Pleasures of the Flesh
Yes, the title was a cannibal joke, deal with it.
*A re-release of October 2022’s Halloween spooktacular newsletter. A couple of points (yes, another opportunity for a fang-based vampire joke, deal with it) to note:
I am very intentionally avoiding speaking too much about vampires. The reason for this is a blog I may or may not be writing as part of the great KLE Halloween extravaganza about vampires, kink and sexuality. Keep your eyes peeled on the KLE blog, and on KLE twitter for announcements, delicious polaroids taken by yours truly, and the orgiastic group shots by LFL. The sensational Elle Stone (who I’ve rapidly developed something of an, ahem, bloodlust for) took the photo in this blog. There’s a few more which I’ll be treating you all with via my twitter.
Since writing this last year, I’ve been thinking a lot about films which have been released since, and films I simply didn’t have time to talk about here. In the spirit (ghost joke, deal with it) of sharing the horror love, I’ve added a couple of titles to each category.
These titles, this piece, and a great many other things are best enjoyed after dark and with a nice Chianti.
It took me a very long time to start writing this introduction. Obviously I will be talking about horror, the problem child of the genre world, but how to do this succinctly? I have many thoughts and feelings, and my perpetual perfectionism means that I tend to procrastinate something if there’s a possibility I won’t get it absolutely right. So, to hell with it (pun intended), let’s just dive in.
Let me explain why I love horror. Cinema, as an art form, provokes and transports us. It reframes the way we see the world while removing us momentarily from our own. Fundamentally, art/cinema makes us feel. Louise Blain, guest speaking on this episode of my favorite podcast of all time (link to evolution of horror), described horror as “an exercise in extreme empathy.” I like this idea of horror as an immersion in the extremes of another’s emotional realm as an escape from our own. We land back in ourselves with a fresh perspective and a new appreciation of the owned psyche.
From a historical perspective, horror is also a fantastic way to chart and understand the socio-political sensitivities of the time. Genres and ‘monsters’ can pretty accurately reflect the cultural anxieties of the time. This is a whole big topic in itself with a huge amount of discussion exploring its many facets. This is now a little out of date, but provides a good background for anyone not willing to dive into academic journals.
To address the multitude of really terrible elephants in the room. The crap horror films. Like, the really bad ones. I see them, and I acknowledge them, and I value them. Why? Because you have to wade through them to get to the shining jewels that make the whole endeavor worth it. I’m not going to recommend movies to you, because I think you should have the full experience of doing this yourself. What I am going to do is pick out some of my personal favorites and tell you a little about why they mean so much to me.
TV Horror: Hannibal / American Horror Story (seasons 1-3) / Haunting of Hill House
Hannibal combines three of my favourite things: food, fashion and horror. Everything looks beautiful and delicious, including the cast and (morbidly) the human flesh served up by Mads Mikkelson’s Lecter. American Horror Story is shocking, camp and darkly hilarious. All goes slightly wonky when Jessica Lange leaves, though. Honorable mention to The Haunting of Hill House for perfect pacing and making me genuinely scared to watch in the dark.
*2023 Additions: The Walking Dead S1 only
Witches: The Blair Witch Project / The Witch
The Witch is just a masterpiece. You’ll have to talk to me in person about this provided thou wouldst like to live deliciously. The Blair Witch Project did some really important stuff for horror, including kick-starting the ‘found footage’ trend. It’s glorious because you never see a single thing apart from a few bloody handprints. And it’s terrifying. The first time I saw it was as a young teen at a small halloween party out in the countryside; my mum’s old Peugeot broke down in the middle of the woods on the way home at night. The timing was impeccable, the trauma immeasurable.
*2023 Additions: Suspiria (2018, Guadagnino), The Love Witch
Ari Aster: Hereditary / Midsommar
Few directors connect us to characters in the horror genre so well as Aster. In particular, Aster’s female characters are some of the most compelling and complex on the screen today. I also adore Aster’s clear vision/aesthetic. Midsommar is beautiful and doesn’t quite manage to put me off of going to Sweden; you will also instantly form a trauma bond with anyone you speak to about THAT scene in Hereditary.
Cannibals: Raw / The Silence of the Lambs
Look, I couldn’t not mention Silence of the Lambs. ‘Nuff said. But Raw is a shining, morbid, icky jewel of a film. French language, honest, unflinching and utterly unique. Go watch it.
*2023 Additions: Fresh, Bones and All
Sexuality: It Follows / Black Swan
Sex and horror go hand-in-hand. Bodies, blood, desire, possession. Humans are grotesque and beautiful and dirty and perverse (see also ‘cannibals’ above). These films sometimes adhere to this, but they’re a little more blatantly about modern and personal anxieties around sex and sexuality. It Follows uses a simple and fantastic central concept, with an aesthetic and soundscape which makes the era in which it is set familiar but imperceptibly difficult to determine exactly. Up for debates about whether Black Swan is strictly horror. It is pretty sexy though.
*2023 Additions: X, Jennifer’s Body, Cam, Climax
‘Adventure Horror’: The Descent / As Above, So Below
I don’t think these films are enormously scary, but I do think they’re fun. They scratch a very particular Horror Lite itch for me and I tend to come back to them as background films or hangover movies.
*2023 Additions: The Cabin in the Woods, Barbarian
Trauma/Grief: The Babadook / Possum
I guess the point of these films is to externalise the truest horrors of human experience. “If it's in a word, or it's in a look, you can't get rid of the Babadook.” Yeah, true, you can’t just be in denial about grief. Facing your trauma is the only way to survive it, etc. I like these films less because of the obvious symbolism but because, if you’ll pardon my language, they fucked my shit up significantly. The uncanny imagery and thick atmosphere of creeping dread genuinely kept my lights on far longer than usual and lost me precious hours of sleep. And ain’t that just the point?
*2023 Additions: Saint Maud, Gerald’s Game, His House, Annihilation
Happy Halloween! And remember: tricks and treats are not necessarily mutually exclusive…