myth or fact: politics don't belong in horror
why is this still a debate in 2024?
this week’s presidential election outed some horror fans for the media-illiterate weirdos they are. i don’t engage with the “politics in horror” conversation anymore because i’m better off arguing with a third-grader. however, the 2024 presidential election isn’t just about politics. and the horror themes these bozos are talking about are not just political.
we’ve seemed to get our wires crossed about what politics and political issues are. human rights are usually made into political issues once the government addresses them. the bodily autonomy disregarded in Rosemary’s Baby is a human right. however, when you have a frat boy like Brock Allen Turner perpetuating an unsafe environment for women, women’s fears and right to protection are then called into question. the ignorant back and forth between government officials is what makes it a political issue.
we can’t have this conversation without talking about Get Out. the theme of race is not inherently political. why are our fears and anxieties passed off as a political issue? it’s the white characters who make it about politics: talking about some “I voted for Obama”. it’s the quintessential archetype of neoliberal patting themselves on the back for not being politically racist and oppressive. y’all saw how many people voted for jill stein instead of kamala harris as an act of rebellion? these same voters will shame others for not protesting or publicly speaking out on an issue. whole time, they’re throwing their money at corporations actively funding the trump administration. you can talk about race without talking about politics, but not the other way around.
this year alone, i’ve seen atleast four movies about bodily autonomy (i had refer to my letterboxd and only scrolled as far as may). there’s a reason why Get Out made the impact it did in 2018: Philando Castile and the Black community never got justice. there’s a reason why Invasion of the Body Snatchers had the success it did: america was scared of the cold war and communism. do i even have to bring up Night of the Living Dead?
politics will always be a part of horror for as long as art is created out of our collective anxieties. we use horror escape, yes. but you’re doing yourself, the artists behind the production, and our society an injustice by not critically thinking about the media you’re consuming. horror is one of the most accepting fringe communities I know of (except for furries- i give credit where credit is due). i simply can’t let a lack of critical thinking infiltrate a space that so many of us deem safe.