Why are horror movies so popular with collectors?

[roxics]

I'm been thinking about this. It seems like most collectors are into horror more than any other genre, especially on older formats like VHS, Laserdisc, but even DVD and Blu-ray, and I'm not entirely sure why horror above all else.

It's not my favorite genre. Even though I do like some of it and I've made one horror feature myself. I think horror is a fun genre to make. Especially as a shoestring budget filmmaker. You don't need a lot to do it and you can often cross over into various other genres with it like comedy, action, sci-fi, drama, even period pieces. Audiences are usually pretty forgiving when it's bad, though not always. But at least compared to a lot of other genres. With the exception of maybe low budget sci-fi, which is my favorite genre (sci-fi in general) but I never made one. Even then it feels like people are more critical of low budget sci-fi than horror.

My biggest turn off to horror is gore. I'm not into it. I don't want to see people's insides. Which is probably why I prefer horror movies that are more scary (jump scare/supernatural) or fun than gory. Movies like the Friday the 13th series are fun and not super gory, and I love the other aspects of movies like that. The more campy aspects. The character interactions. Comedy. Sex and nudity. Stuff like that.

I know horror by itself is a pretty wide genre. Encompassing a lot of different kinds of movies. So I get how that could be part of the draw.

What is your perspective on why horror movies are so popular with collectors?

[Deadend45]

First you need to define what you mean by 'collectors'. Collector BDs usually refers to packaging junk.

[Walter Kafka]

Just keep milking.

[roxics]

Originally Posted by Deadend45

First you need to define what you mean by 'collectors'. Collector BDs usually refers to packaging junk.

People who collect movies. Usually a lot of them.

[roxics]

Originally Posted by Walter Kafka

Just keep milking.

?

[meremortal]

It's a proven safety net in smaller runs of say under 10k for boutique labels. Movies that are unheard of even on this forum can still do quite well for niche labels with the right branding, marketing, and internet 'word of mouth.' And of course the legacy franchises like Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm St, Friday the 13th, etc with decades of generational fanfare remain extremely popular. People love the memorable horror movie villains.

[Al_The_Strange]

As a film fan, I find that horror is one of the most ubiquitous genres and there are simply tons of titles I enjoy. They can build up fast because there are numerous subjects and subgenres, and each one has long-running franchises that can boast many sequels and spinoffs. When there are over 30 classic Universal Monster pictures, a dozen Halloweens, ten Saws, several Chuckys, five Final Destinations, and so on, you can build up a huge collection of popular horror flicks pretty fast.

From a collecting standpoint, it is the boutique labels that keep me hooked lately. Scream Factory alone has been responsible for most of my splurging in the past few years, precisely because they are pumping out numerous UHDs with multiple discs full of extras and nice slipcovers and everything. Vinegar Syndrome is another one that produces top-tier editions, and often carry titles that you probably won't find anywhere else. Same for Severin. Criterion occasionally puts out some decent horror. Arrow used to, but I think they've been focused on famous cult hits lately. All of these companies turn horror films, even bottom-of-the-barrel dreck, into top-notch editions, and they probably do pump them up a bit as unique cult gems worth celebrating rather than mere trash. And a lot of them push limited editions to generate sales from pure FOMO.

But even then, I wouldn't gravitate towards the fancy editions if the films themselves weren't interesting to some degree. A trashy horror film can still entertain depending on execution (whether it be campy, unintentionally funny, has a lot of snap and personality in the script, of plaid straight enough to be taken seriously, there is no right or wrong approach as long as the film achieves its desired effect). For some reason, I find horror easy to binge on more than most other genres, so it does fuel my own increased desire to buy more titles I enjoyed.

[HarrisonJohn]

Those of us that experienced video stores, there was something special about the horror section...

[Donl1282]

I love the boxart of horror films. I used to visit video stores looking at VHS boxes for so many horror films.

[AKORIS]

for me horror movies have the most replay value.... I'm also not into excessive gore (except for over the top stuff like RE-ANIMATOR which is not meant to be taken seriously). Classic horror from Universal to Hammer to AIP Poe to 70's and 80's genre flicks are something that a lot of us here grew up with. We watched them on edited TV, cable, and/or VHS. They were usually films that you're "not supposed to watch" as a kid so they had a sense of fun and adventure when you got to see one.

There were also lots of flicks that you wanted to see but never did so that now, as an adult, if that title gets released I'm ten times more likely to blind by it that I would a drama or comedy. I'm buying movies these days that I wanted to see over 40 years ago!! That fun and adventure continues even to this day.

Lastly I think good horror movies have never gotten a fair shake artistically. I think creating mood and atmosphere takes a talented director and when a hack tries to do it, the differences are immediately noticeable. Good horror movies are always fun to watch and revisit and "collecting" them is popular for collectors for that reason. My 2 cents

[RCRochester]

Horror just seems to be the one genre that people are super into, as in they only like horror and will only watch horror films. I don't really see that with other genres, like people who only watch comedy or are super into it.

I think that stems from horror having an outsider quality to it, like horror is always being criticized for corrupting youth or contributing to the downfall of society, or always gets raked across the coals for its depiction of violence, or treatment of women. Look at the 80s, when critics such as Siskel and Ebert would absolutely trash anything horror related, so it's created a sort of "us versus them" attitude with horror fans, thus they will be extremely loyal to anything horror related that is released and with physical media, part of that is to ensure that they get their hands on material that is uncensored.

[HD Goofnut]

Horror is probably my least favorite genre. I prefer suspense/thriller to general horror in the majority. My main exception to this is zombies.

