This was a rough week at the Ghoul household. After some bad news that was not entirely unexpected but still devastating, I found myself in need of comfort.  For me, that comes in the form of the familiar.  It may strike some people as odd to be soothed by frights or horror. For me, it’s always been a welcome distraction. 

Stories, TV shows and movies, have a rhythm to them. Different types and genres move at different beats. The most obvious would be the contrast between a police procedural. Something like comparing Law and Order, and a family dramedy.   They are designed to be easy to watch, but compelling in different ways. 

Horror has its own rhythm as well. For a lot of movies, it’s designed to be a cathartic one. The constant roller coaster of emotions. Tense moments that lead to scares offer a burst of adrenaline and with it, a whole lot of stress relief.   Right now, that stress relief is what I’m here for, but it’s not the only thing that makes a comfort movie. 

What makes a Good Comfort Movie

Familiarity and love are a good place to start. It has to be something I’ve seen enough to anticipate the rhythm of the movie. Now, I usually love being surprised, unless I’m waiting for this specific reason. Then, I just want to enjoy the surprises I’ve already experienced.  

My comfort movies also need to have enough depth so I can get something new out of rewatching them. Sometimes, that’s new takes on familiar dialogue; other times, it’s visual details in scenes I’ve missed.

There are a lot of brilliant horror movies that I don’t feel the need to rewatch. Comfort horror may not technically be the best movies, but they give you a reason to come back over and over again.

So, What Comfort Horror Are You Watching?

Like I said, it’s been rough days and there are more ahead. This kind of grief calls for the most soothing of movies. Which for me is my all-time favorite movie: Psycho. 

I’ve seen Psycho a lot, but every time there is something new to focus on. This time, the tragedy of Marion Crane’s relationship hit me. It’s the inciting incident for the movie. Her lover’s debts are what drives her to steal. It’s what puts her in the trap that leads her to the Bates Motel.  

For the first time, as I listened to Sam Loomis’ reasons for not fully committing to Marion— he’s too poor ‘cause of his debts—all I could think is, “girl, if he wanted to, he would find a way”. Yeah, I get that later, when he’s back in the hardware store, he writes her a letter talking about how he wanted to be married after all.   And I’m not looking to absolve Marion of her significant theft.  But seriously man, today it felt like he was jerking her around a bit. 

Which honestly would be a bit on theme, since many of the characters in Psycho are lying to themselves and everyone else about their motivations.  

Maybe a better question is, does Marion love Sam? She and Norman have some great conversations about being trapped in their lives. It’s easy to just apply that to the theft, but Marion’s trap may have started long before that. 

Interesting side note:  in the sequel, Lila, Marion’s sister, ends up married to Sam.  The sequel is a bit crazy, so do whatever you want with that information. In any case it’s fun to play around with different ideas about an old favorite, not to mention a welcome distraction. 

Are You Just Going to Watch Psycho All Weekend?

I mean I could, but that would be weird. I’ll be digging up some other old favorites to keep my mind off more serious matters. The Frighteners or Jason Lives will probably get watched, as well as Wolf Man (the 1941 Claude Rains version).  For newer movies, The Monkey is probably going to end up a comfort movie.  I’ve never felt more optimistic leaving the theater recently, and now that I know what to expect from it, I think I’ll enjoy it more and more.  Also, I need its theme right now: “everybody dies, so let’s go dancing”.