In Paracinema 19, I wrote an article titled “Firing
Broadsides: Creating a Horror Canon,” in which I examine the issues
surrounding canon-building. When I first proposed a piece on horror
canon I thought it would be a fun time researching classic horror
titles. I had no idea what I was getting into. Typing “horror
canon” into Google didn't return much, and though Google Scholar
yielded better results, I soon came to understand that I was getting
involved in something much bigger and more complex than a simple list
of movies. Canon was just the beginning.
Researching horror canon led me deep
into genre history and development. As I learned, canon-building is a
lesson in genre: how it grows and develops over time, and how it's
studied and analyized. Through my readings, I learned that
canon-building can be a divisive topic as the politics of inclusion
and exclusion are applied during the process of canon formation. Why this
film instead of that one? Why not this other film also? Thornier
still is the issue of what's genre and what's not. I recall one
author who, when asked the question, “Is it horror or is it
thriller?” answered, “That depends on whether you like horror
movies.” I'm not here to debate the issue of horror vs thriller,
but I have a new appreciation for the difficulties involved in that
kind of genre analysis.
What I am here to do is propose a
horror canon. Ask any group of horror fans what's canon and no doubt
they will each of them draw up similar lists. This would be the
“unofficial” horror canon, an agreed-upon list of movies that
are, for whatever reasons, important to the genre; classic films,
great or award-winning films, cult films—all enjoy canon status
within the hearts and minds of the horror-loving public. But what
about an “official” canon, the authoritative list of
horror movies that must be seen and studied for a proper education in
genre film?
To read the rest of this post, please visit Paracinema. I invite you to leave your comments on either site with your thoughts and recommendations about which movies should be considered for an "official" horror canon.