[Zombo]

I just want the best version possible of my old midnight movies, a lot of which are 80s or 90s horror and sci-fi.

I started out in the 80s and early 90s renting and copying VHS tapes every weekend. Some movies I had to record from TV or Cable. Then when VHS became affordable, I bought the official copy. Then when DVD came out...I upscaled all my VHS tapes to DVD. The same with DVD to Blu-ray and digital and now to 4K physical and digital.

There are still a ton of movies from back then that are hard to find on Blu-ray or 4K.

[cakefactory]

Originally Posted by roxics

What is your perspective on why horror movies are so popular with collectors?

I think it's simple - horror fans tend to be outsider nerds, and collectors of physical media tend to be outsider nerds. So, lots of demographic overlap. The stereotypical horror fan is the kind that has shrines to 80s movies in their house (memorabilia, posters, etc). You don't really see much of that with other genres. Mainly just specific fandoms like Doctor Who or Star Trek or whatever.

"REGULAR PEOPLE" both tend to only watch horror movies if they're wildly popular and tend to not buy any physical discs anymore. While outsider nerds are way less likely to have any interest in other genres. Hence why we see all the serious dramas and world cinema coming from the labels like Kino and Criterion who seem to mainly sell to libraries (and the large cult of Criterion who only buy Criterion discs and buy everything they put out). There's a reason we see 20+ labels all trying to specialize in horror and very, very few that specialize in any other specific genre.

[LeeFanatic007]

For many there is just something special about horror films. The practical effects used in many appeal to a lot of folks, the cheeziness, love of certain directors like John Carpenter or Wes Craven. And many of these collectors grew up in the 80s and 90s when these kinds of films were wildy popular and successful.

As for collecting horror titles now on home media I think there's a couple reasons. First as I already mentioned many of them (myself included) grew up with these films and simply want to own them. But what about the weird obscure titles that many didn't see growing up that still sell well. We are always looking to find another film that gives us the same feels and vibes as those we saw back in the 80s and 90s in the theaters or that we rented from the video store. And typically these horror titles tend to sell out or massiviely rise in value once they go OOP so in many cases it comes down to buy it now or lose out because they might not re-release many of these titles. These films don't often appeal to the mainstream and there aren't as many copies made. Look at horror films on VHS nowadays. They are commanding high prices and you rarely come across them in thrift stores whereas your comedies, action films, drama, etc. are still abundantly available.

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

Horror just seems to be the one genre that people are super into, as in they only like horror and will only watch horror films. I don't really see that with other genres, like people who only watch comedy or are super into it.

I think that stems from horror having an outsider quality to it, like horror is always being criticized for corrupting youth or contributing to the downfall of society, or always gets raked across the coals for its depiction of violence, or treatment of women. Look at the 80s, when critics such as Siskel and Ebert would absolutely trash anything horror related, so it's created a sort of "us versus them" attitude with horror fans, thus they will be extremely loyal to anything horror related that is released and with physical media, part of that is to ensure that they get their hands on material that is uncensored.

Exactly this all day!

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Horror is probably my least favorite genre.

NEVER speaking to you again

[fred25_Ca]

Great thread! Like others have said, horror collectors can be pretty intense and not just with movies. Look at all the horror action figures out there. Unlike dramas or comedies or westerns or most other genres outside of sci-fi, one of horror's biggest strengths is in his designs. People know Jason or Freddy or Frankenstein even if they haven't seen these movies. The sheer artistic skills behind the makeups and the designs of the creatures in these movies is outstanding. People love the Xenomorph or the Predator design, still to these days. You'll see collectors with multiple statues or miniatures or action figures of these iconic monsters.
You won't see that in many other genre. There is something so special about reading about the behind the scenes of these movies. At least there used to be, with magazines like Fangoria fueling fans' obsessions with these stuff.
Heck, even me (who's a big horror fan but rarely buy any collectibles outside of movies themselves) has a full Jaws shrines.

20231024_203808.jpg

I love Kung fu movies and westerns and silent films and classic Hollywood movies but there's no way i'd ever have a shrine of anything else than a horror one (in this case my favorite movie of all time).

Also, as someone who used to make horror short films and travel all over Canada and the US to go to horror festivals, horror fans stick together. We understand each others' obsession and everyone was always very inclusive. You wouldn't get that in most normal film festival. My wife and I always felt like we were part of a clique.

But yeah, for me, it's all about the monster designs. It shines in the horror genre. When you have poster art like the Jaws posters or even something like Rawhead rex, it's something special. I love Charlie Chaplin's Modern times and own it on blu ray from Criterion. It's undeniably a better movie than Rawhead rex. Yet, I've owned Rawhead rex 6 times on physical media and to this day still have my fangoria copy with Rex on the cover and the original French canadian vhs with the original poster art, something i'd never do for Modern times.

[bigshot]

Horror is fun because it's a visceral experience of tension and release. This experience is pretty much the same on repeated viewings. It's not like a movie where you see it once and get the plot and don't need to see it again. Other genres can have visceral appeal too, but with horror, that is the main attraction- the scares and chills.

[russweiss1]

Originally Posted by fred25_Ca

Attachment 299097

Very nice collection.

[bigdaddyhorse]

Originally Posted by fred25_Ca

G
Heck, even me (who's a big horror fan but rarely buy any collectibles outside of movies themselves) has a full Jaws shrines.

I kick myself nearly everyday for passing up that McFarlane Jaws boxset when it was available. My dumbass didn't grab it cuz it didn't have much articulation and less than half a shark.

Thankfully I was smart enough to get this, after almost passing again but getting talked into it by my bud who owned the comic store: