overly gory or it is a simple ghost story, horror has been with me throughout my entire life. I embrace the love of horror that is humming through my veins; my father is so proud–it is something else we share. I am waiting to be frightened once again, when the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight and a cold sweat breaks on my forehead. I am waiting to feel like I did when I knew my father was watching a horror film and the music came floating up the stairs. It scared me, but it was also thrilling, which confused me even more as a child. The music of horror was my siren’s song and I am delighted I followed the call.