Horror, Porn, and Clive Barker

Well I went to the Fangoria Convention today and I tell you, it was good. There was a lot to see, buy, and talk about. Pretty much next door, or next building was the Adult Con, which somewhat blends with horror. The whole sex and gore thing is almost a marriage from heaven, that I don't want to attend. I also realized that I stood out. There wasn't a lot of gay black guys with True Religion jeans and a Fendi bag walking around. There were goth kids, heavy metal lovers, big busted girls, and me the neighborhood fashioneek.

While I was combing the aisles, I saw Jaws from Moonraker, the writer for Jeeper Creepers, the two cute guys from the Doom Generation, Johnathon Schaech and James Duval, Danielle Harris from Halloween, Tony Todd from Candyman, Dante from Clerks, and Sid Haig.

But the big charm for me was Clive Barker. I love him for so many reasons. Besides being gay, smart, a good writer, a horror overmind, and creative, he's actually funny. However, the main thing I took from him was his view of horror. Clive said that horror is suppose to challenge us, get into our taboos and f*** us up. I agree with that. Horror is suppose to make us uncomfortable, squirm, and hope for Sunday mornings, but I don't get that feeling anymore.

The only time came from this picture from the infamous Scary Stories you can Tell in the Dark. Till this day, I cringe at this pic, but it has inspired me and pushed me to think about my fears. Although I hate this pic sometimes, I also love it. Because of this book, this picture of the skull woman, my love for horror continues to be strong. In fact, this pic has haunted me since I was 9 years old.



But that's how good horror should be, it's suppose to f*** you up, reshape you, and challenge your comfort zones. It sticks to you and pushes buttons. It can be a cheap thrill, but I want more than a scary mask, I want an experience and chance to understand my fears. Maybe even face them and see what was really holding me back. In other words, I think horror has been very therapeutic for me.

So thanks, Clive! Thank you for the reminder of why I love horror. Now who said you can't learn something from a horror convention.