I didn't think I'd come up with something new to write about this quick, but after sitting through a recent screening of Dimension's Wolf Creek I couldn't help but ask the question “why do we watch this sh-t?"- which is of course the title of my second ‘Pulse on Horror' article. Read on for my rant and then feel free to discuss amongst yourselves here.

Why Do We Watch This Sh-t?

I haven't really thought through what I'm going to write, which I guess is why they call it a rant. All I know is that after I watched Wolf Creek, which was directed by Greg McLean, I was a tad shaken up.

It wasn't just the way the movie was shot, or the way the story was told- it was my reflection on society and horror in general. I sat in the dark theater as the credits rolled in disarray, pondering if there's something wrong with me (or us horror fans).

I don't consider myself to be a violent person and as much as people piss me off (and oh do they piss me off) I still manage to brush it off and move on with my life. But then I find myself fascinated with true crime and horror movies. I watch shows about murderers and read about how they killed people. These poor victims become just numbers while I marvel in the mystery of the mind of the killer. In the end I'm intrigued and engrossed in the story behind the madmen- and sadly enough entertained. But that's why I was in disarray, because why should I be smiling about the way someone died? It's not funny, nor is it fun and yet I can't help but watch these movies.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Wolf Creek, Gacy, Chaos, Last House on the Left and dozens more films like them are out there. Most recently Choas has become the center of attention claiming to be one of the most shocking movies of all time. And I ask myself, is that really something to brag about? And what the f-ck makes one movie OK, while the other is considered sick?

Critics are bashing Murder-Set-Pieces and Chaos claiming the films to be unfound and pointless- a cheap excuse to kill a child on screen for shock value. But seriously, why is it ok for us to watch a movie based on a real life killer but not one based on fiction? Wolf Creek, which is truly based on real events, has a clear story and a fictionalized feel surrounding it, while Chaos is just brutal and disgusting with no real plot. Does adding a narrative really make that much of a difference?

You'd think as long as in the back of our minds we think it's fiction it's ok to laugh and enjoy a horror film, no matter how real it is. Only it appears to be the opposite, make a movie about a fictionalized killer and you're disturbed, while if it's based on true events it's like watching a documentary.

Thinking more into it I just thought of Passion of the Christ. Perfect example, and just as f-cked up. People flocked to a theater to watch a movie that was nothing more than an hour and a half of torture. There was no f-cking narrative and no (apparent) redeeming value whatsoever, but it's ok because (in specific people's opinions) it's based on true events. And because it's based on true events they are now showing it in churches! My mind is freaking boggled!


But what really makes this article interesting is that I am in no way challenging or demeaning any films that are out there, or our perspective of “good" and “bad"- I'm just asking the simple question, “Why do we watch this sh-t?"

I've dwelled on this for hours and I can't seem to find an answer myself. I want to say because it's a way of venting or letting the rage out. Or some people like to say that it's a learning experience, like what not to do in a specific situation. But in the end these films are entertaining to me and I don't know why. And sometimes it makes me feel sick that I love them so much. I guess the question is just as puzzling as why people like dramas. I could never understand why you'd want to pay $11 to walk out of a theater crying.

I always use the excuse that I love horror movies because they defy the clichés of regular life. As much as it's predictable, nothing is set in stone, almost like a fantasy film or a sci-fi film. Only in the end blood is spilled and innocent (or are they) lives are taken. But at the same time I laugh, I rewind it 100X and show my friends. We laugh and eat our Taco Bell like it's nothing. Then there are movies like Wolf Creek that just kick you in the balls and make you question everything you love.


When I was 13 and challenging the existence of God I kept asking the question, "if there's a God, why would he let leave the world in the sh-t condition it's in?" A religious figure explained it to me quite well, he asked me the question, “how could you appreciate life if everything was good?" I'm not going off into a religious argument because that's not the point. The point is that through this rant I may have found an answer: We watch so we can appreciate everything that we have.

What do you think?

Feel free to discuss amongst yourselves here.