The plight of the horror genre has been a fascinating one, from being skewered as torture porn back in the day to building itself up as one of today’s most poignant vehicles of social commentary. Horror has truly been to hell and back.
But no matter where the genre was over the course of its history, it never failed to keep bringing in brand new enthusiasts just waiting for the next opportunity to get the pants scared off them again, even if the initiating film happened to find them prematurely.
Indeed, horror faithfuls young and old have taken to r/horror to declare which film brought them over to land of Myers, Leatherface, and co. For a genre that never falls to the likes of PG-9, there were a lot of folks who had their first horror screening before their first day of middle school.
One responder went against the grain, naming the horror movie that scared them away from the genre rather than pull them into it.
One user in particular took the opportunity to flex on the entire population of the post, rapping off an impressive gallery of horror’s finest, all accomplished before the age of 10.
And the original poster, whose list included Poltergeist, Predator, Monster Squad, The Lost Boys, Friday the 13th, and Tales from the Crypt, later recounted a story when the latter of their viewings got them into some trouble during a visit with their less-lenient uncle.
It seems as though there’s never been a bad time to get into horror, and 2022 has graciously carried on that tradition. With the likes of The Black Phone, Nope, and the upcoming Halloween Ends, there may be a record number of horror cherries popped by the year’s end.