I’ve spent a lot of time watching horror movies this summer and, in a way, I rekindled my love with the genre. Not that it ever truly wavered, but I think I’ve allowed some outside forces (social media and FOMO) to make me feel a bit less than because I didn’t buy the blu-ray or watch the latest film. It’s strange, because I didn’t realize it was having that sort of effect on me, until I noticed I was watching less and less horror.
So, slowly, I started tuning out that noise and just watching what I wanted to watch or was recommended to me by the one guy whose horror opinion I trust: Michael. I got back to that teenager who seeked out the weird and forgotten, and revisited the movies he loved the most.
I also reconnected with watching Joe Bob Briggs on Shudder. Monstervision was a big part of my life and making me feel like I wasn’t alone in the appreciation of the absurd and macabre, and when Joe Bob returned in 2018, I was over the moon. I’ve watched quite a few of his specials, including a handful of them live, but I don’t think I leaned into the Mutant Family as much as I should have. That changed this summer, and my wife even got in on the fun as we watched his presentation of Sharkando, Alligator, and the debut of Walking Dead: Dead City. It made me feel like me again.
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I was struggling with my mental health and some anger issues, and those seemed to get under control the more I leaned into my horror fandom. Horror has always had a stabilizing effect on me, and it’s provided comfort and even a place to belong in a world that always felt a bit foreign.
With that being said, I decided to refresh and relaunch Brandon’s Horror. I’ve been working on updating old posts and some new ideas. I’m not sure if I’m going to keep with my current review format, since I truly feel like reviews are a bit overdone online, but I want to create a fun, simple site to allow me to share some thoughts on the genre whenever I feel like doing so.
I’m slowly working through updating photos and doing some light editing on the old posts, and will have some new stuff coming out this holiday season.
I appreciate you checking out the site.
-Brandon