#also the actual reason why Oh Gross (aka The Unknown) looks like that is because the lore states that some people thought

[featherymainffins]

I hate to say it but I might have to admit that Redditors can be pretty based sometimes

[deans-haunted-baby]

Lately I can’t stop thinking about Adam, like I’m legit crushed over what this show did to him. I know Supernatural was never perfect but the way it treated this character was so damn vicious, condescending and nasty; no different than a high school bully picking on an injured elementary schooler.

He never stood a chance. The thing is I don’t know what it was that made me latch onto Adam so strongly for over a decade. Maybe I could just sympathize and easily relate to his situation of being discarded and forgotten by family members. Or maybe I saw potential in this character and couldn’t fathom why no one else on that writing staff and the SPN fandom couldn’t.

I want you to take a second and absorb these pertinent facts about Adam Milligan that this show put forward. This is not anti-anything this is all the truth so bare with me:

He was the illegitimate youngest child of hunter John Winchester; a man who treated his older sons Sam and Dean like soldiers on his platoon.

Adam only saw his bio dad ONCE A YEAR and it was only to take him to ball games not to train him so that he could protect himself and his mother from (supernatural) threats.

He never knew the existence of his older brothers nor did they know about him because John deliberately ripped those pages out of his journal. Essentially trying to erase any evidence of Adam and Kate.

Because Adam grew up having no clue what was out there or about the “family business”  he and his mother suffered VIOLENT PRE-MATURE DEATHS at the hands of ghouls which Adam STILL REMEMBERS long after being murdered.

Oh and John failed to kill those ghouls, providing them the golden opportunity of impersonating him and his mother so they could kill John and his half-brothers.

Adam was only an 18 year old pre-med studying medicine. Probably wanted to follow in his mother’s footsteps in helping people as she was a nurse.

Because Kate worked nights as a single mother, Adam had to grow up being his own parent at times; cooking his own meals and putting himself to bed.

Adam was ironically born on September 29th (1990) which is also known as Michaelmas aka the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. A potential storyline that could’ve gone somewhere but didn’t.

Adam is also by birthright a Men of Letters legacy though his brothers fail to mention that 10 years later.

The last thing Adam was doing while he was in Heaven, designed to look like his Prom, he was kissing a girl Kristen McGee; whom we’ll never know about or if he’ll ever see again.

Adam was ripped out of Heaven against his will by the angels to be used and manipulated as their backup device in the Apocalypse because Sam and Dean refused to comply with their demands.

After being resurrected, Adam was then recovered, kidnapped and held hostage by TFW (Sam, Dean, Bobby and Castiel) where they all took turns mouthing off at this angsty teenager about why he should trust a bunch of complete strangers over those who made him promises.

Adam only wanted to work with the angels in order to stop Lucifer and return to his mother. Highlighting that this character had a sense of justice, responsibility, cared about doing the right thing but also had his own reasons for wanting to save the world.

Sam tried to emotionally manipulate Adam with excuses for why their dad never told him about his family. And actually had the gall to say that him and Dean would’ve looked for him had they’d known he existed so they could be a family. Forgive me if I just laugh at this for a moment 🤣

Zachariah was able to get into Adam’s head because he knew how vulnerable he was. Telling him that trusting the Winchesters would only let him down which *SPOILER ALERT* turned out to be true.

Zachariah tortured Adam for hours before the Winchesters arrived to save him. And Dean was only willing to submit to the angel when Sam was just briefly tortured.

One of the last things Dean says to Adam in 5x18 after he was shocked to see his half-brothers come to his rescue was “Cause you’re family”. Again I have to...🤣🤣

At the moment of their escape, Dean doesn’t even help Adam (WHO’D BEEN INJURDED AND TORTURED) out of the room nor does he care about ushering him to safety. Dean just grabs Sam and hurries out the door. So much for being part of the family.

The last thing Adam screams before before being possessed by Michael was “Dean, help!” and then he hears Dean say “Just hold on!”

Adam, not being Michael’s true vessel yet born from the powerful Winchester bloodline, was able to look directly at the archangel’s true form without his eyes burning out. And this is NEVER explained why.

