WHAT: Horror movies are one of the most popular film genres in the world, but (by nature) can be scary to watch alone! That’s why Hannah Kolzer ’22 and Charlotte Dagones ’22 started Horror Council. “We recently discovered our mutual love for horror movies and were very excited because beforehand, we had been lacking horror-movie-watching buddies,” said Kolzer. “We couldn’t possibly be the only people having this problem on campus, so we decided to reach out to fellow horror fans. We also felt that exploring the cultural aspects of horror genres would be interesting. Neither of us has actually watched a huge amount of horror movies—we want to explore its various branches with our club members, and learn new things together along the way.”
WHO: “Anyone who wants to watch a horror movie” is welcome to join, said Dagones. “We don’t mandate or expect consistent attendance at all. We just want people to show up who feel like it.” Though the club just started at the beginning of the semester, there are already more than 80 people on Horror Council’s email list! “People are drawn to join because they, like us, crave company for watching horror movies,” said Kolzer of the group’s popularity.
WHEN: Dagones and Kolzer meet on Tuesdays to select a movie for their weekly screenings that occur on Friday nights. “We meet Friday nights, usually starting sometime between 6:30 and 8 p.m.” said Dagones. “We screen a horror movie of choice, and then give space for discussion. We hope to organize more immersive events in the future.”
DID YOU KNOW? According to a 2004 paper in the Journal of Media Psychology by Dr. Glenn Walters, the three primary factors that make horror films alluring are tension (generated by suspense, mystery, terror, shock, and gore), relevance (that may relate to personal relevance, cultural meaningfulness, the fear of death, etc.), and, somewhat paradoxically given the second factor, non-realism.
GET INVOLVED: Attend a screening! Horror Council is also planning some spooky events with other on-campus groups in October, so sign up on Haverford Engage or reach out to join the email list!
Photo of (from left) Charlotte Dagones ’22 and Hannah Kolzer ’22 at a Horror Council makeup workshop in VCAM provided by Horror Council.