chuckyskn1fe

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'screen print leaflets for "the second celebrator of the four," 1977' in h.r. giger's film design - morpheus international (1996)

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MAXXXINE (2024) DIR. TI WEST

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anxiety is one of the most common struggles that people face in the 21st century; and because of that, there are countless tips, tricks, and medications you can take to ease those worrying thoughts. but, why do some of us feel so comforted when we choose to watch a horror movie instead of a breathing exercise? why does horror ease the anxiety that we're feeling, and are we 'insane' for feeling that way?

I have frequent days where my anxiety is so extreme that i can't even leave my bed, but my first thought isn't to take deep breaths or journal-- it's to watch a horror movie!

i believe that i, and you, and others, feel this way for one specific reason-- we get to feel anxious over something more scary while also knowing it's something that isn't happening to us and isn't even real. my anxiety eases when watching horror because my mind is no longer fogged by the meaningless worries I've felt through the day, and is now packed with more REAL worries; like 'what is gonna happen to our MC? that looks so terrifying, i can't imagine dealing with that!' etc.

we are able to shift the worries to something less permanent, something that's outside of ourselves!

we know that what we're witnessing in the movie isn't real, so it's easier to navigate the feelings of anxiety. there are parts of our brain that knows it isn't real, which helps us feel less physically repulsed, but there are also parts that still believe what we're seeing truly is real-- which causes that adrenaline rush or feelings of anxiety during your viewing! it's much more rewarding to watch a horror movie when you're able to pinpoint that the negative emotions you're feeling are manageable by, well... pausing the movie or turning it off !

i think that's something that most with daily anxiety wish to experience, the ability to just pause it or turn it off-- so actually being able to manage it in any form of horror media truly can be gratifying and mood boosting. It's much easier to deal with anxiety when you are able to watch these movies without 'overreacting' while at the same time, using your energy to focus those anxious feelings solely on the movie

I'm also the type of person who absolutely loves to watch horror movies with those that I care about and those that I'm close with-- I absolutely think that that is something that can be talked about during this specific conversation! because, when doing this, we can almost treat it almost as an endurance test or like a confrontation to our anxiety; we can face these anxious thoughts and fears from the comfort of our own couch, also with someone going through the exact same thing as us, while both knowing it isn't real and it will eventually be over.

when you're able to navigate your anxiety and your emotions throughout a horror movie, it may not seem like it, but you are absolutely strengthening your mind in terms of your anxiety that you deal with day to day! those feelings of fear and worry that you're experiencing during your viewing of any horror movie can be applied to your real life-- and when applying this, you can use your movie watching experience as a way to even ease your anxiety; ex. "i know nothing bad is actually going to happen. what I'm experiencing isn't necessarily real."

watching horror movies with anxiety can, and surely will, equip you with more tools to be able to face and deal with those emotions on the daily.

whatever the reason TRULY may be as to why people with anxiety love horror movies, I know that there are so many other people who are also dealing with this exact same thing, while doing the exact same thing to cope with it-- and that really is enough for me to feel better.

I don't think horror as a genre gets enough credit for just how much it has done for so many different people dealing with so many different things.

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ANN DEMEULEMEESTER SS25

photographer: Angela Ricciardi

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for years, we've seen the queer community be represented in horror media, but it's beautiful to look back and see how hollywood has went from a small nod to the gays, to entire movies centered around the queer experience!

it's extremely common for people to feel comforted by horror movies... for many reasons-- having the ability to control your fear while also being in a safe environment, all while getting that epic dopamine rush; but i think it's important to talk about the love of horror that comes from queer communities specifically!

i think it's super amazing to see that i'm not the only queer person who was drawn to horror movies BECAUSE of my queerness. looking from the outside in, there are so many experiences in horror movies that are comparable to many queer experiences/the way queer people live. we see a lot of characters being treated like outcasts, a lot of representation of a marginalized experience with these main characters commonly not being believed or being the 'loser' and the 'weirdo'-- mirroring an experience that so many queer people have lived and are still living. however, the main thing, to me, is the amazing theme of overcoming these struggles as our final character escapes the killer, which can be seen as shedding a light of resilience and hope on the gay community, something that a lot of us desperately seek.

when you've spent such a long time using a genre as a means of distraction from the hate you experience in real life, seeing your own community being represented in that same genre can feel like a breath of fresh air. we've seen a lot of queer coded horror and many, many nods to the community in horror movies such as Seed of Chucky (2004), Jennifer's Body (2009), and Nightmare on Elm Street 2 (1985)-- these movies being known for their queer coded-ness but not outright being queer movies. i think it's fun to look back on those movies when we look forward at all of the outright GAY horror we have in 2025.

when talking about some of my favorite queer horror pieces of all time, i have to start with the Fear Street trilogy (2021). these movies give us some really fun kills, interestingly thick plot, and a really sad telling of queer experience-- specifically looking at Fear Street part 3: 1666 where the audience sees a historic, heartfelt and painful telling of living life as a lesbian during the 17th century or... any time period.

we see some super fun, camp kills in Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022), a movie bringing a new take to gay horror with a super fun twist. when we look at gay media in general, we see a lot of fun comedic takes that you typically wouldn't see in most medias, but Bodies x3 really had a way of encompassing that fun queer humor without being too over the top with nonsensical jokes and tropey stereotypes. this movie has super fun and modern monologue with gay leads!