Dean mentions Adam only a total of THREE TIMES after this happens in 5x19, 5x22 and 6x11 while Castiel mentions it to Sam in 5x21. And Sam, WHO’D BEEN THE MAIN EMOTIONAL MANIPULATOR, just doesn’t give a shit to remember him.

Castiel threw a Molotov cocktail at Michael (who was using Adam’s body) to briefly cast him out which Adam probably felt in excruciating detail based on what Michael says in 15x08.

Sam, possessed by Lucifer, pushed himself and his innocent half-brother possessed by Michael into the cage for all eternity.

Castiel somehow managed to pull Sam out of the cage but decided to leave Adam behind.

After Dean bargains with Death to get Sam’s soul and Adam out of the cage. Only to get just Sam’s soul and leave Adam to his fate. The issue is never brought up again between the Winchesters.

Adam sits a prisoner in a cage with an archangel for 10 years our time but thousands of years Hell time.

Michael most likely protected Adam from some of the horrors in Hell which is why he was able to keep his sanity.

Sam and Dean went to Hell to talk to Lucifer in the cage but continue to ignore Adam’s existence and don’t bother releasing him yet they let Lucifer escape.

Dean also went back to Hell to retrieve Bobby’s soul so he could go to Heaven and again doesn’t even bother with Adam.

Season 10 for Supernatural’s 200th episode, Sam and Dean were reminded by SPN fans putting on a musical that Adam was still in the cage yet THEY NEVER DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT.

Mary Winchester STILL doesn’t know about Adam even though she was reunited with John during the 300th episode. He’s never mentioned during their big family get-together. I guess he never counted.

Adam and Michael are finally set free of Hell only because Chuck threw a giant hissy fit at the Winchesters and opened all the gateways.

The first thing Adam wanted to do as a free man in 15x08 was not seeking revenge on his brothers for abandoning him, but to eat some diner food, change his clothes and get a “little job”

After years of imprisonment, Adam actually befriended the Prince of Heaven aka the one friend he has/the only other person besides his mother who actually gave a damn about him.

TFW trapped, kidnapped and imprisoned Adam and Michael at the bunker in order to force them to help against Chuck.

And Adam, though still angry, hurt and worn out over the situation; chose to help his brothers when there was NOTHING in it for him and successfully convinced Michael to do the same.

Despite how his brothers treated him, Adam STILL believed in their best and vouched that they “always try to do the right thing”

Adam went to Hell a cranky, sassy, angsty, naïve teenager and returned a kinder, wiser, more patient, humble and rational-thinking man who still managed to smile and laugh after enduring centuries of pain.

Dean gives Adam his much due apology for not saving him but Sam doesn’t. In fact Sam doesn’t even bring him up the next time the Winchesters see each other.

Adam’s last words on this show are to Dean and they’re “Since when do we get what we deserve?” and “Good luck” 🤓

Chuck Thanos-snapped Adam’s soul out of existence OFF-SCREEN yet Michael somehow remained in his body.

Adam was 90% of Michael’s impulse control hence why he was so dark in his last appearance without Adam because that’s the only way I can cope with that disgusting character assassination in 15x19

Jack supposedly revived Adam along with everyone else after becoming the new God. BUT his current status now reads “Unknown” instead of “Alive” so what the fuck am I suppose to think now?!

Sam and Dean didn’t even think about checking in on Adam to make sure he was okay before they hit the road on their last solo bro-outing.

If Adam really is alive then he’s doomed to a miserable, lonely existence without his best friend (who’s now dead). Broke, homeless, jobless; his brothers STILL DON’T GIVE A RAT’S ASS after he’d helped them in good faith. He’s legally deceased thanks to the ghouls. And he gets to look forward to demon city the moment he dies cause guess where he’s ending up?

No one remembers him even after he’d returned in 15x08

The car and the dog are more important to the Winchesters than their innocent half-brother.

