Horror is one of the most popular and profitable genres in film. Many movies receive endless sequels, prequels, and reboots/remakes, both because they're often cheap to make and because millions of fans keep flocking to the theaters, even if it's just a slightly different iteration of a movie they've seen seven times before.
Like any movie genre, horror comes with a wide variety of tropes - some of which are more popular than others. And sometimes, popular horror tropes are disliked by specific people. It's always interesting to hear people's unpopular opinions, especially in regards to specific genres of film.
'90s Slashers Were Better Than '80s
Reddit user throwaway28482929473 holds a rather unpopular opinion, stating, "The post Scream slasher boom was better than 80s slashers."
While it's true that the slasher genre was dying before Scream re-invigorated interest in 1996, the late '90s saw a slew of rather mediocre slashers that simply don't measure up to the Golden Age of the '80s. The '80s were a fantastic time for the slasher subgenre, and many of its most famous entries - including Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Halloween - ran throughout the decade.
Jump Scares Are Scary
Many people are of the opinion that jump scares are a cheap way to unsettle the audience and that movies today simply rely on jump scares too much. But Redditor Bladewing10 disagrees, writing, "Having jump scares in a movie can be very scary. Obviously, they can be overused but just because a movie relies on a few jump scares doesn’t make it a bad movie."
Most people would disagree with that statement. Rather than creeping out viewers through a disturbing story or an oppressive atmosphere, the movie simply throws a loud noise at its viewer and expects them to jump in surprise. It's an overused gimmick and finding someone who actually defends jump scares is proving exceedingly rare.
Clowns And Dolls Aren't Scary
Reddit user stehmansmith5 is a bit of an outlier, as they write, "I don't find clowns and dolls scary." However, it's obvious that many people find clowns and dolls scary. Even though they're not meant to be, over-active imaginations (typically, as children) tend to result in people fearing the innocent and often cute creations.
Playing on fears of clowns and dolls is good money, as evident by It and the best killer doll movies like The Conjuring and the Child's Play franchise - all movies that prove creepy clowns and dolls can work to scare a general audience.
Most Horror Is Propaganda
Reddit user Drowsy-CS has a very interesting opinion. They write, "Most horror movies are ... propaganda against pagan religions, local traditions, and customs. In most horror movies the 'horror' is something associated with the past, often located in a rural, local, and/or ancient environment, while the protagonist/representative of 'safety' is metropolitan, modern, materialistic."
It would make a good thesis for an academic essay, but it could also be an unpopular opinion. Sometimes creepy rural locations just make for a fun setting, and placing the characters there gets them out of immediate safety. It's usually nothing but a workaround to avoid plot holes like "Why didn't she just run to her neighbor's house?"
Horror Comedies Are Trash
NostalgiaSuperUltra is another outlier and hates the horror-comedy genre, writing, "Horror comedies and 'meta-horror' are trash and contribute nothing to the genre." It's an odd opinion. Some horror comedies are family-friendly, some parody the tropes of the horror genre in clever and inspired ways, and some (like Get Out) use horror-based satire to comment on topical issues.
In fact, some of the greatest and most beloved horror movies ever are actually horror-comedies, including Scream and Ghostbusters. To say "they contribute nothing to the genre" is certainly an unpopular opinion.
"Trauma Porn" Is Obnoxious And Doesn't Deserve Its Acclaim
Reddit user Bromatcourier writes, "Trauma porn is every bit as obnoxious and unpleasant as torture porn, yet gets tons of acclaim." Unfortunately, they fail to give examples of what constitutes "trauma porn," but it's likely movies that obsessively focus on dour themes like Hereditary and The Babadook.
But these movies earn acclaim because they contain great filmmaking and deftly tackle difficult subject matter with strong writing and memorable characters. "Torture porn" is simply out to shock the audience with excessive blood and gore. The two aren't comparable.
The Horror Genre Is Full Of Christian Propaganda
Reddit user score_ is another firm believer that the horror genre utilizes propaganda. As they write, "Horror films where the monster is the devil/demons and the only savior is God/Jesus. These movies are dumb, overplayed, and at their core just Christian propaganda."
Again, this could make for an interesting thesis. But "devil" movies are a time-honored tradition, and they obviously remain very popular. Most would agree that they aren't "Christian propaganda," they just make for solid stories rooted in human history and folklore.
Suspenseful Family Dramas Aren't Horror Movies
WeirdBryceGuy writes, "Movies commonly distributed by A24 and others like them (Hereditary, The Babadook, Midsommar, The Witch, etc) aren't really horror films, but suspenseful family dramas/mental illness allegories. They lazily incorporate paranormal elements to draw horror audiences in, but are otherwise just the aforementioned cases of uninteresting drama."
It's an odd take. What is the line between "suspenseful family drama" and "horror"? Do they "lazily incorporate paranormal elements to draw horror audiences in," or are they a core element of the story? And most would say that they're certainly not "uninteresting," as they are all widely beloved movies.
Slow Paced Is Better Than Fast-Paced
It's very obvious that slow-paced horror movies are becoming more and more popular. As Reddit user Silver-Pea-5505 states, "Slow-paced horror movies are better than the faster-paced ones." However, these movies are "good" and popular not because they are slow, but because they are well made.
There are plenty of slow-paced horror movies that are a boring slog to get through, and these are rightfully forgotten. Similarly, there are plenty of fast-paced horror movies that could be considered classics, like Rec and Train to Busan. It's not the pace that makes a movie, it's how it's utilized.
Zombies Are Lame
Reddit user waiveofthefuture has a firm opinion, stating, "Zombies are lame. Yeah, I said it." One could certainly argue that zombie movies are oversaturated, but not they're not inherently lame.
It's one of the most popular subgenres of horror, and some of the greatest horror movies of all time - Night of the Living Dead, 28 Days Later - are zombie movies. It's a solid genre that has the capability of making strong social satire, all while scaring the pants off viewers with walking corpses that eat people. There's just no going wrong.