I’d be lying if I said this whole piece wasn’t almost entirely inspired by the recent confounding “backlash” over the incredible The Witch. I won’t get too into it – the articles can be found with a simple search – but the general (negative) consensus is that it just wasn’t scary. (There was also some chatter that The Witch – a historically accurate movie about witches, mind you – somehow wasn’t a horror movie, but those arguments are so mind-numblingly stupid that I won’t even acknowledge them.) The only conclusion I can come to is that, in both instances, people were complaining because The Witch was maybe too cerebral for them, too psychological. And if that’s the case, then it’s a sad state of affairs for horror fans. Continue reading RANT: Engaging Horror Deserves a Comeback (AKA Kill the Jump-Scare) →