Okay I realize I just unloaded a whole mountain of salt but this is the full outline of Adam’s tragic story on Supernatural. These writers never cared about him and why? What did he do to deserve this gross treatment from the show’s protagonists or just in general? Why was he even introduced if this was going to be the outcome of it all? I don’t know what’s worse leaving him in Hell (cause at least he had Michael for company) or bringing him back and not knowing what became of him after. It’s insufferable 😣 I just want everyone to know that the showrunners and writers may not care about him BUT I DO.

[awrestlinggirlwholoves80sbands]

This isn’t about French homework, is it? ( Sebastian Bach X Rachel Bolan)

A/N: This is for @boraxisme​ because we deserve more Skid Row fic content! this is a  HIGHSCHOOL AU

Summary : Rachel Bolan might have a crush on Sebastian Bach, and maybe Sebastian likes him back, but what happens when Dave and Scotti convince him to help them and Rachel with their French homeworks? 

(side Scotti x Dave)

Maybe somebody could say that was not a very good idea, but could you blame Sebastian?

He knew it could have been a prank, but honestly when he saw Rachel Bolan’s friends, aka his crush, inviting him to have lunch with them, he was ready to take the risk

He was still the new kid for most of the school, living in the USA for almost 5 months now, and even if he made friends easily and was far from being a shy guy, the pretty boy with the nose chain always made him feel weird things in his stomach. He shared math class together but he never managed to talk to him, maybe also because Rachel seemed very reserved and intimidating.

“C’mon blond, don’t be shy!” Scotti said, waving his hand. Scotti shared science class with him and he was a very cool guy, they get along pretty well.

While Sebastian was walking towards their table, Rachel tried his best to look interested in the food he was eating. It was frustrating how much that boy made him feel nervous and happy at the same time. He never had a problem with approaching girls, even if he was very reserved, but Sebastian always seemed to take all his coherent thoughts out of his brain.

Sebastian sat right in front of Rachel, as Scotti and another guy named Dave were not-so subtly kicking their friend under the table. The blond guy lift his gaze only for a minute, but as soon as he looked at Rachel’s face a little hidden by his hair, he felt butterflies in his stomach, and he decided that the food was the most interesting thing right now.

Even if his attention was somewhere else, he could still hear very clearly Scotti and Dave whispering very loudly that Rachel’s crush has shown up. And wow, Sebastian had never seen somebody blush so hard as Rachel was doing at that moment. He didn’t know if it was for the embarrassment of somebody thinking he could have a crush on the blond or because he really liked him (but that was not true, right? It was too good to be true!).

“So, Sebastian right? We wanted to ask a favor : Scotti, Rachel, Rob and I need to do a project for French class and well since you’re Canadian we thought you could help us a little with it. Can you do that?” Dave asked, as he kept looking at Scotti for some unknown reasons.

“I’m not the best at French but I guess I can help?” He said unsure, scratching his neck.

Honestly Seb should have been smarter, he should have known that it was very unlikely for those guys to take French class, but c’mon he would have spent time with Rachel! Who was he going to turn that offer down?

“Cool! Let’s see at 5pm at Rob’s house, alright? I’ll write his address down for you.” Scotti added and scribbled down on a napkin something, then handed it to Sebastian.

They still had 10 minutes left, so he ate his food and tried his best to listen to the boys talking about their crazy antics, but his eyes were dropping to Rachel’s face every minute. Sebastian could help but find him very beautiful and also so mysterious.

When Sebastian was not looking, it was Rachel’s turn to, even if still hated how the blond made him feel, he had to admit it was so nice to look at his gorgeous face every other minute.

The brown haired boy was so caught up to not noticed that now Sebastian was looking at him until their eyes met. And oh boy, Rachel felt fireworks in his stomach and warmth all over his chest, but quickly looked away, too embarrassed. Yet again, he enjoyed that feeling, deep down.

Seb was so grateful that the bell rang, because he was pretty sure that he was blushing. He didn’t know how the other boy felt, but he got totally lost into those eyes so warm and sweet, and he felt those familiar butterflies floating in his stomach.

They all split and went to their classes. Sebastian really hoped those hours were about to pass very fast ‘cause he couldn’t wait to spend some time with his new friends and get to know them. Totally it was not because of being close to Rachel.

Absolutely not.

