Happy Halloween! A day dedicated to candy and fear. Sure it’s a strange combination, not to mention the possibly disastrous, and appropriately spooky consequences of combining a sugar high with the adrenaline of fear. Yet, it’s hard to deny the fun that is Halloween.
As one who makes a practice of avoiding horror movies (don’t even mention Paranormal Activity) and most frightening things, I will still admit that fear has it’s purpose. I will also most definitely concede that it has found its way onto the small screen.
Even more shocking? These shows have found their way into my viewing schedule. In fact, it’s hard to remember time before The Walking Dead and American Horror Story.
Why would a lifelong horror evader watch such shows? Good storytelling. As with all genres, my enjoyment of them depends entirely on the quality of the content. However when it comes to horror, if you can keep me watching, you’re probably doing something amazing.
Let’s face it, it’s not hard to scare people: jump up behind them, turn the lights off suddenly, tell them their favorite show has been cancelled. That’s not the hard part, the hard part is scaring people smartly.
You can scare me, but you better explain yourself. Scare me, make me think, then let me know I’m right (or not). Scary is more fun when it’s smart.
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A glance at Halloweens of yesteryear…from yesteryear (and the New York Times)
…bi-daily smile…
It just wouldn’t be Halloween with it:
