Why Are We Here?

I always feel at the outset of these kinds of enterprises (whether they’re blogs, zines, magazines, whatever) the need to articulate the point of the thing’s existence. And though I think the subhead above encapsulates the goal of the blog pretty well, I feel a bit of a need to explain myself some more.

I decided to start this blog thanks to my love of horror. I love horror, but haven’t found too many magazines or websites that cover it in the way that I like. Sure, there’s Rue Morgue, the best horror magazine that I know of — and I’m not just saying that because I write for them occasionally. And sure, there are some websites, but few of them discuss or consider horror in the thoughtful ways that I hope to do here.

Too many horror magazines and websites, Rue Morgue certainly excepted, are too willing to laud the latest mass-produced Hollywood blockbuster because it’s slathered in blood and clothed in”cool” effects. Too many horror fans too easily swallow retreads of classic ideas instead of original ones, so-bad-it’s-good work instead of good work.

I don’t.

I realize it may sound pretentious, and perhaps you’ll find me guilty of pretension, but I think horror ought to be accorded the same analysis, same respect, same effort that other genres get.

To do less would be to tacitly admit that horror is the stunted, adolescent, wet-brained idiocy that many already see it as. I know it’s not. And if you stick with me a bit, I think you’ll agree (if you don’t already).

So, what will I be doing in this blog? I’ll be providing reviews, thoughts, and essays on horror, horror movies, and horror comics. But rather than picking the low-hanging fruit, I’ll be seeking out the rarer pleasures, the more obscure delicacies that are found in the small press and arthouse theater. I’ll try to shed light on deserving works and deflate the gaseous hype around the undeserving.

Hopefully I’ll help you discover new works, keep you entertained, and make you think.

Thanks for joining me.