---

At 5pm Sebastian was stalling in front of Rob’s house. His hands were sweaty, and he felt excited and nervous at the same time, so many questions floating in his mind : what if is it a prank? What if I make a fool out of myself by doing something wrong with him?

Ignoring all the questions, he rang the doorbell and soon after Rob appeared, a smile on his face.

“Hey Sebastian, you’re here! Come in, they are all waiting for you!” He said so excited, and led him into the living room.

However, he just found Rachel there, sitting with his legs crossed on the couch. Maybe Sebastian’s heart skipped a bit at the sight, but he would never admit it.

“Are not Scotti and Dave here yet?” He asked, trying his best to sound confident.

“They are upstairs, watching a movie. I’m uhm… they’ve not been 100% honest with you!” Rachel replied, looking down.

“Is all of this a prank?” The blond felt very stupid to have believed them, and also disappointed.

“No no. I mean they said the truth, someone needs your help in French, but it is just me!” The other boy quickly added.

“Then why didn’t you say it right away, at the cafeteria?”

“Because…. I can’t talk with you. I’m usually so okay with talking and making friends, but near you I shut down and freaking blush. And I don’t know why!” Rachel almost sounded angry, but he was just very frustrated.

“Well, I feel the same with you. You’re so badass and intimidating, you look like a freaking rockstar! But I promise you don’t need to feel like that with me, I’m just a big dumbass!” Sebastian said with a laugh.

“And the same goes for me. I think we should start studying, because I get distracted pretty easily.” Rachel smiled. “Especially with you near me” He wanted to add.

The blond really thought that he melted because of that smile, but that was only the beginning. Rachel made a little cute smile every time he pronounced right a very difficult word, and Sebastian tried his best to not look like he was about to melt or squeal.

Despite both of them hating the school, the two boys managed to study for a whole hour, maybe because they both pretended to be focused, while in reality they were looking at the other every five minutes, just to turn around to not get caught.

“Man I think it is enough French for today, do you fancy a beer? Rob managed to hide some in the fridge, so his parents wouldn’t have busted him.”

Sebastian simply nodded and Rachel reappeared soon after with two beers in his hands. He handed him one, and the blond really wished to not be that cliché, but he swore to God, he felt little sparkles in his heart as they touched.

They talked about general things, trying to get to know each other better. Rachel asked him about life in Canada and why he moved in the US, while the other boy asked him about his future and his life there.

“I wanna be a musician, dude. You know, playing bass in a punk band while fans scream at you! That sounds so awesome.” He answered with a huge smile, putting his empty bottle on the ground, and placing his hand on Sebastian’s one.

He was caught off guard, but he decided to intertwined their fingers, he didn’t know if he did it because of the alcohol or because he wanted to be brave. They stopped talking, Sebastian occasionally sipping his beer, and just enjoyed their presence. It felt so nice and good, the blond really wished Rachel couldn’t hear his heart beating fast, on the other hand Rachel hoped Sebastian couldn’t do the same with him.

Their little moment was interrupted by Rob, who bored because his favorite cartoon was over, he started to talk to the two boys. However ,he was too excited and invested in telling the story and eating his ice cream , to notice that his friend were holding hands, so they decided to stay like that.

“Hey, you guys started to drink already, that’s not fair!” Scotti said, coming downstairs.

The two boys quickly disentangled their hands, still Dave looked at the suspiciously.

“What do you have on your neck Scotti? It looks like a bruise.” Rob said innocently, still eating his ice cream.

“Yeah man it almost looks like a hick…”

“Hey, why don’t we play truth and dare?” Dave chimed in, interrupting Rachel.

“There was something going on. So he was not the only one with a huge crush for someone!” Sebastian thought.

Rob was immediately excited at the idea of playing, so he quickly grabbed the other beers, and he told everybody to sit in circle on the floor. Sebastian, Scotti and Rachel looked a bit confused, but they did as they were told.

“Since it is your house, I think we should start from you, Rob. Truth or dare?” Dave said.

“Uhm… dare!”

“Well I dare you to eat a pickle covered in mustard.”

Rob looked horrified, while all the other guys made disgusted faces.

