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Cut (v):\u00a0make (a movie) into a coherent whole by removing parts or placing them in a different order.<\/em><\/p>\n I\u2019m not delivering breaking news when I say that civility and nuance are the first things to go once people plop their butts in front of their computers. But that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not true.<\/span><\/p>\n And look, I get it, I\u2019ve been guilty of logging in after a long day and treading down the warpath, looking to get the venom out. And sometimes I end up standing by that venom (especially if it was a good zinger on Twitter, no regrets there), but most times I wish I hadn\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n But as a reader, movie guy, and\u2014most importantly\u2014a horror fan who values the opinions of those I\u2019m friendly with, there\u2019s a certain brand (flavor? variety?) of venom that I feel like I see way too often. What is this scourge on the horror community?<\/span><\/p>\n Well, I\u2019ll get to that. But first, here\u2019s a screenshot of a Goodreads review that author Jeff Strand posted a week or so ago:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Okay. We\u2019re not going to resort to name calling (<\/span>we\u2019re not going to do that<\/span><\/i>, no matter how much my insides are screaming), but I feel like we can all spot the gaps in this \u201creviewer\u2019s\u201d logic. Never mind the gaps in his\/her grammar and arithmetic (\u201cI don\u2019t think this book should have five starts, but 2.5 sounds cool.\u201d). <\/span><\/p>\n But here\u2019s where I blow your mind: as outlandish as it seems, I think this kind of review\u2014or something close to it\u2014gets articulated all the time, especially in horror circles. And I think you might have posted\/voiced a permutation of this review yourself. And the people who post stuff like this are working from the assumption that all opinions are unassailable since everyone\u2019s entitled to one.<\/span><\/p>\n The \u201cI didn\u2019t think it was fair for this book to have five stars\u201d strain of review has a comelier cousin. One that pops up in a lot of fan discourse.<\/span><\/p>\n Yes, I\u2019m talking about the ever-popular, always read in a kind of too-cool-for-school voice: \u201cOverrated!\u201d and it\u2019s partner, the \u201cI don\u2019t get what all the hype is about!\u201d lines of reasoning.<\/span><\/p>\n Not sure what I mean? Take for example, this Amazon review of <\/span>The Babadook<\/span><\/i>: <\/span><\/p>\n Oh man. And, look, before you all start commenting that I\u2019m picking low hanging fruit: yes, I am. But the screenshots I\u2019m providing are <\/span>extreme examples<\/span><\/i> to prove a point, and to keep me from composing a straw man argument where I talk about hypothetical people\u2019s hypothetical reviews. <\/span><\/p>\n The execution in the above review may be singular, but the sentiments expressed echo throughout Amazon pages, message boards, convention halls, and wherever else our proud, sweaty family gathers.<\/span><\/p>\n But let\u2019s unpack this. First of all, there\u2019s that word: \u201coverrated.\u201d It\u2019s right in the title, actually. <\/span><\/p>\n Then we move on and the first sentence says that critics and fellow fans who somehow <\/span>liked <\/span><\/i>this movie have either been paid off or are posturing to look cool. <\/span><\/p>\n And it\u2019s that first sentence where we get the rub. What most people who toss around the terms “hype” or “overrated” are <\/span>really<\/span><\/i> criticizing when they talk about stuff they don\u2019t like, I think, is that they\u2019re not reviewing the movie or book, they\u2019re reviewing other people\u2019s enjoyment. And by reviewing that enjoyment they are attempting to harsh said enjoyment. <\/span><\/p>\n And that\u2019s not cool, man.<\/span><\/p>\n Well, that\u2019s really it, I guess we don\u2019t need to unpack the rest of that one, just kind of scratch our heads at why a movie being australian [sic] is automatically a demerit. <\/span><\/p>\n But while we\u2019re on the page for <\/span>The Babadook<\/span><\/i>, let\u2019s look at one more screengrab I took:<\/span><\/p>\n A double-header! <\/span><\/p>\n Now, when you look at that original review, it\u2019s easy to discount the guy (no nudity? Heaven forbid! and \u201ci am a horror guru and believe me i know good horror\u201d feels like it should be coming from a guy wearing a trucker hat promising to Make Horror Great Again). But what I find so interesting in this screenshot is the commenter who felt the need, nay, the <\/span>compulsion <\/span><\/i>to respond to this review.