Author’s note: 
The views of this blog and its corresponding podcast segment are strictly the views of Jay of the Dead. The sentiments contained herein do not necessarily (or probably don’t) reflect the feelings of Wolfman Josh, Dr. Shock, Dr. Walking Dead or Horror Movie Podcast and its community. 
 
But if you love the Horror genre, I hope you will read this article, or at least, listen to its accompanying audio podcast segment here in Episode 121, starting at [ 00:57:14 ].
 
By Jay of the Dead  |  Horror Movie Podcast
 
You’re not going to read this entire article, so you might as well stop now, unless you’re Dead Serious About Horror Movies. Otherwise, settle in and prove your allegiance to the genre here and now. Below are three topics tackled within one article, because they are all related.
 
I. Yes, We Keep Fighting but for Good Reason
 
In classic Horror movie siege-narrative fashion, there are monsters at the gates, trying to get in to reach the Horror genre and its fans. That may sound dramatic, but “guard duty,” as with any regular duty, can be equally as tedious as it is important.
 
Recently, my friend Jeff Hammer, in essence, said that Horror film critics and podcasters do their audiences a disservice by constantly rehashing the arguments over whether a film is Horror or not. 
 
Alas, this article technically isn’t about judging whether a film is horror. It is, in part, about the crucial importance of always trying to make such assessments. We Horror fans tend to instinctively make these value judgments for the genre, and like any other inherent survival trait, our tendency to revisit this same old discussion, again and again, is for a good purpose: We are merely being Guardians At The Gate. Continue reading →