There Is More To Horror Movies Than Meets The Eye
I put together a playlist of horror movies that I used to enjoy growing up as a kid and still enjoying watching them again decades later. This horror movie playlist is on the “I’ve Had Enough-Cayuga County” YouTube channel and called the “Dog-Eat-Dog World” playlist.
I titled the playlist to emphasize a saying I like to use…which has also stood the test of time, which is:
"When you live in a Dog-Eat-Dog world...at some point, you will become dog food too."
The “Dog-Eat-Dog World” playlist has some classic horror movies I enjoyed watching while growing up as a kid, and some that I enjoyed watching as an adult. In some cases like with the movie “The Exorcist”, I have literally seen that movie so many times that I have lost count and know many of the lines to the entire movie including describing the various scenes. That particular movie is just that good and that scary.
These horror movies have stood up to the test of time because they are based on authentic stories and authentic actors...many of whom were young professionals showing what happens when people make GOOD choices and those who prefer to live in HELL.
These horror movies did not rely upon a lot of special effects (which are cool!), expensive costumes (which are really cool!), expensive and fancy movie sets (which can be awesome!), and as mentioned, many of the actors were young professionals who later went on to become superstars and lead very successful lives.
Many of these movies were made when the story itself…and how the story was told… was what was important. This as opposed to how much money would come from the movie or to the team producing the movie…all about the money. Of course the production team and actors and everyone contributing should be rewarded for using their time, talent, energy, and passion, however, money should not be the driving force for their efforts. As the saying goes, “Money will follow GOOD things”.
These horror movies did not need to rely only on superficial things, they used what was needed to accomplish their goals…and then they achieved their success. When all of the team members committed to the goal (in this case making a horror movie) and played their parts for the GOOD of everyone…as opposed to only one or two people trying to take all of the credit for themselves and gain the short-term benefits that come with greed, money, and corruption…the result was a movie that stood the test of time to deliver the messages the movie director and the rest of the team were trying to convey.
These horror movies have stood the test of time, not because of superficial and skin-deep horror. They stood the test of time because they are lessons told as stories. In many cases when you look past the superficial image of the characters in the movies, you’ll see buried deep in them a common thread related to GOOD versus EVIL. Another way to look at this is simply GOOD versus CHAOS….because that is what those movies show…what happens when there is mass CHAOS and no rules or laws to keep any sense of ORDER…other than to rely on human being’s basic instincts and the free will to choose to do whatever.
These horror stories are told in both verbal and non-verbal communications from these young professional actors who obviously worked hard to get those roles, practiced getting good at what they were doing, learned their lessons, and then put their heart and soul into their performances. Many of the young professionals actors in these early horror films went out to be mega stars in their own ways, some remaining in the horror genre, while others branched out and ended up in completely different careers. I believe this occurred because by the time they took a moment to stop and look around what they had help to create for themselves and future generations…for better or worse…the finally looked deeper inside themselves to discover their true passion and used that passion, time, and positive energy to go forth and do GOOD things for the benefit of everyone. Who would have thought you could have pulled those pipedreams out of watching a bunch of cool horror movies?
Please note, some of these horror movies depict life for those who do not know how to make GOOD choices...and therefore may not be suitable for young children or other people who may be sensitive to graphic and terrifying imagery, or those whose feelings get hurt if anyone suggests blasphemy like going out on a “guy’s salmon fishing trip” or any other similar twist of the words. They are called horror movies for a reason...to bring "horror" in describing what HELL is like...in my personal opinion.
As far as I am concerned, these brilliant young professionals took the basic concepts of what I saw when I went to HELL and Back In Black…and they really did an amazing job at capturing what I saw is in store for people who voluntarily used their free will to make all of their life decisions…like we all of us get to experience throughout our lives…for better or worse.
I want to thank them for their contributions in helping me to see what was heading for the celebrations on both sides of the fence. I wish everybody all the blessings they deserve and for everybody to have one HELL of a good time…depending on which side of the fence you chose to remain on for eternity. Rock On!
-Jerry, Forever A Diplomat