<\/span><\/p>\n You know what? Mr. \u201c<\/span>The Babadook<\/span><\/i> is for film fans, as opposed to horror fans\u201d may have a better handle on standard written English than the reviewer, but I think his comment is legitimately more obnoxious. Ignoring the fact that he opens with a dismissal (or at least distancing) of the movie\u2019s genre, he does <\/span>exactly<\/span><\/i> what I accused that first reviewer of doing: he\u2019s critiquing someone\u2019s opinion. And he\u2019s doing it in the most condescending way possible.<\/span><\/p>\n So, what do these reviews for <\/span>The Babadook<\/span><\/i> tell us? I seem to be being pretty negative in this article, how do they connect with the \u201cpositivity\u201d that I was promising in the headline? Especially since I\u2019m poking a little fun at other people\u2019s opinions (oh, yeah, I totally understand the hypocrisy paradox going on here and I apologize…kinda).<\/span><\/p>\n Well, what we have in these two reviews is a microcosm of the \u201cslobs vs. snobs\u201d culture war that has seemed to engulf our little genre over the last couple of years. I mean, it\u2019s probably always been there, but it\u2019s gotten way worse.*<\/span><\/p>\n I chose <\/span>The Babadook<\/span><\/i> for two reasons: first, it was <\/span>literally<\/b> the first page I visited to do research for this article, because I had a feeling it was going to provide me with rhetorical ammunition. <\/span><\/p>\n But secondly, <\/span>The Babadook<\/span><\/i>\u2019s a movie where I myself have complicated feelings. Walking out of the theater, I really <\/span>really<\/span><\/i> loved it, but the more I thought about the film the more I had very little desire to revisit it. The first two thirds are awesome, a strong central performance that\u2019s perfectly paired with the film\u2019s themes (post-partum depression being literalized as a storybook monster? Dope. Sign me up), but the climax fails to thrill, on a personal level. Excepting how smart the last few scenes\/images may be. So <\/span>The Babadook <\/span><\/i>is a film I\u2019ve got strong like for, but not love, and it seemed like the perfect movie to try and \u201cget the temperature of the room\u201d with. <\/span><\/p>\n Did I feel that the film was \u201ctoo hyped\u201d or \u201coverrated\u201d? No, I wouldn\u2019t use those words, but if I <\/span>were <\/span><\/i>going to choose a better alternative, I\u2019d say that I was \u201c[slightly] let down\u201d by parts. If I used that language, I doubt that Captain \u201c<\/span>The Babadook<\/span><\/i> is for film fans\u201d would feel compelled to argue with me about my own opinion. And that criticism would be couched it in the context of discussing the parts I liked, not weighing my opinion against someone else\u2019s, as if I were going to \u201cwin\u201d an argument through dent of character (psst… it\u2019s the\u00a0Internet, we\u2019re all anonymous jagoffs leaving drive-by comments for each other, most people aren\u2019t going to enter into a discussion with you with any knowledge of you outside of whatever ethos you establish in that one post they\u2019re commenting on).<\/span><\/p>\n And that\u2019s where positivity comes in: <\/span><\/p>\n Champion the stuff you like. And, if you want to discuss the stuff you didn\u2019t, then do it in a way that purely concerns the text, not what <\/span>you think <\/span><\/i>other people\u2019s thoughts on the text are. It not only leads to better conversations, it leads to more quality appreciation of the genre we claim to be fans of. <\/span><\/p>\n There are so many books and movies in existence, more being produced every day, if you read\/watched something you didn\u2019t like, but choose to be more vocal about the stuff you did, then guess what: the bad stuff goes away and the good stuff gets spread around. Or the \u201cbad stuff\u201d becomes someone else\u2019s responsibility to champion.<\/span><\/p>\n Horror fans are treated like the bastards of fandom because sometimes we <\/span>deserve to be<\/span><\/i>. Many of us shout people down, mistake \u201chardcore attitude\u201d for hardcore knowledge, and get overly precious about our ::scare quotes:: classics. If we all tweak our online discourse a little bit, elevate things, think before we type, then maybe we win over some of the people we would have otherwise been fruitlessly arguing with. And that makes more horror fans.