Paranormal Cinema: The Awakening
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image CREATOR: DIANE DIEDERICH | cREDIT: GETTY IMAGES/VETTA
So it begins … my chaotic tribute to cinematic horror, my bloody valentine to the paranormal on film, my last will and testament to the illest thrills and chills.
Here lies Juice Demon, in the realm where entertainment and horror collide.
Since this is a paranormal blog, I must abide by its limitations—meaning there are many films of other horror genres I dare not venture into, so as to avoid endless meta-tangents and philosophizing that could derail our collective theme. But first, the basics.
Here's Horror :D
From the French word “orror”—meaning “to shudder or bristle”— horror in its simplest definition is a condition marked by fear. In an art form, the horror genre should unsettle its audience through the use of narrative, auditory cues and visual elements. Basically, if you’re at a premiere and the theatre doesn’t periodically erupt in pearl-clutching shrieks, then consider the film’s horror card revoked.
Horror films have different origins around the world. These origins range from ancient folklore passed down through various cultures to the local paranormal encounters that gained such notoriety that they were elevated to narrative non-fiction and beyond.
Now of course, there are somewhat-official genres and subgenres of horror … but this is my ship, and I am its captain, so I will be taking some liberties:
Ø Psychological. Codename: Cerebral killer (Yikes).Ø Slasher. Codename: What did you even trip on?!Ø Monster. Codename: Stomp and chomp.Ø Found Footage. Codename: Heavy breathing.Ø Paranormal. Codename: Ghostly realms.
Finally, my chosen genre (and what some would argue to be the original in horror). Paranormal films should include some combination of: ghosts, ghouls, demons, spirits, possessions, powers, the afterlife, witchcraft, and other inexplicable happenings of this nature. They’ll likely have a title that begins with “The Haunting Of” or a rickety house on its poster with an eerie light shining from within. Or it will literally have the word “paranormal” in it, like the massively popular Paranormal Activity franchise. (I gave up after the third one).
From The Cabin in the Woods to The Babadook, you’ll find avid enthusiasts on all levels of intensity and style. So what drives these fanbases? What exactly is so fascinating about being horrified?
I won’t bother trying to come up with a magical, universally-applicable answer. Instead, I’ll dive into some Juice Demon lore. The first paranormal horror movie I can remember seeing was The Grudge. Now this will age me terribly, but I remember watching this on a portable DVD player about half the size of a laptop. When it was over, I was scared to turn off the lights. I can remember vowing never to watch anything like it again.
It was a morbid curiosity that led me to watching the disc’s special features. The reminder of it being fiction renewed my spirits, and from then on I immersed myself in the genre. Over time, my attempt to kill my fear through desensitization turned into a fierce adoration.
So what makes my adoration so persistent? What keeps it alive?
Perhaps the answer is philosophical. The notion that humans exist in a chaotic and purposeless universe is what characterizes absurdism (the belief system I would choose at gunpoint). It is the conflict between searching for inherent meaning in life and accepting that there might not be any to be found. Depressing? Maybe, but I see it as a perpetual state of wonder. To me, the “not knowing” is the fun part of existing. Some even believe that subjectivity—a rejection of a clearly-defined reality—is the basis of the horror genre as a whole.
I love science (abysmal high school grades aside), but what I love even more are the things that manage to remain elusive to its parameters. The paranormal challenges the world we know, and that disruption taps into a curious fascination I’ve always had with absurdity and chaos.
Maybe the obsession comes down to biology, and my brain just loves the adrenaline (dopamine—thanks again, science!)
Or maybe (at the heart of it) there is a dreamy, romantic notion that defines my relationship with paranormal horror. Maybe teetering on the edge of fright and wonder is my favourite reminder that I’m alive and real.
I wouldn’t call myself an executive authority on the genre by any means. I don’t enjoy every niche subgenre, and I’ll admit to a healthy distaste for the over-reliance on jump scares. However, the overarching classification of paranormal horror contains some of my absolute favourite films. Ghost stories are classic, timeless and ever-evolving. And Ghost Writers?
the real ones will get this reference
PICREW RIGHTS BELONG TO @cozmicchu, design by juice demon
Juice Demon is a harbinger of chaos from a dark dimension. She daylights as a student in the Professional Writing Program at Algonquin College. She is an enthusiast of carefully curated horror movie marathons, bonfire cracklings, and imagining the alternate universe in which Willem Dafoe is cast as The Joker.