“Ugh that’s gross. You know that I almost puke when I smell or eat mustard!” The boy protested.

“A dare is a dare. You can’t chicken out, you gotta do it.” Rachel said, firmly.

“Do you think he is going to vomit for real?” Sebastian asked the boy next to him, not very fond of the idea of seeing someone puking.

“ Nah, he’s a tough boy. Besides I think you’ve seen worse in your life, Blondie.”

“I bet you also have seen some nasty things, Rachie.” He was actually very surprised by his bravery.

Rachel looked at him and smirked. The tension was high but before he could get any closer to him, Rob came back with a covered in mayo pickle, and quickly put it in his mouth.

Long story short, he coughed and made a disgusted face, but he didn’t puke.

“So Scotti, truth or dare?” Rob questioned.

“Lay me with your best dare, man!” Scotti shoot back, sipping his drink.

“I dare you to do a lap dance on Snake.” Rachel smirked, while Scotti became as pale as a ghost.

Sebastian noticed that Dave he was more excited than scary at the idea.

Scotti awkwardly sat on Snake’s lap, while Rob put a CD on. The room was blasted with “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, and the brown haired man tried his best to dance as smoothly as possible, while Dave kept his gaze anywhere but the other boy.

“Scotti seems too good to be his first time!” The blond said, getting closer to Rachel.

“Well, when you enjoy who you are dancing on, it’s easier! I swear to God they are two idiots in love. But what do you know about lap dance, Sebby?”

He was a very surprised by the nickname Rachel gave him, but he still managed to let slip a little smile on his face, as he cheeks got a little warmer. The other boy noticed that, and kept staring at him intensely.

However before he could have said anything their friends had already finished, looking quite embarrassed but also happy at the same time.

“Wow that was steamy, I didn’t know Scotti had moves like that!” Rachel commented.

“Don’t laugh so much Bolan!” Scotti shoot back, a little embarrassed.

“It’s my turn I guess. I choose truth!” Dave said, as everybody groaned.

“You’re so freaking boring Snake!” Rob said.

“So tell us, do you have a crush on anybody in particular?” Scotti questioned quietly.

The other boy face went pale, as he started to stammer nervously.

“Ehm… no. Yeah, I don’t have any crush and I know this makes me a “virgin” or whatever but yeah. You can laugh as much as you want.”

Rachel looked at Sebastian, shooting him a “that’s bullshit” look, on the other end Scotti seemed quite disappointed.

“C’mon man don’t lie, it’s like saying that Rachel is not a very attractive guy with that piercing!” Sebastian exclaimed and suddenly the brown haired guy was really interested in playing with his nose chain.

“I-I… well I have a crush on someone… he is a guy and… fuck! I like Scotti, okay? I think he is amazing and I’m scared because I’ve never been with a guy before, let alone my best friend, so I don’t want to screw things up.”

Scotti smiled and hugged tighter his friend.

“I like you too, dickhead. But I think you already noticed that, we will have a talk in a more private place, without those idiots!” He linked his hand with Dave.

“Isn’t it beautiful when two lovers her together? Wish someone could do that to me!” Sebastian said dramatically.

“Are you waiting for me, darling?” Rachel said, wrinkling his eyebrows.

“Hey you two lovebirds, it’s Sebastian’s turn. Truth or dare?” Rob asked, still smiling. Rachel instead started blushing.

“Dare! I’m not lame like Snake!” The blond said, after some contemplation.

Dave gave him the middle finger, then he whispered something in Rob’s ear.

“Okay, I dare you to kiss the most attractive boy in this room!”

Sebastian was in absolute panic, at least internally. What was he supposed to do? Kissing Rachel and maybe face rejection and insults, or chicken out and then give the brunette the idea that he was not attracted? He seemed interested in him, but what if he just flirts like that with everybody?

You know what, fuck that! You only live once.

He turned his face to Rachel, gently cupped his face and kissed him in a sweet but also firm way. He was very surprised when the other boy kissed him back, his nose chain tickling Sebastian’s cheek, his lips still had a taste of beer on them.

They could have stayed like that for hours, but the door’s unlocking made me jump apart.