in I Saw the TV Glow (2024), the viewer can see this horrific sadness and fear in owen, a misunderstood teen, from the jump. we see owen open up, try to make sense of things and we ultimately see them experiencing this 'egg cracking' and from then on battling that repression throughout the film; that repression working to make it even more real and terrifying to any queer person watching it.

we see owen struggling with the decision of conforming in a way that those around them wish them to be or being their true self-- this being filmed in a way that will make your skin crawl while making your heart feel heavy. knowing the battles that a queer person faces within themselves is a topic that is rarely talked about, let alone mentioned in film; i think the representation of that struggle has left a lot of viewers wondering if there really is still time (there always will be). this is an amazing film to watch for a devastating queer experience.

i think overall, we have so many amazing queer horror movies and even more amazing queer actors that are making their way in hollywood-- which is only going to grace us more and give us even more representation. queer horror has always been around, the queer community has always had the horror community to lean on, and i think it's only a matter of time before we see some truly huge queer horror movies break box office records.

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THE FINAL DESTINATION BOOKS!!

Dead Reckoning

Destination Zero

End of the Line

Dead Man's Hand

Looks Could Kill

Death of the Senses

Final Destination 1

Final Destination 2

Final Destination 3

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Are you scared? | Jennifer’s Body (2009)

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Appalachia vs Horror

Being someone who was born and raised in Appalachia, I have always been very drawn to movies that mention or draw inspiration from Appalachian folklore, the setting, or the general aesthetic grit that Appalachia can provide. We’ve seen Appalachia be woven into movies, typically horror, for decades now, growing mostly in the 1970s— the most notable movies being The Decent (2005) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977). But what does that mean for not only Hollywood, but for Appalachia?

The unfortunate truth in this is that there are many movies in the Appalachian Horror subgenre that are very blatant with the cruel depictions and stereotypes of Appalachian folk. There are many offenders of this, the most blatant and obvious being… The entire Wrong Turn franchise.

The most common depictions include people from Appalachia and surrounding areas being rude, creepy and strange— typically with ill intentions. We also see the extremely harmful and ignorant implication of inbreeding and lack of intelligence in people from here. I feel like it isn’t extremely necessary for me to dive into why this is a bad thing to imply because it’s obvious— but this (inbreeding and lack of intelligence stereotype) stems from geographical isolation and economic class. Transportation to and from school was typically much harder for children in Appalachia, especially in decades past, due to their location in the hills. It was also often deemed unnecessary for children to have schooling due to familial farms and trade schools that children went to when they reached a certain age. Not to mention that Appalachian people are typically more kind than your typical person, and we value community more than most— always reaching out a hand to anyone, even a stranger.

Covering all of the unfortunate representation feels sad and heavy, but it’s easy to overlook these things when diving deeper into a niche topic, so I find it almost necessary. Now that we’ve gone over some of the darker sides of this conversation, I can really get into the amazing things that have come from Appalachia in horror movies and writing!

Appalachia has endless beauty that can also feel very eerie and terrifying at the same time. This can be seen in The Blair Witch Project (1999), where a group of college students are lost in the woods in Maryland. The terrifying, labyrinth-esque setting of the movie being centered around a beautiful expense of woods is what I’m drawn to— truly encompassing just how beautiful Appalachia is, all while also highlighting how this area is naturally scary and ominous. This movie is exactly what a late night in rural Appalachia feels like; sitting on your porch and staring into the woods, feeling like something is definitely watching you as you hear the wildlife move around. As someone who has always lived in here in these woods, a movie encapsulating the beauty of the local wilderness here is one of the most important things one could do— shedding a light on how beautiful this stretch of area truly is.

There are countless films that have taken inspiration from Appalachia/are set in Appalachia, all while not even being filmed there; some of the most notable being Silent Hill (2006) and The Descent (2005). Both of these movies working to encapsulate the energy and aesthetic grit of rural Appalachia from places in different parts of the world; for Silent Hill that being Canada, and The Descent being the UK. As a media consumer, it feels really amazing to watch directors and producers choose to take inspiration from Appalachia— all while doing so gracefully. Knowing that there are people who aren’t from this area even care about it in any capacity is enough for me.

Appalachia has been misrepresented in horror for decades upon decades now; I think it’s time to start telling some actual Appalachian stories and hiding those stereotypical, hateful stories away in the trash where they belong. Appalachian horror is an entire subgenre inside of horror and in the year 2025, there is some amazing Appalachian representation that doesn’t toss around ignorance with outdated stereotypes— you just have to find them. I’ll leave this with a list of some of the most famous Appalachian horror movies, even some that I haven’t even seen; Deliverence (1972), The Blair Witch Project (1999), Night of The Living Dead (1968), The Mothman Prophecies (2004), and Mama (2013).

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Seed of Chucky (2004)

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this page from my school's english textbook reminded me of something 😭😭

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Okay well sorry i died in ur bathroom get over it

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“I know a place” and I take you to Lowe’s self check out to watch Saw (2004)

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“I have been in love with no one, and never shall,” she whispered, “unless it should be with you.”