If you’ve heard people talk about horror in the last decade, you’ve probably heard the phrase “elevated horror.” also You’ve probably heard the endless debates about whether or not it’s an actual genre, whether or not it’s fair to lump some horror movies into a different category than others, and whether or not elevated horror movies are actually scary or if they’re just “weird.” But what does that really mean? mean Why can a horror movie be considered high-quality?
The term is basically a contemporary extension of the “art horror” films of the 60s and 70s, films that were visually striking and/or thematically dense in addition to being just plain scary. The “elevated” term for elevated horror implies that there’s something else going on besides the traditional gore or demonic possessions or boogeymen or vampires. Of course, one could argue that all horror films have more to offer if read carefully than the scary parts, that they’re all “about trauma” in one way or another (more on that later). Elevated horror is simply the term we’ve started using to describe films that seem obviously more complex than others.
So what actually “counts” as high horror? Ultimately, it’s a matter of “you know it when you see it,” but over the past ten years fans have developed a canon to dive into if you’re interested in learning more about this unofficial subgenre. It’s dominated primarily by the Ari’s Asters and the David Robert Mitchell and the Jordan Peeles —newer directors whose early films breathed new life into the horror genre with their examinations of family dynamics, race, class, and sexuality—but you’ll also see some cinematic veterans, directors who combined their indie sensibilities with certain facets of horror to create something that feels more artistic than your average horror movie. These movies aren’t better than any other horror movie, but they’re an interesting look at the new ways we’re figuring out how to scare each other.
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Gallery credit: Emma Stefansky