“Fuck! My parents are here. I promise them you would be out when they came back. Oh shit, the beers!” Rob said, quickly putting the bottles in the trash.

All the boys managed to get out of the back door, right before they heard Rob’s parents.

Scotti and Dave, still holding hands, said goodbye and walked down the street. Sebastian and Rachel hesitated for a moment, then they parted ways.

“See you tomorrow, Sebby.”

“You too, Sophia Loren!”

“ Wait really? Sophia Loren?!” Rachel asked confused.

“Rachel is a girl’s name, anyway. So that’s fitting!” The blond replied with a laugh.

---

The next day

Sebastian felt a light tapping on his shoulder. He turned around from his locker, and meet Rachel’s brown eyes.

“Can we talk in private for a minute?” He questioned, trying to sound confident.

The other boy was confused and a bit scared, but nonetheless he led him to the toilets. He just hoped that the previous day’s events were not all a prank.

“Did you really mean it? Our kiss, the most attractive guy thing. Did you mean that?” Sebastian was surprised to see Rachel being somewhat scared.

“I did, I do! I-I guess I’ve always had kinda of a crush on you.” He admitted and Rachel smiled.

A wonderful smile that made the blond’s heart melt and beat fast at the same time.

“Good, because I do too.”

“You still own me a truth or a dare!” Sebastian blurted out, as he remembered of the day before.

“I choose dare.”

“ I dare you to come to a date with me, next Saturday.”

“That’s not even a dare! And I’d love to!” Rachel said with a smirk, linking his hand with Sebastian’s one.

They got out of the bathroom, still holding hand, until they had to slip ways to go to their class. Before he entered the classroom for science class, Rachel gave him a quick peck on the cheek.  

As soon as he got in, he spotted Scotti flashing him a big smile, with another weird purple bruise on his other side of his neck.

“Such lovebirds!” He snorted.

“Shut up, I can still see your hickey!” He said with a laugh.

[thenightling]

My horror dislikes list

I love horror, particularly Gothic Horror as a genre. However there are certain common types of horror or sub-genres of horror I don’t really care for.  Just because I don’t like it, it doesn’t mean I don’t understand it or can’t appreciate that others might like it.    This is just my personal opinion and I mean no offense to anyone.  And some of what I may list will be controversial to some.   Bear that in mind.  Horror that I don't care for:

