Sorry, Damien Leone, Horror Has Always Been Political

Medium – Horror Thinkpiece
An argument for reading Damien Leone’s Terrifier as part of horror’s long political tradition.

EXCERPT:

Horror, by its very nature, reflects societal anxieties. From its literary origins to modern cinema, the genre has never existed in a vacuum. It explores class struggle, gender roles, racial tensions, and cultural fears, often exposing the deep-seated anxieties of the time in which it was created. Despite this rich tradition, Terrifier director Damien Leone recently sparked backlash among horror fans and his own fanbase when he stated, “I just make movies for fun. There’s nothing political about them.” While Leone may see his films as pure entertainment, his assertion disregards the long history of horror as a politically charged genre. Whether he acknowledges it or not, Terrifier is steeped in themes that engage with power dynamics, gendered violence, and societal fears.

To understand why Terrifier cannot be separated from political discourse, it is crucial to recognize that horror as a genre has never been apolitical.

Horror as a Reflection of Societal Fears

From its earliest iterations in literature, horror has grappled with political and social anxieties. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) was not just a tale of scientific horror — it was a critique of unchecked ambition during the Industrial Revolution and a warning about humanity’s hubris. Gothic horror, a key foundation of the genre, frequently examined gender roles, moral corruption, and societal decay.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) is another key example of horror as political critique. The short story, which follows a woman suffering from postpartum depression who is subjected to the oppressive “rest cure” prescribed by her husband and doctor, is a chilling examination of the dangers of patriarchal control and the medical gaslighting of women. As the protagonist descends into madness, confined to a room with the haunting yellow wallpaper, Gilman exposes the societal tendency to dismiss and oppress women’s autonomy and mental health. This story remains a powerful feminist text, highlighting the intersection of horror and gender politics.

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