<\/span><\/p>\n So, in conclusion, because it\u2019s easier to organize and because these articles always do better if they\u2019re listicle-ized, here\u2019s three guidelines to staying positive (and to avoid being screencapped and ridiculed by a middling horror writer**):<\/span><\/p>\n 1) Haven\u2019t seen\/read the topic of discussion? Then STFU!<\/b><\/p>\n Don\u2019t review or comment negatively about art you haven\u2019t consumed. I mean, this seems like a no brainer. But I\u2019d even extend this to say that, if you haven\u2019t seen\/read <\/span>all<\/span><\/i> of something or if you skipped around or skimmed because it was like, omgz, soooo boring, then you should think REALLY HARD about posting your thoughts. <\/span><\/p>\n Because everyone\u2019s entitled to an opinion, but it\u2019s only <\/span>informed<\/span><\/i> opinions that anyone cares about. <\/span><\/p>\n 2) It\u2019s cool to not like things, and it\u2019s also cool not to be a d*ck about it.<\/b><\/p>\n I have a Facebook friend (and friend in real life, although I\u2019ve only hung out with him a couple of times IRL) who has absolutely BAFFLING taste. He\u2019s a contrarian to the nth degree, and there are times when the stuff he strongly dislikes (and the stuff he loves) actually <\/span>offends me<\/span><\/i>, might offend you too. <\/span><\/p>\n But when I read his posts, his thoughtful deconstructions of <\/span>why <\/span><\/i>he didn\u2019t like that book or that movie, I see that he\u2019s not being a jerk about it. He\u2019s not crapping on anyone else\u2019s opinion, and you know what? <\/span>I\u2019m wrong<\/b> to be offended, because Bad Taste Guy is totally within his right to be Bad Taste Guy. And I love\/appreciate him for it.<\/span><\/p>\n 3) Don\u2019t like things just because other people like them.<\/b><\/p>\n Ohhhhhhh snap! Just when you thought I was getting all didactic and holier-than-thou, I end on an up-note. <\/span><\/p>\n But let me explain: I\u2019m not endorsing contrarianism for the sake of not being a \u201cdrone\u201d or a square. <\/span><\/p>\n If you legitimately don\u2019t like something, it\u2019s way more interesting when you talk about the <\/span>why <\/span><\/i>you don\u2019t like something rather than the enormity of the dislike. Critical consensus can be a pretty surefire way to find books\/movies to check out, but even then something may not jive with you and that\u2019s totally cool.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019re living in a climate where entertainment is becoming more and more niche. Not everyone is<\/span> supposed<\/span><\/i> to like everything, and that\u2019s wonderful. Ever hear your grandpa talk about how there used to only be 3 TV channels? Well, most of that programming was <\/span>hot garbage<\/b> that existed to fill air-time and get you to smoke Winstons (<\/span>Tastes Good, Like A Cigarette Should<\/span><\/a>), and it was garbage because it had to appeal to the broadest possible audience.<\/span><\/p>\n Media is now abundant and diverse, horror media even more so. So get out there and consume some, then tell us what you\u2019ve been digging recently in the comments.<\/span><\/p>\n *If you don\u2019t believe me, check out all the think pieces on \u201cart house horror.\u201d Which is a genre distinction that I\u2019m not a huge fan of, because I don\u2019t think \u201cartfully made\u201d should qualify something as a sub-genre. But that\u2019s probably a rant best kept for another day.<\/span><\/p>\n **This is where I should probably defend against the accusation that, as someone who has a vested interest in receiving positive Amazon and Goodreads reviews of their work, I\u2019m writing this tirade because I\u2019ve received bad reviews of my own. Well, you\u2019re half-right. I have received a handful of bad\/weird reviews, but I\u2019m of sober enough mind to realize that them\u2019s the breaks and you can\u2019t please everyone. <\/span>But<\/span><\/i>, by and large, the people who review my books (even when they have issues with them) are cool, articulate, and fair. But that\u2019s because <\/span>I tend to have a higher class of rad reader and you should be one<\/span><\/a>\u00a0if you want to sit at the cool kids table okay I\u2019ll stop now…<\/span><\/p>\n Adam Cesare is a New Yorker who lives in Philadelphia. He studied English and film at Boston University. His books include <\/em>Mercy House,\u00a0Video Night, The Summer Job,\u00a0and <\/em>Tribesmen.\u00a0He has an oft-neglected\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0and tweets as @Adam_Cesare.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Hype’s Not Wrong. You’re Wrong: A Horror Fan’s Guide to Staying Positive<\/h3>\n
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