THS Fright-A-Thon: Why Watching Horror Movies On Cable Is Still Cool – That Hashtag Show

Weve done quite a bit of summaries of the various schedules for cable and streaming providers for Halloween. By far, the most well received one was for AMCs month-long Fright Fest. Think about that. It wasnt for a streaming giant like Netflix or Hulu, it was for a cable network. Now I understand that a huge portion of the US and and the World still has cable television. But think about that. People got more excited for a horror schedule released, with commercials and the films edited for content. I have a couple guesses at why people are so excited about this schedule for AMC Network, but its still a bit perplexing on a first look.

I mean, as horror fans, we love our movies without interruptions, without edits, and with bonus features. Scream Factory has built an entire business on this principle. So what draws us to the cable networks and their horror marathons more than anything? Lets dive in.

Horror of today, tomorrow, and yesterday is built upon nostalgia. We naturally are more afraid of the world and whats in it (and what couldnt be in it) when were younger. As we get older, we learn more, and realize that there arent serial killers around every corner or monsters in the dark. The things we worry about become more about money, health, or other normal human problems. Memories fade from recollection about those long nights when youre younger, scared stiff because of that horror movie you just finished watching.

Remember the first time you saw these horror movies. For a lot of us (including this writer), it was on TV. I saw Friday the 13th Part IV on tv before I saw it uncut on Blu-Ray. Its the same way for a lot of other movies. I wouldnt love Death Wish 3 unless I saw it during some Charles Bronson marathon on AMC. Was the violence edited down? Yes. Did it have alternate words instead of the wonderful curses in the film? Of course. Did I love it any less because of it? No, I was enthralled.

Its a two pronged assault on your nostalgic feelings when you fire up whatever you use to watch TV. Not only are you getting that dose of nostalgia from just watching a horror movie, but youre getting a double dose by watching it on AMC. For every bleep, alternate word, or nude scene cut, it brings you back to those older, more gentle days.

Normally, youd think of a cable movie marathon and just think of the classics. Not even the classics, the base-line horror film. Thats not the case anymore. Youre seeing more diverse and varied films being shown on cable networks these days. Just take one look at AMCs schedule and you can see that. Films like Ghost Ship, Orphan, and Prince of Darkness are all there, and thats not even the tip of the iceberg.

So youre giving early or younger fans the Horror 101 stuff like Halloween, Friday the 13th, and others, but youre also giving the die-hard horror fans what they want.

I know what youre thinking. Its INCREDIBLY lazy to imagine putting a Blu-Ray into whatever player as a difficult act. But in some cases it might be. If I come home (coming home meaning walking to my living room) from a hard day of work, I dont want to fuss with something. Its much easier to just hop on the couch, turn on the TV and see that a movie is about to start. Or its in the middle of one of my favorites, and you can just get right in on the action.

Theres a very underrated quality to convenience here. This article isnt designed to shame those, like myself, who buy big dollar special editions. Its more for people to understand just how great it is that were getting tons and tons of horror on national TV each night.

Horror is a big business now, so you can either enjoy it with me, or you can ignore it.

Also in some cases, the new edits and cut scenes add some layer on unintentional comedy to the proceedings of watching a classic film on television. You would miss out on moments like this famous Snakes On A Plane edit, if we didnt watch on TV.

Remember Monstervision? If Elvira is the greatest horror host of all-time, Job Bob Briggs of Monstervision and The Last Drive-Thru on Shudder is a close second. Monstervision started off as a way for TNT to show off marathons of B-movies they had in their vault. It evolved into a phenomenon starring horror host, Joe Bob Briggs. His way of reviewing and calling out not only the censors but his bosses on the show, endeared him to a generation of horror fans.

Part of the charm of Joe Bob, was that hes a fan just like us. So him making fun of the censors, counting all the stuff that we missed from the theatrical version, or just commenting on the movie, was perfect. Its something that I can say is missing from the current schedule of horror films across TV.

AMC, TNT, or whoever else, if youre listening, bring back the horror host. This generation of horror can watch Fright Night and not know why Peter Vincent is on TV. Thats a shame, because the classic horror host used to be all the rage. It was the best way to get people into all genres of horror.

I love watching horror on TV and I have a full library of movies at my disposal. For all the reasons Ive listed above and more, its just a purely nostalgic feeling. There arent too many things in life that can send you back in that time machine to your youth. To that time where you didnt have every movie available at your fingertips like we do today. You had what you had on TV and you had the video store. Thats about it. So you had to learn to love the movies that were on.

So take some time to think back to that time before you criticize someone for liking movies on TV. It may make you feel better in the end.

For more on horror, THS Fright-A-Thon, or any other general pop culture, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.

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THS Fright-A-Thon: Why Watching Horror Movies On Cable Is Still Cool - That Hashtag Show