June 30, 2022: Fireworks!

For much of today, my twitter feed has exuded THIS energy –

It started with an innocuous request for some off-the-radar horror movie recommendations –

Recommend me a great under-the-radar horror movie

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 28, 2022

Which prompted an (I assumed) equally innocuous tweet –

Apparently controversial opinion: Horror-comedies don't work.

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 29, 2022

An hour later it was ON.  A lot of people did NOT appreciate this take, many of them inexplicably angered, offering up examples of successful horror-comedies amid copious dollops of HOW DARE YOU!

That's because if we can't settle this issue here on twitter, we must move on to Kal If Fee, the ancient trial by lirpa. https://t.co/j4BhdXsWhx

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 30, 2022

One of the most oft-repeated responses to my tweet has been along the lines of “Well, that’s just YOUR opinion!”.  And to that I would say – Well, yeah.  I assumed that would be self-evident given my use of the term “take” and the fact I chose to publish it on twitter rather than, say, the Chicago Journal of Empirical Studies.  In the future, out of an abundance of caution, all of my tweets will include the following warning:  “This tweet is just an opinion and has not been scientifically tested”.

Others felt I was being intentionally provocative so that I could garner more replies and, presumably ly, score a big cash pay-out from twitter because that’s what happens when your tweet receives a lot of engagement.  Big cash and a trophy!

And yet here you are.

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 30, 2022

Absolutely. Twitter pays me 20 cents a response. Thanks for contributing to my retirement fund.

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) June 30, 2022

To be perfectly clear, I’m not saying horror-comedies don’t exist as a sub-genre – which is something a couple of people assumed I was arguing.  They do exist and some are great movies.  But they don’t work for me as horror-comedies because the comedy almost always come at the expense of tension and suspense.

Again, to be clear, I’m referring to movies that fall into the category of horror-comedies as opposed to horror movies with comic elements.  Jordan Peele’s Get Out is an example of a great movie with flashes of humor that never undermine the integrity of the horror.

Of course there are exceptions to the rule.  Evil Dead 2 was one that came up a lot and I’ll concede it does buck the trend.  Honestly though it’s been a while since I’ve seen it and another screening may be required to confirm this.  An even better example is, I think, Scream which does an excellent job of walking that fine line, subverting the horror tropes without diluting the horror.

Anyway, it’s been an interesting experience that has taught me a valuable lesson.  In the future, I will refrain from commenting on entertainment.  I will stick to less controversial topics like politics and religion.

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