The old horror movies also had deep symbolism you were just to young to know it!

Alien? Full of metaphors about sexuality and rape

Nightmare on Elm street? Metaphors about generational trauma and violence

Halloween? The inevitability of death

Friday the 13th? Fear of sexuality

I COULD GO ON!

HORROR HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT EXPLORING THE DARK UNCONSCIOUSNESS OF HUMANITY AND PIGEON HOLING IT AS LESSER ART IS A MISTAKE

Horror also reflects the anxieties of its time! The nuclear era of the 1950s showed us lots of mutants, monsters, and science gone bad. The ‘80s saw the golden age of serial killers (carried over from the ‘70s), suburban excess, reactionary conservatism, and Satanic Panic; thus we get slashers carving up wild-partying teens, plus creepy neighbors and home invasions. Current horror often deals with themes of alienation, gentrification, apocalypse/societal collapse, and pressure to perform an Instagram-perfect social veneer—you know, #JustLateCapitalismThings.

And yes, horror is in fact the Most important genre, culturally, politically, artistically, and philosophically.

Even going further back…

Dracula is about a fear of foreigners, sex, (and sexy foreigners) and death.

Frankenstein is about mankind’s desire to mess with nature and the consequences of that.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde is about seemingly nice, “respectable” men secretly being monsters.

The Tell-Tale Heart is about guilt.