…and the Mind on Fire!

One of my favorite things about the conventions that I attend every year is the conversations. Not only am I having the opportunity to talk about the genre I love so much, but it is those conversations that can spark new thoughts, new ideas, or new ways to think about a film that I never had before. Often, it has made me want to bust a movie out and rewatch because of a simple discussion with someone.

The same goes for the variety of riches that we have with DVD and Blu-ray releases of films, usually filled with commentaries, interviews, or features about the making of the film, or maybe those behind the films. The intake of information we receive, some of it we might have known, or maybe knew but had forgotten, or simply had no clue about, it aways gets those gears moving.

Reference books are the same thing for me. Not once in the last 3 decades have I read one of the many horror reference books I have and have not wanted to go back and watch a film, or series of films, that is being discussed within those pages. Again, it gets the brain pondering things. Did I notice how the camera moved in that opening sequence? Did I notice how the other actors reacted during a specific horrifying moment? Did I notice how well the music worked to enhance the emotional impact of the scene? It never fails to make me want to go revisit the film, or if I haven’t seen it, it makes me want to seek it out even more.

That is the beauty of not only being a fan of cinema, but one that really loves the art form. And honestly, we don’t even have to be talking about the horror genre, but cinema in general. But obviously, you wouldn’t be expecting to be reading about Gone with the Wind or The Sound of Music here at the Krypt!

My whole point of this post is to hopefully get followers out there to embrace this practice. I’m thinking a lot of you already do, and if that is the case, I’m hoping to just give a polite little nudge to go a little farther. Pick up a book and dive in. Keep a little notepad close by to jot down little questions or thoughts, or suggestions of a film or two. And see if it changes the way you see and feel about a title.

Or if you’re just not the reading type, maybe listen to some different commentaries about a film. One of the things I’ve been doing lately is record the commentary on my phone, then listen to it while I’m in the car, almost like a podcast. Or watch a documentary on one. The more you learn about it, it can possibly make you enjoy the film even more, or at the very least, it will give you more appreciation about it. I know that Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a perfect example of this. Watching the film with no clue or knowledge of what went into the actual making of the film, it can still terrify you. But when you know what the cast and crew actually went through to get it made, including the 24+ hour day on a set with rotting meat in the 110+ degree heat, you can’t go back and watch it the same way.

If you are one of us passionate fans about the genre, this is something you probably already do. And if so, I thank you! Because our shared passion is what helps keep the genre’s history alive. And if you’re not doing this, then now, with the huge amount of access of knowledge available at the click of a button, is a great time to start.