I know that isn't exactly an original thought and, at best, is most likely me just waxing poetic. But the sentiment is also true. Every experience I've ever had, everything I've loved and hated, everything I've picked up and left behind, has led me to who I am today. I've been lucky enough that the great tragedies in my life have been relatively few and far between, and I've had people to help me through.
It's because of that good fortune that the major things that define the various periods of my life tend to be whatever I'm obsessed with at the time. In my early childhood it was video games; in my late adolescence and early teens it was anime and all things Japanese; in my mid to late teens it was being an awful person; and in my early twenties it was getting married to the woman I love.
My mid-to-late twenties have been defined by two things my younger self believed himself to be too good for. One of these is the horror genre. I still love video games, I still love Japanese culture, but horror has made such an impact on my life in the last five years that it's honestly astounding. The best thing about acquiring new loves is when you can combine them with your old loves.
After all, some of the most creative horror these days comes from Japan. I may have an irrational fear of holes, but only the Japanese could have made me afraid of spirals. Earlier this year, I was looking for a new video game I could play that had the trappings of the Gothic horror genre. I had exhausted the Castlevania series and was looking for something new, something I hadn't tried before. This search led me to a game I genuinely believed I wouldn't enjoy, but so bad was my craving that I decided to go for it. That game may now be my favorite game of all time.
My point here is that, by realizing that the horror genre was not something that I should consider to be beneath my my auspicious attention, I have discovered so many new things I love, and I'm still discovering new things all the time. It has led to my current writing project, which I believe to be my greatest ever.
I give full credit for this awakening to one man: James Rolf.
You know him well, I'm sure, or you've heard of him, at least. I discovered him, as I'm sure most of us did, through his Angry Video Game Nerd videos, the backlog of which I was watching daily for months on end. They got me through several rough patches, and just generally made my life more enjoyable while I was sitting around doing nothing all day. My dad was also a big fan at the time, and one day he says to me, "Have you seen Monster Madness?"
The answer was "No," but not for long.
For those not in the know, Monster Madness was a series of videos that James Rolf did every October. Every single day of October, for ten years straight (except for 2012, which featured a new video every other day), he would highlight and review a different horror movie. That's more than 300 videos, and he's clearly very enthusiastic about it.
In 2008, for the second year of Monster Madness, he reviewed every single Godzilla movie, from the first one in 1954 all the way to the (then) newest one in 2004. This was the first year I watched because I was and am a huge Godzilla fan, but my interest quickly spread from there.
If you've never seen the series and you have even a passing interest in horror movies, I strongly urge you to watch it. If you have seen it, watch it again. It's well worth your time. From there, if you're interested in horror but not quite ready to dive in, there are some other documentaries I could recommend.
The first would be BBC's A History of Horror, a three-part series hosted by the always amazing Mark Gatiss, Doctor Who alum and Mycroft Holmes himself. It's inspired by his own personal love for the genre, as well as his own particular favorites. It is, obviously, very focused on the British side of the genre, but this is to its benefit, trust me.
The other would be Birth of the Living Dead, which is specifically a documentary about the making of George Romero's seminal Night of the Living Dead. It's different from the other two examples I've given in that it's focused on one film, but that film essentially created the modern perception of zombies. Besides, Romero is just such a likable guy and the story is so fascinating that it's well worth a look.
It's amazing to me that, for a genre I always thought was beneath me, horror is now so important to me. In just the last few years I've acquired a favorite classic monster (Frankenstein's monster), a favorite slasher villain (Jason), and a favorite horror actor (Peter Cushing).
Tomorrow serves as the prologue to Blogtober: a new review every day from September 30th through November 1st. I'm going to try to also intersperse other posts here and there, reviews of horror games or comics, as well as another retrospective here and there, but I won't make any promises in that regard. One thing I can guarantee, however, is that tomorrow night you'll be able to read my first review. It's sure to be a magical one.
Until next time!
Current interests:
Listening - Dio: The Last in Line (1984)
Playing - Bloodborne: NG+ (2015)
Reading - Baltimore or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier & The Vampire (2007)
Watching - Unsolved Mysteries (1987)
Current interests:
Listening - Dio: The Last in Line (1984)
Playing - Bloodborne: NG+ (2015)
Reading - Baltimore or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier & The Vampire (2007)
Watching - Unsolved Mysteries (1987)
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