1.  This one is probably the most controversial so I’ll list it first. 

Most controversial:  H. P. Lovecraft.   It's not that he is "too wordy" or "long winded." (Never insult me like that.)  It's not that I "don't get it."  It’s not that he uses “archaic language.”  (These are real things people have assumed when I tell them I don’t like Lovecraft).  I just feel he's overrated.  I don't like his antisemitism, which was considered extreme by 1930s American standards.  And I don't like how he's credited with creating certain concepts that weren't really his doing.  His ideas about long sleeping ancient / forgotten Gods or Old Ones can be found as early as Goethe's Faust Part 2, if not earlier.   Other authors that had similar ideas before Lovecraft include George MacDonald, author of Lilith.     Sometimes I like when other people adapt Lovecraft.  I liked Neil Gaiman’s A Study in Emerald.  I liked the origin of Morpheus’ helm in Sandman: Overture (also Neil Gaiman).  I liked the two episodes of The Real Ghostbusters animated series inspired by Lovecraft.  I even like the spoof Lil Cthulhu.  But I’m just not a big fan of actual H. P. Lovecraft. This doesn’t mean I haven’t read it.  Nor does it mean I don’t understand it.  And I do appreciate his influence on pop culture.  I just feel he’s overrated.       2.  I don't like Rob Zombie movies.  It's all the same to me.  Boring, grimy, sweaty, eldgelordy- full of overused modern tropes like flickering lights, jump scares, and "I haven't showered in a month" antagonists.  He sucked the supernatural out of Halloween and there's nothing truly distinct about any of his films.  It's just a style that doesn't appeal to me. 3.   CG.  I love practical effects.  Most CG is lazy, cartoonish, and doesn't look like it's really there.  I know it can look realistic and gorgeous at time but most horror films don’t take that route.  Most horror directors use it lazily. There’s a Night of the Living dead 4 or 5 by the Syfy Channel where a manhole cover is clearly CG.  Why did a manhole cover have to be CG?!  And there’s CG blood in Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which is very distracting because it looks like jello flying at the camera.  The werewolves in An American werewolf in Paris are already dated and very fake looking yet the transformation in An American Werewolf in London still gets to people today.  The werewolves in An American werewolf in Paris didn't even look real by 90s standards.  They looked like beasts that escaped Who Framed Roger Rabbit.   In the Fright Night remake there's a scene where a windshield shatters in front of Amy's face and she screams on que but she doesn't flinch or blink, making it very clear the glass isn't really there.  Had it been sugar glass or ice to give the effect, there would have been a natural flinch.  I feel practical effects, if you can't guess how it was done, can be more unnerving and the reactions seem more real.  That's why some 80s fantasy is more unnerving for kids than some modern horror.    4.  Jump scares.  Jump scares are lazy.  Being startled is not the same as being afraid.  And when they add a musical chord to accompany the scare it's like idiot proofing ot say "This is where you should react."   The only jump scare that ever worked on me was when I was twelve-years-old watching Interview with the vampire.  Louis says "It's the carriage." and he goes down to the door. And you know damn good and well it's not the carriage.  He opens the door, there's no one there.   You know it's coming, but when he turns his head and Lestat's hand grabs his throat, I jumped the first time I saw that.  I knew it was coming.  But I still jumped.   To me a good scare is when it creeps in and crawls under your skin. When I was watching Let the Right One In I remembered thinking “Ah, this isn’t so scary.” and it was at the part where Eli climbs up the side of the hospital.  It was snowy outside, just as it was in the movie, and late at night.  And at that moment the power went out. For a split second (It was only a second) I thought “Oh, crap!  Vampire child’s gonna get me!”   And I was a grown woman in 2008.  I was twenty-six-years-old. Another incident that made me realize just how scary Gothic horror truly is was when I was watching a History Channel show about the real Castle Dracula.  And it mentioned the locals seeing mysterious lights and noises up in the castle so some priests were sent to bless the place.  A storm came in suddenly and the priests had to do the blessing from a distance.  (This was Poenari castle, not Bran.  Bran is used for tourists.  Poenari is where Vlad spent most of his time but it’s considered unsafe).  And as I watched this I remembered that storm summoning was supposed to be one of the vampire Dracula’s powers. At that moment the door creaked open And I practically leapt out of my skin.   That’s when I knew Dracula is actually scary.

