Going to level with all of you, I'm not the biggest fan of horror in the first place, but even when I do watch it, I can separate what I like from what I don't. Usually, what I like is something Alien where the fear doesn't come from the monster itself, but rather the experience of dread that being unable to see it gives you. I'm usually not a big fan of slashers, zombie or most monsters, but there's another category that I hate even more than these and that's realistic horror. Like a lot of people, I like to watch shows/play games to escape from the humdrum of the day-to-day, so when things try to be realistic it's not always my favorite to see and, with horror, it just brings out a very cynical side of myself that I'm pretty sure I've shown a little.
Now, even though I started this by saying that it's the lack of escapism that I don't like, I can't really go off for very long about this so I'll get to the meat of the matter. This is going to make me sound like an old man, but the biggest issue I have lies in people who can't/won't separate fiction from reality. Before you roll your eyes and just dismiss what I'm about to say, humor me for a minute and I'll try to make it quick with some non-horror instances.
The first, most common to all of us, is the rabid side of shipping communities, especially with real people. Now, this is not to say that all shipping is bad, there are quite a few ships that, while I don't really ship anything, I appreciate because they lean a little more into cute and wholesome fanart and feel like, after some definite plot stuff, could become true without sacrificing who the characters are. So, the two largest groups I can look at for this are the Reylo and Septiplier shippers.
I'm not a huge fan of the sequel trilogy, but I can admit, after watching other things he's been in, Adam Driver is a talented actor. However, I was no aware that he was married until after the movies had come out, but I understand why. For people who ship Reylo, they would and did send threats to his wife for her not being Daisy Ridley because they wanted their couple to not only be canon, but be actually real. The only couple I know that was real from a movie was the Edward Scissorhands couple (didn't work out). These people associated these actors with their characters rather than them being real people with no attraction to each other save for being coworkers or even friends.
Now...let's look back on the years of Septiplier and the problems of this. I will acknowledge that Jack and Mark said it was fine, but they gave parameters on what would be okay which was more like a bromance than anything. However, people ignored that last part and took the mile. Jack and Mark are both (I think Jack still is) is wholesome, loving relationships with their girlfriends and people sent them death threats simply for "getting in the way of the truth." I assume they just block it out as I'm certain it still continues even now, but I can't imagine the feeling is gone even by now. To have people wishing you would die so that two real world people could be together who are close friends and have no romantic or sexual desire for each other...I can't imagine.
A brief look into another, more recent example of this is Thirteen Reasons Why. I haven't read the book, nor do I intend to, but I've heard the stories and Netflix's attempt to set things right (more on that later). The show paints suicide as a viable method of revenge against the people who have wronged you, even if they tried but you wouldn't let them in the main character's counselor. I've been known to hold a grudge in the past and have a few revenge fantasies, so I understand the desire for it, but the whole point of revenge is to be able to see the fruits of your labor. However, and this is undeniable, there was an increase in suicides by high school, middle school students after the first season ended and the main girl killed herself. Netflix, under pressure, put a disclaimer at the beginning to remember that it's a work of fiction and to seek help and that impressionable people shouldn't watch this, but by then the damage was done. People had seen the glamorization of suicide and it had already affected them to the point of no return.
Okay, so let me give a few examples of what I consider realistic horror. This is basically horror that has no supernatural forces, no monsters, no apocalypse/virus, just people. Now, there are some movies I'd put in here that I'd say are fantastic like Psycho as simple as the plot can be. However, the plot of Psycho is simple, but it relies on Norman's obsession with his mother to carry the simple plot, but there are so many others that don't fall under this category like The Purge.
The biggest plot issue I have with The Purge is that the first movie expects you to believe that after the twenty-four hours are done that the government will be able to put a stop to things. I'll admit that the last movie is realistic in what happens, but that's all the credit I give it. I know people aren't always the brightest in the world, you can find tons of examples online and we even laugh at some, but I refuse to believe that people would actually be that stupid. However, on a plot point, I had forgotten about the two movies before The Forever Purge and, as mentioned above, there would be no way short of military action to actively get the people who look forward to the annual purge. And even then, everything is legal so you could just break into the military base and get some military-grade tech if you actually make it out.163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9iQCVmljV
I was in middle school when the first movie came out, and even the idea of it absolutely terrified me, but what terrified me more were the stories of people thinking that it was actually going to happen...for all crime to be legal for 12-hours. People, despite the movies being set in a dystopian US, actually believed and hoped that the purge was going to be a real thing. I wasn't around anyone who was like this, but it cemented my distaste for realistic horror. 163Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eIlzrZ7T3
Another movie series I set as realistic horror is the SAW franchise, but my dislike for it extends to more than just how possible it could be. I have a hard time watching SAW due to the amount of gore in it making just feel sick to my stomach rather than feeling any sort of terror. Some of the later films just don't feel like horror movies and just gross factor. Even though it wouldn't be easy to do what Jigsaw does, it's not outside the realm of possibility that someone would be horrible enough to do something similar, but maybe without the intention of teaching people how precious their lives really are. There are plenty of examples throughout history of horrendous people who probably could've taken some inspiration from Jigsaw.
Last one I want to talk about is Truth or Dare...forgotten about this movie? I did too to make sure that was actually the name. The premise is a game of truth or dare amongst some college students while on break and it starts out normal, then gets more adult before they realize that there's dangerous consequences if they don't go through with the truth or dare. This plot is basic and kinda boring (not necessarily a bad thing) but the worst part I find is that I know people who would base a game of truth or dare after this movie. Much like something like Thirteen Reasons Why (at least the Netflix version, I haven't read the book) I hesitate to think about how many people would be influenced to act by this movie.
Now, what I've just listed above is 100% what I would label as irrational fears, but I can't help but have these feelings. Giving people the benefit of the doubt, at least in most of my experiences, gives them more than enough reason to prove you wrong time and time again. Sorry if I sound cynical and jaded, but it's not like I don't necessarily have reason to be like this, but I want to make one thing abundantly clear.
If you enjoy any movie that would fall under the vague description I gave, please keep enjoying what you love. Don't treat me like I'm some authority figure on everything because, as you'll notice if you read my works, I myself fall victim to stupid plots and other things. Just don't take my words to heart and remember that this entire work is for my opinions.
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