"Elevated horror" -- what comes to mind when you hear that? Do you think of movies at the top of their class, standing above the rest, as the best the genre has to offer? Do you think of it as just another buzzword that'll come and go in another year or two? Maybe you haven't even heard of elevated horror until now. If that's the case, you're not alone.
The term originally started cropping up in the public consciousness in 2019, coinciding with the release of films like The Lighthouse, Midsommar, and Us. Ever since, the term has seen divided discussion online, with some arguing that it represents a shift in focus for horror films, while others dismiss it as something wholly unnecessary. As horror films continue to evolve, challenging audiences in new and exciting ways, we have to ask ourselves: does elevated horror really exist?
What Exactly Is Elevated Horror
Elevated horror is less of a specific movement and more of a smattering of different films that meet a particular set of criteria. Typically, elevated horror films are more psychological in nature, relying less on traditional scares and instead taking a methodical approach to creating a deep sense of dread and terror in the viewer. These films also make heavy use of allegory, metaphor, and other thematic elements to drive a central point or message.
Another staple of the subgenre is a complete lack of, or otherwise minuscule use of, graphic violence. While violence is a staple of the horror genre, you're not likely to find it in abundance in elevated horror. There might be a grisly murder or two, but don't expect a high body count -- violence is often just a means to an end.
Multiple Directors Have Dismissed Elevated Horror
Despite its growing acceptance and usage, multiple directors have come out against the term. Jordan Peele, whose films Get Out and Us are frequently part of the discussion surrounding elevated horror, denounced the term in an interview with The Verge. Specifically, he saw it as a "trap," as he purposefully tried to avoid making movies that "people slap a prestige label onto simply because its subject matter is nuanced." In essence, Peele simply makes films that he wants to make. The fact that they're unconventional or tackle issues in subtle ways doesn't automatically mean that they're somehow better than their contemporaries.
John Carpenter also had a negative opinion of the term, having never heard of it prior to an interview with AV Club. He stated that "good" horror movies typically have "thematic material," something that needs to be balanced between scares depending on how the film is being directed. He ought to know: despite all its campiness, his film They Live was an incredible look at how mass media can control entire populations. It just so happens to feature an unintentionally memorable alley fight as well.
Even Zach Cregger, director of the recently released Barbarian, has called elevated horror a "useless" term, describing it as something for people "who see horror as some inferior genre." It certainly doesn't help that the word "elevated" implies some form of superiority as if elevated horror is above other films in the genre.
Elevated Horror Is Nothing New
None of this is to disparage films like Midsommar or The Lighthouse. They're fantastic films in their own right and rightfully deserve the acclaim they've earned for challenging their audiences. To put movies like that on a pedestal, though, as if they're somehow "above" other horror films, is reductive at best and insulting at worst.
Any fan of the horror genre likely picked up on the fact that horror almost always has a message between the screams. George Romero's original Night of the Living Dead gently highlighted racial issues through the guise of a zombie invasion. American Psycho -- memes aside -- is a cold, calculated examination of the emptiness and misery that conformity and corporate culture offer in-between vicious murders. Even the hyper-violent and seedy Hellraiser took an honest look at how pleasure and pain -- hedonism and sadomasochism, specifically -- can become intermingled in excess. Tackling nuanced ideas in different ways isn't anything new for the genre.
Besides, non-traditional horror has always existed in some form or another. Perfect Blue was released in 1997, a mind-bending thriller that blurs fantasy and reality while mirroring the declining mental state of the protagonist. Begotten was released in 1989, a nigh-incomprehensible film so baked in metaphor that it's almost impossible to interpret literally. Even The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, a film that spurned the German expressionist movement in 1920, utilizes bizarre sets with painted shadows and twisting landscapes to depict a world of violent authority. Each of these films takes a unique approach to conveying ideas through abstract methods that demand the audience's attention and engagement.
It's fantastic that the horror genre has been receiving more recognition in recent years. As a reflection of the environment they're created in, they can offer insight into how people felt, what people thought, and what issues may have been prominent at the time. However, assigning an arbitrary name to films that don't feature masked killers or absurd gore is unnecessary. Enjoy the genre for what it has to offer. 2022 alone has produced a plethora of frightening films -- who knows what might come out in the future?