I also had a nightmare once about being a werewolf in the style of The wolfman. In the dream I blacked out during the transformation and then suddenly it was hours or a day later and I knew I must have done something terrible and I found loved ones slaughtered.   I remember the guilt in that dream and I knew The Wolfman had reached me on a level most horror doesn’t, on a fear of what it must be like to be like him.           My most recent experience with a truly good sense of my skin crawling horror was watching an episode of DC Universe's Swamp Thing. A child is possessed with the ghost of Abby Arcane's dead childhood friend.   She's been singing their old song and acting ...well, weird.   "If you're her than prove it?"  She is smiling menacingly.  It looks like she'll do nothing.  Abby turns to walk away.  This is where most jump scares happen.  But it doesn't.  As she nears the door it slams shut but that isn't the end of it.  It's not just a stupid psych out jump scare the way most horror movies do now.  Instead the whole atmosphere of the room changes.  Everything becomes damp.  The lighting dims.   Everything becomes slightly off-kilter or "wrong" like in a nightmare.  It was so atmospheric, so spooky... It was the best Gothic horror moment I had seen in literally years.  I had goosebumps.  5.   The polarization of vampire fiction triggered by the Twilight fad.  Thankfully this is dying now.   But for a while vampires were divided into two styles.  The broody, whiny emo, or the mindless killing machine AKA "the Shark with legs."   I missed the balance of charming and charismatic, but also predatory.  I missed the likes of Frank Langella as Dracula and Chris Sarandon as Jerry Dandridge. The Fright Night remake was disappointing for this reason.  I hate that vampires rarely shapeshift now.  I hate the nerfing of their powers.   And I hate that Jerry's human-side was erased as a reactionary response to be anti-Twilight.   It ruined the remake for me.  6.   Ghosts that movie like a broken VHS tape.  The jerking movement ghosts of ghosts that suddenly flicker or spasm and suddenly are a few stepped forward without actually moving...  This works in Ringu / The Ring because she IS a damaged VHS tape but in other ghost stories it doesn't really work for me.  it takes me out of the story and I notice it's following a trend. 7.    Torture porn.   Pity, and gross-out is not fear.  It's like how that game show / reality show  "Fear Factor" confused fear with disgust. "eat these random cow pies" isn't fear, folks.   Actually Torture porn kind of bores me . I don't feel fear.  It's just drawn out mutilation and torture.  I may feel pity for the character or be disgusted by the graphic mutilations but I'm not afraid of it.  And it's lazy and cheap.  8.   Next on Lazy and cheap...  Found footage.  I HATE found footage movies.   Shaky cam and screams into a camera don't do it for me.  And they all feel the same.    9.   Most Zombie Apocalypse movies.  Most recent Zombie apocalypse movies bore me.    There are a few exceptions like the original Night of the Living Dead, which, at the time it was made was unique and atmospheric but many zombie films attempt to imitate it and it becomes bland and formulaic.   I also liked Return of the Living Dead because it was one of the first Zombie Apocalypse movies.  It hadn’t yet become dull and predictable to me that everyone huddles together and it becomes more and more futile until there is no one left or it’s utterly hopeless.  And so as things became repetitive I started to dislike the ‘zombie apocalypse genre.”   Exceptions include Night of the Living Dead and Return of the Living Dead.  I also like the original White Zombie and I walked with a Zombie but those are pre-Zombie Apocalypse.   There are a few zombie films I like that aren’t that scary but I like them because they are different.  Those include “My boyfriend’s back.”  (Daddy, I love him!”  “He’s a zombie, you freakin’ idiot!”  I love that line).    And Warm Bodies.   And please don’t use Warm Bodies to discredit my status as a horror fan.  I just like it because it’s different.  First, R isn’t that bad of a protagonist.  He’s more well developed than Edward Cullen and he spends half the movie eating the brains of the dead boyfriend of the girl he’s pining for, carrying bits of brain in his pocket.  There’s no sugar coating that.   Also it’s one of the few zombie apocalypse movies to have a happy ending.  Yeah, it’s sappy and a bit hamhanded bu tit has a sweet message.  Sometimes it’s okay to like sweet.

 10.   Remakes that suck the supernatural out of a supernatural story.  I’m tired of gritty.  I’m tired of “grounded in reality.”  The supernatural is scary because it is unknown.  In the case of Child’s Play, a hacked AI doesn’t seem as creepy to me as a soul of a serial killer seeking a new host body. Also the cynical part of me suspects the “grounding in reality” is a direct ploy to get a release in China, which does not like supernatural content in American import movies. This is part of why Disney / Marvel has been downplaying Marvel’s supernatural side.  I miss supernatural horror.   I’m tired of remakes literally sucking out the soul.  

11. Bonus: Anything based on a “true case” by The Warrens.  I believe in the paranormal.   I respect paranormal research but The Warrens were known con artists, even among paranormal researchers.   If you look at most of their haunted house cases there’s a particular formula.  Woman moves into dream home with loving, Catholic family. Weird things slowly start to happen. The husband is skeptical / getting possessed.  The wife goes to the church for help.  The priests can’t help or nothing happens in front of them.   Desperate she attends a Warrens lecture.  Never fear, The Warrens are here!  And lo’ and behold, the house is full of demons!  Demons only The Warrens know how to Handle.  This happens in The Haunted (Not to be confused with The Haunting), it happens in Gave Secrets: the story of Black Hope Cemetery and pretty much every other haunted house story they got involved in.   They made book and TV movie deals and later bigger Hollywood movie deals.  Now half the horror and Parapsychology world thinks they were demonology heroes and not the con artists who once ‘exorcised a werewolf” (Look it up.)  I am not a fan of The Warrens.