Every film franchise has devoted fans. But it takes a special kind of horror aficionado to spend Labor Day weekend where a Friday the 13th movie was filmed—and where a man dressed as slasher icon Jason Voorhees roams the grounds with a machete. Pat Cassels is one of those aficionados. For Oxford American, he unpacks his pilgrimage to the darker corner of the psyche.
Most horror fans fall into two camps: those scared of ghosts and those scared of slashers. These fears, I think, expose deeper beliefs. Those who are scared of ghosts are optimists. They worry unseen forces have the power to manipulate our reality. Malevolent forces? Sure. But, to quote The Big Lebowski, “At least it’s an ethos.” I fall into the latter camp. Slashers like Michael Myers and Leatherface and, of course, Jason Voorhees are what keep me up at night. Cold and uncaring chaos that cannot be reasoned with through a Ouija board, or exorcised, or paid off by completing their unfinished business. It’s the more nihilistic point of view. Perhaps someday I’ll be lucky enough to be scared of ghosts.
More picks about horror
The Strange Saga of Faces of Death
“It scarred countless children—and allegedly left one dead. Many still believe it was all real. Some of it was.”
Elevate Me Later
“Highbrow horror cinema has won respectability—but sold its soul.”
The Evolutionary Reasons We Are Drawn to Horror Movies and Haunted Houses
“Scary play lets people—and other animals—rehearse coping skills for disturbing challenges in the real world.”
I Loved “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” Before I Loved Myself
“With each rewatch, I got further from the me I was in high school and closer to my truest self.”
When Horror Is the Truth-teller
“It is hard, in the era of the AR-15, to fear a vampire.”
Your Favorite Scary Movie: The Oral History of ‘Scream’
“Twenty-five years ago, Wes Craven’s bloody, witty meta-horror film hit theaters and reinvigorated multiple genres. Here’s how the iconic movie was made.”
