When I was 11, I was a very scaredy and timid kid. I was afraid of the dark and the idea of ghosts and demons. One night, I could not sleep; It was a very windy night and the noises of the trees and the shadows projected into my bedroom had me petrified. I was imagining something like a killer or a devil lurking in the shadows; I don’t know why I was so afraid of those particular ideas, maybe the religious ideas of the community where I lived.

I started thinking of an experiment in my mind. What if I befriended the devil? What if I became Satan’s best pal and instead of cowering in my sheets I would be happy that my friend was paying a visit. That idea evolved into imagining scenarios where the devil defended me from my bullies or protected me from the dangers of the night. I fell asleep.

I feel all horror is a very similar fantasy to that. Instead of turning away from the things that you are scared of; you embrace them, or try to expose yourself to them with one eye open and one closed. It’s roller coaster-ish; a thrill to Spice up your experience; Like putting hot sauce into your food. Horror media can be a controlled exploration of our evolutionary fear reactions in a controlled environment, but also an exploration of taboos or limit experiences. I also feel that horror is very similar to comedy in the sense that it’s not always about the plot itself, but the visceral emotions and reactions it causes.

To your example Weapons: It is a movie made by a director who is also a comedian. the whole movie is an extended setup to a punchline that is both horrifying and comedic. The tropes of the story are kind of cliché but I think the novelty comes from the way it successfully weaves the horrifying and the absurd. There is an air of Monty python all across the movie but even the laughs are played with this muted seriousness.

It’s also a very unpretentious spooky tale. It doesn’t pretend there is a large moral message or a political dilemma. It feels a little retro at how straightforward it is. a “Visceral reactions” movie. I also feel that the fact that it doesn’t need to explain itself helps the overall atmosphere. The movie doesn’t need to wear it’s lore like underwear over it’s pants. It trusts the audience to imagine and feel the blanks. One of my major frustrations with most media today is that writers feel the need to explain everything. They need to tell audience what to think and feel about everything. Character monologues explaining their feelings, exposition dumps about what should be obvious on the screen. I find it refreshing when a piece of media leaves some interesting blanks for me to fill.

So I guess in conclusion I like horror because when I am afraid or nervous, I like to imagine I am riding a big scary roller coaster with my buddy the devil by my side. thinking like that made me less timid, less afraid. It helped me navigate the complex social situations of college as a young man with ADHD. And it helps me talk to people I initially felt intimidated by as an adult. Because I give myself a chance to experience my own fear and doubt. Or some pop psychology shit like that.