It's been a week since this years Academy Award nominations were released and it's safe to say that they were full of surprises. Not only did Guillermo Del Toro's Cold War creature feature The Shape of Water garner a whopping 13 nominations in total, but Jordan Peele's Get Out also gained four nominations as well, including best film and best director. Four nominations may not seem like much, but for a horror film like Get Out to even be nominated for anything at the Academy Awards is groundbreaking in itself. It was a triumphant moment for horror fans everywhere, but of course, it wasn't long before people began voicing their opinions on the matter online. Of course there were the usual 'didn't think it was scary' comments, mainly from middle-aged white males with American flags in their profile pictures, but even more bizarre was the fact that there were people actually dismissing its status as a horror film! Some people instead preferred to label it as a thriller or social satire, as if the term 'horror film' is some sort of dirty word. So why are people so afraid to label a film as a horror once it's gained some critical acclaim?
The Get Out situation is not the first time this has happened, and it certainly won't be the last. Look at The Exorcist for example, one of the most important horror films ever made, often cited as being one of the scariest films of all time, yet there are some people who refuse to label it a horror film. Even director William Friedkin was hesitant to call it horror, claiming that he set out to make a film about 'the mystery of faith' instead, although he has now come to accept its horror status. It's true that The Exorcist is a film about faith and the struggle with maintaining belief, but why should that mean that it's not a horror film as well? The truth is that there is still this stigma around the term 'horror' when it comes to cinema, with many being firmly in the mindset that horror films are of lower quality than their contemporaries in other genres. With The Exorcist gaining 10 Oscar nominations and winning 2, there's no way that such a prestigious film could be a mere horror movie, right? Well, unfortunately, this is the actual mindset that some people have, which is, if you'll excuse me, a load of bollocks. Films like Jaws and The Silence of the Lambs went through similar ordeals, with the latter winning the 'big five' Academy Awards, there was no way that a horror film could do that, right? People instead prefer to label such films as 'thrillers' because it doesn't carry the same stigma that the term 'horror' does. Let's be real here lads, if a films about killer sharks or cannibalistic psychiatrists aren't horror films, then what exactly is?
So where does this stigma come from? It's no secret that horror films have pushed boundaries and broken taboos, perhaps moreso than any other genre, which often gains them a considerable amount of controversy. The portrayal of themes such as violence and sexuality in horror cinema gave many a bad impression of the genre during the mid-to-late 20th century, which is most likely where this stigma arose from. It is because of this stigma that many people still don't take horror films seriously today, which is bizarre considering how much the genre has influenced todays cinematic landscape. Look at Universal Studios for example, one of the most powerful American film studios right now. Back in 1930 however, the company was losing money fast and needed a breath of fresh air to keep it going, that's where Carl Laemmle Jr. came in. After inheriting the company from his father, Laemmle Jr. saw the potential held by horror films after Dracula became the studios most successful release in 1931. The studio then began to produce a wide number of horror films in the years that followed including The Wolf Man and Bride of Frankenstein. If it wasn't for horror films, the company could have very well went bankrupt, but because of them it now stands as one of Americas most successful film studios. As well as giving Universal a fresh start, horror cinema has also kickstarted the career of a number of prolific directors as well. Before he made Avatar, James Cameron made Piranha II. Before he made The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson was one of the icons of splatter cinema, with films such as Braindead and Bad Taste under his belt. You simply cannot deny horror's influence on the current cinematic climate.
As well as this stigma surrounding the horror genre, there is also the age old argument that 'this film did not scare me, therefore it is not a horror film'. Look, fear is subjective, something that scares one person will not always scare another, and therefore some horror films will effect different people in different ways. I know the Sinister films don't phase me at all, but there are plenty of people out there who find them terrifying, and I think it's important to be able to recognise that what may not scare you could very well horrify someone else. To me, a film doesn't have to scare me to be a horror film, I mean I've seen so many at this stage of the game that most of them don't. Horror isn't just about being scared, it's about exploring the morbid and the macabre, the fantastic and the downright bizarre. It's a genre where the fears and tensions of the real world can manifest themselves in strange, and often supernatural ways that translate to us on a number of levels. Most importantly I think it's a highly subversive genre, much like sci-fi, and is a lot more satirical than people tend to realise. From Dawn of the Dead poking fun at consumerism, to Shivers exploring class and sexuality, even Frankenhooker had something to say about the legality of sex work, be they intentional or not, I guarantee the vast majority of horror films hold some sort of satirical undertones. This is why I was so surprised when people dismissed Get Out as a horror film because they saw it more as a social satire, when horror and satire have gone hand in hand for decades!
I've always seen horror cinema as an art form all of its own. Being able to craft an effective scare is no easy feat and a number of complimentary factors are required to do so. Which is why it bothers me so much when people are still so afraid to label successful horror films as just that. Being part of the horror genre does not make a film inferior in any way, shape or form. It is a genre that has been around almost as long as cinema itself, and its legacy reaches across many other genres over many generations. Horror films require just as much skill and dedication as any other film, regardless of budget, so stigmatising the genre as inferior is insulting not just to the fans, but to the cast and crew behind such great films. 'Horror' shouldn't be a dirty word in cinema, it deserves just as much respect and recognition as any other genre. I think Guillermo Del Toro put it best during his Golden Globes acceptance speech for The Shape of Water, when he said that 'somewhere, Lon Chaney is smiling upon all of us'. This is the attitude that film fans and filmmakers alike should adopt when a horror film garners such remarkable critical success. Instead of simply labeling it as something other than horror, we should be thankful for the fact that the genre is finally getting the respect and recognition it deserves.
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