How To Support Horror In The Quarantine
"SHINING" by Daria Derakhshan is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Everything feels a little insane right now. We can’t leave our houses, can’t see friends, can’t go to the movies. As Jon DeHaan so eloquently put it, “We’re literally one WHO announcement away from declaring The Thing a documentary.”
In this chaotic time it is more important than ever to support the horror community.
Donate
Obviously, the easiest way to support horror in self isolation is to donate! A lot of creators, no matter how prominent, are suffering from the quarantine. Most blockbuster films have had to go to digital release. This is incredibly harmful because it’s nearly impossible to make that production budget back, let alone a profit, without the box office sales. And if blockbusters are losing money, imagine how much independent films are suffering. Not to mention horror podcasts, magazines, books, blogs, critics, small businesses, and everything in between.
But, don’t fear because now is the perfect time to devour all of the horror content you possibly can!
Watch and rewatch horror films and series. The more you watch, the more residuals the content creators get (and they could really use it right now). Buy or rent those movies that went straight to VOD. Order books or DVDs to the house. Stream horror, even if it’s just in the background of your work. Every bit counts, and the more content you consume, the more those artists get to take care of themselves and their families in this difficult time.
A lot of horror creators are also hosting live watch parties on Twitter. This is a great way to get in touch with other horror fans, and it can help keep you from going crazy in the self isolation!
It is also super important to support independent theatres and stores that have had to close due to COVID. Many local theatres, like the FilmBar for my Phoenix readers, show a lot of independent horror features that wouldn’t get a platform elsewhere. It is super important that these businesses can survive during quarantine, and a lot of them rely on donations from patrons.
Some of my current favorites:
The Mystic Museum (includes Slashback Video)
The Salem Horror Fest- They’re also holding some live watch parties for free :)
Free Options
Many of us are out of work right now, and don’t have the extra funds to purchase content. Don’t panic, because there are tons of awesome free options to help support the horror community!
Most horror podcasts are free (The Fangoria ones are wonderful), and most horror blogs are too! Tubi is a great streaming service that’s totally free, and they have a bunch of horror. Reviewing horror media is also a great way to spread the word about your favorite content. Additionally, most horror comic books and graphic novels are online, and you can usually find them for free.
Some of my favorites:
Shudder is offering a 30 day free trial with code SHUTIN
Bother Your Friends
I don’t know about you, dear reader, but my friends are dying of boredom in quarantine and need movie recommendations. This is the one time that my non-horror fan friends will actually watch horror. I’ve been giving them lists upon lists of independent films and horror tv shows. If you know of any horror content that your friends would like, by all means this is the time to tell them.
You can post your recommendations on social media, or use Netflix Party to hold horror watch parties. The watch parties are super fun, and you can do full marathons of different horror franchises.
This is the perfect time to show your friends the amazing world of horror. A lot of my friends claim that they don’t like horror movies, but the real issue is that they haven’t watched enough. Having online watch parties or movie clubs is a great way to get your friends to watch and appreciate horror films. They might also be more willing to watch apocalypse movies (even though they hit a little too close to home right now).
You can also tell your friends about how the quarantine is hurting local artists, and what they can do to support them.
Create Your Own!
If there’s something you’ve been wanting to create-a book, a blog, a script, etc.-do it! We’re all trapped with nothing but time, so now is the perfect opportunity to work on those creations. The horror community loves new artists, and is always looking for new horror content.
I wish you the best of luck! I know the isolation can drive everyone a little crazy, but we all go a little mad sometimes, it’s perfectly normal. Just a reminder that not all of us have strong immune systems, and the self quarantine is very much necessary! It’ll hopefully be over soon, but until then you can catch up on all things horror :) Thank you for helping to flatten the curve!
