Over the past few years, I've noticed a trend of people questioning why all films are suddenly political. Some argue that they miss when the business was strictly about entertainment, while others complain about liberal or conservative ideals getting shoved down their throats. In the highly polarized atmosphere that is the current political landscape, we can find this tension manifesting across a wide array of spaces on the internet. Today, we'll look at director Damien Leone's X (formerly Twitter) page. In February of 2025, stars of the Terrifier films, David Howard Thornton and Lauren LaVera, engaged in online political debates over LGBTQ+ rights. They have a history of being vocal about their distaste for the Trump administration and made it clear that no form of prejudice or hate was accepted in their fandom. This, of course, brought up some arguments from fans, and Leone made a statement as an attempt to calm things down. However, this left the situation in an arguably worse place, as his posts opened up an entirely new discussion that turned into a long-lasting outrage.
Leone explained how he came onto the horror scene to make movies as "a form of pure entertainment" and excluded the
Terrifier franchise from containing any political content "in any way shape or form." As you can imagine, backlash from a subset of horror fanatics immediately ensued, and many found his point of view quite shallow. After all, the horror genre is inherently political. Let's talk about it.
Firstly, filmmaking is a form of art, and the simple ability to create art is political. Filmmakers create because they have something to show the world. The ability to create and spread a message without censorship is inherently political, whether or not that's the intent. This is especially relevant for the Terrifier franchise as well. All 3 films are not rated by the Motion Picture Association (MPA), yet their cult status has given them wide releases to a broad array of audiences around the country. The exorbitant amount of gore and graphic torture scenes directly challenge what should or should not be seen on screens, and this says a lot about film distribution. Taking Hay's production code for example, studios expected films to essentially force feed ideas to audiences. It reinforced the concept of there being a distinct line between good and bad. Eventually, when Hay's Code ended in 1968, filmmakers began subverting the status quo more often.
We can also take a look at the impacts that world history has had on the horror genre. While themes may be discernible to a critical eye at any time, looking at the events surrounding the production and release of these films provides context for the fears they represent. This is because these movies often reflect much of what society feels by examining terrors and anxieties. They force us to face the uncomfortable, and this isn't anything new. It can be seen throughout Hollywood's many decades.
Some Major Themes of the 1940s-1950s : - World War II
- The Cold War
- The Atomic Age
- Domesticity
Many consider Cat People (1942) to have explored xenophobia and sexual repression. The original 1956 version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers expresses Cold War paranoia, and Godzilla (1954) gives a glimpse into Japan's post-war trauma and fear of nuclear power.
Some Major Themes of the 1960s:
- Continued Paranoia
- The Cold War
- Second Wave Feminism
- Criticisms of authority
- Domestic intrusion
Psycho (1960) considers the dangers of domestic threats rather than external forces. Rosemary's Baby (1968) tackles themes of bodily autonomy and subverts the ideal nuclear family, among others. Night of the Living Dead (1968) considers the results of the failure of authority.
Some Major Themes of the 1970s-1980s:
- Satanic Panic
- Failures of the government
- The Vietnam War
- Sexual promiscuity
Tobe Hooper has cited some of his inspirations for Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1973) as being rooted in distrust from the Watergate Scandal, the 1973 oil crisis, and the Vietnam War. Additionally, the sexual politics and emphasis on purity throughout the classic slasher subgenre perpetuated the fears behind the satanic panic in the 80s.
Major changes in themes were also seen after the 9/11 attacks and once the War on Terror was declared. The genre shifted to centralizing gore (like Saw and Hostel) and became increasingly apocalyptic in nature. We saw representations of societal collapses through the return of the zombie film, a historically political subgenre where zombies represent conformity. In the past 20 years, we've seen political themes become more heavy-handed with critiques of the elite or calling out systemic prejudice, for example. This is not a new thing. Creating films can't be done without beliefs about society making their way through, and it's especially true in horror.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danidiplacido/2025/02/04/terrifier-director-damien-leone-ignites-backlash-with-non-political-post/
https://www.npr.org/2008/08/08/93301189/remembering-hollywoods-hays-code-40-years-on
https://youtu.be/NOPGU_uxPDw?si=dHTJMOJWaunk4wZD
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