We are all afraid of something. Rational and irrational fear exists in our daily lives. That intensity of feeling scared brings out that fight or flight reflex and gives us that kick of adrenaline. We may not like the emotion at times, but it is something we cannot escape from. Sometimes we strive for that rush and get it by kicking back and watching horror movies. But where exactly does horror originate from? The horror genre in cinema did not exist until the 1890s, roughly 90 years after the film industry began. And yet horror existed long before films. We read it in books and heard about scary tales throughout our lives. True horror comes from folklore.
When you think of folklore, creatures like witches and ghosts are the first things that come to mind. Most folk horror movies have a highly religious influence on dark themes. And yet there are only a handful of folk horror movies that are not about the Devil or cult sacrifices. With so many folk tales that have been told and recorded for decades, why are so few horror movies based on them? Why are we so strung on, say,Halloweensequels when there are plenty of other stories to be seen? We need more folklore horror films to balance out your typical blood and gore.
Folklore is a Universal Culture
Each culture around the globe has its own stories of legends and lore. Some folklore is based on a particular religious belief, while others retell fairytales. Most folklore today has one thing in common: monsters. Latin American/Hispanic culture has folktales likeLa Lloronaand El Cuco. Different legends spread throughout Asian cultures and regions, like Yokai (spirits or entities) in Japanese culture or the legendary demon Tek-ko-kui in Taiwanese folklore. There are various tales regarding ghosts and sirens, otherworldly creatures and curses, and so on. These tales embody the horror we know now, so why not have a vast archive of cinematic folklore?
Folklore has existed for as long as we can remember. Even in the modern era, we are still creating it.The Slender Manis an excellent example of modern-day folklore. It is culturally recognizable today, and there are other folk tales across the world like it. These stories shape religious beliefs, art, and history all around the globe. Adapting the stories would help us understand more of our cultures as well as the multitude of other cultures. Learning new things can also be a scary experience. If we had more folk horror movies,our cultural understanding can increasein a way that we understand.
Related:The Best Horror Movies Based on Japanese Folklore, Ranked
Bedtime Stories That Teach Horrifying Life Lessons
Have you ever truly paid attention to the bedtime stories you heard as a kid? Or telling those same stories to your kids or younger family members? How about campfire stories about urban legends? Most, if not all, folklore is more than just bedtime stories that change over time. Sure, the fairytales and stories we hear now are tamer than when they were first created or written. However, if you know your Grimm fairytales, you know those bedtime stories are the root of all horror. It teaches you important lessons in the most terrifying and gruesome ways possible.
Believe it or not, the horror genre teaches us things as well. Watching diverse people come together to avoid the scary monster teaches us to trust others. At the same time, we can also learn who to trust based on how characters interact with one another. Urban legends teach us similar lessons. It is one thing to hear of a tale about hitchhiker ghosts and play it off as fiction. However, seeing said tale on the big screen makes the stories feel more real. Through horror, we discover new fears that may not have scared us.
A Wide Variety of Material
There is no one true version of folklore. Eventhe Grimm fairytalescannot be concluded as the “original fairytales” because the stories had to have existed long before publication. Because of this, there is plenty of room for originality. There are a variety of films in the folk horror genre about demons, witches, and the Devil. Sacrifices and cults are also the more common tropes of folk horror, but there is so much more to it than religious aspects. Classic films we know today can easily be transferred into the horror genre.
Horror is, surprisingly,a safe space to experience fear. We can be afraid without judgment because that is what horror is supposed to do. Getting into the horror genre is not always easy. But with so much material from the folklore of things we know (like mermaids, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and the Boogeyman), the genre can be even more welcoming. We are naturally drawn to things we easily recognize, even if it scares us. More folk horror can both expand the horror archive and bring so many stories to life.
Related:How Slasher Films Created a New American Monster Folklore
Only a handful of horror movies throughout the years are based on or about folklore. With horror genres like slasher films and ghost movies having a higher popularity, it is easy to forget that some of those movies were influenced in some way by folk tales. Most folklore horror movies have dark religious aspects that are so recognizable that it puts movies likeKill List(2011) andLokis(1970) on the back burner.Folk horror is such a unique genre of horror, yet we do not openly recognize it. We would better comprehend those old tales if we were to see more of them in the cinema.
