Physical spaces are fundamental to horror. There are haunted houses, doomed to inflict the events of the past on new residents or visitors; remote communities that operate outside moral norms, that outsiders visit to their peril; supposedly safe, everyday places that take on new, sinister aspects. Horror can happen anywhere – in classically “spooky” places like crumbing gothic castles or abandoned hospitals, but also average suburbs or bright, sunny fields.
Although horror can happen anywhere, if you want to judge at a glance whether a certain horror is right for you, an excellent place to start is to look at where that film is set. The location can give you a fair idea of the subgenre. For the novice horror fan looking to avoid their worst scares, this knowledge is a valuable tool in the mission to enjoy horror while avoiding the elements that you personally want to avoid.
Monsters and menaces tend to stick to their dedicated locales – you’re unlikely to start watching what you think is a classic gothic ghost story, only to run into a hoard of zombies part way through.
The tricky business is deciding which horror locations you’re ok with, and which to avoid. As with all art forms, this is very subjective. You might be ok with horror in outer space – you’re unlikely to ever go there, and so it’s a safely fantastical arena. You might be adverse to bloody deaths – it’s therefore advisable to steer clear of films set in suburbs, summer camps and high schools, here teenagers are likely to meet a grisly end. If you’re not keen on creeping, ghostly dread, stay away from the gothic mansion or creepy castle.
It may depend on your own personal circumstances – places can be less / more depending on your own situation. Personally, American home invasion thrillers will never scare me in too much as their scares rely largely on a killer sneaking in and around a massive house, unbeknownst to the occupants. Living in the UK, there are basically no houses large enough for this – the walls are thin enough that I know too much about my neighbours’ sex lives and taste in music – I’d definitely know about a masked marauder the second they set foot inside.
To help you decide which horror destinations you may want to go to, here’s a rough tourist guide to the places a protagonist might find themselves on the horror film trail, and examples of what might be lurking within – whether you want to visit is up to you!
- You’re in a gothic castle / mansion. There might be a host who seems fairly amenable; the locals may have warned you about some unspecified danger (you have foolishly ignored them).
You’re in a gothic horror, quite possibly a Hammer production. You’ll likely encounter some kind of monster – perhaps of the supernatural kind, or born of someone’s scientific hubris. Your host may well try to kill you. If the setting is 20th century, there’s probably ghosts, but you won’t know who they are are, or if they’re definitely real or the product of your own psychological breakdown. Maybe you are the ghost?
EXAMPLES: Nosferatu, The Black Cat, Dracula, Frankenstein, The Innocents, The Others, The Orphanage.
SCARE FACTORS: Low on gore, high on dread and tense atmosphere.
- You’re in a city, but things aren’t quite right. Where is everyone? The people you don’t meet don’t seem terribly friendly, although you may encounter an unlikely ally if you’re lucky.
This could well be zombie country, and in this case there is unfortunately a better than average chance that one of the undead will try to chew your face off. If you avoid this fate, there’s sadly a good chance you’ll have to off a close friend / family member when they get bitten / infected.
In the event that no zombies are present, you’re having instead to deal with the aftermath of a catastrophic society-altering event, like a plague or an alien invasion. Other humans will prove to be the most dangerous threat. Inevitably, the authorities are no help at all, and probably caused the whole business in the first place.
EXAMPLES: 28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead, The Girl With All The Gifts, Shaun of the Dead, Zombieland, Attack the Block, The Stand, Children of Men, The Crazies, most John Wyndham novels.
SCARE FACTORS: High likelihood of gore and lots of jumpy moments. Someone will be getting eaten. You may well see a disembowelling. Overall feeling of dystopian despair. Don’t expect a happy ending!
- You’re at an American high school, or hanging out with tbe teens in the suburbs or at summer camp. Something tragic may have happened in your town a significant time period ago, which no-one talks about. All the adults are a bit shifty.
You’re in a slasher. Someone is on a homicidal rampage, and they won’t stop until they’ve killed all your mates, and probably you as well, unless you’re the resourceful and plucky Final Girl type. There may be some form of revenge motivation going on, with past sins being revisited on the next generation, but sadly revelation of this dark history won’t actually help you in stopping the ongoing massacre. You may also just be in the wrong place / wrong time as alien forces or rogue telekinesis do their worst. If you’re in the late 90s, you’ll still probably die a nasty death, but you’ll get some good quips in first.
EXAMPLES: Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm St, Prom Night, Carrie, Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Friday the 13th, Cherry Falls, The Faculty.
SCARE FACTORS: Gore – fairly light but pretty frequent. More sharp implements than you can shake a stick at. Expect chase scenes, screaming, and blood. A lot of the characters are paper thin and quite annoying though, so seeing them offed isn’t too distressing.
- You’re in the European countryside. It seems nice and peaceful, and the locals are friendly seeming folk. (Unless they’re all children, in which case they’re wildly unnerving). There’s some sort of festival coming up soon – that should be fun!
This is folk horror territory. Things will be quite nice at first, with some singing, dancing, maybe even a bit of tasteful nudity. Don’t be fooled – there’s human sacrifice on the horizon, and unless you can pull off a daring escape or win a dance-off, that sacrifice is going to be you.
EXAMPLES:
The Wicker Man, Midsommar, Children of the Corn, Straw Dogs.
SCARE FACTORS: Lots of dread and paranoia, possible gore, scary children, high likelihood of human sacrifice. It’s all a bit harrowing. Might well ruin enjoyment of future trips to picturesque locations.
- You’re in the American countryside, in or near some woods or a lake. You might be staying in a semi derelict cabin. There are strong hints that you might not be welcome – someone may actually have said to you “you’re not welcome!” You of course ignore this and carry on your merry way.
You’re in American folk horror country, sometimes called hillbilly horror / hicksploitation. There’ll be a local family who’ve taken it upon themselves to kill you in various ingenious ways. Expect to have all the flaws of your city ways mercilessly exploited, amongst a background of sometimes dubious commentary on rural class inequality.
EXAMPLES: The Hills Have Eyes, Wrong Turn, The Cabin in the Woods, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Cabin Fever, Tucker and Dale v Evil, Deliverance.
SCARE FACTORS: Lots of peril, gore, and some torture likely. Everything looks a bit grimy.
Sorry, in this case all bets are off. If there’s one thing horror films like more than anything else, it’s making you feel uneasy at home.
All sorts of dreadful things can happen to you even within the supposed safety of you own four walls, including but not limited to:
- Traditional ghostly hauntings (The Innocents, The Conjuring, The Others, The Haunting of Hill House, The Changeling)
- Full on demonic possession (The Exorcist, Paranormal Activity, Starry Eyes)
- Unpleasant things getting at you through the TV (Poltergeist, Ringu)
- Your husband getting you impregnated with the Antichrist (Rosemary’s Baby), or going ahead and adopting the Antichrist (The Omen)
- Annoying psychopathic people showing up and ruining your day by physically and psychologically tormenting you (Funny Games, You’re Next, The Purge, The Strangers, Hush)
- Annoying pretentious people showing up and ruining your afterlife with bad decor (Beetlejuice)
- Neighbours that are probably murderers (Rear Window, Summer of 84, Disturbia)
And of course, the ultimate enemy:
- Yourself (Repulsion, Eraserhead)