mtv scum

I talked about this briefly as a rent-lowering gunshot, but I feel like expanding it after seeing yet another post begging for a heavily-edited version of "Re-Animator", because the OP didn't want to see things which are foundational and necessary to see in order to understand "Re-Animator".

Lest I be labeled a heartless bastard, let me point out that I suggest this particular approach out of experience.

For years and years, I tried to make myself like the subgenre of horror films called splatter. I watched various films that are considered to be splatter. I watched movies that were adjacent to splatter. I told people I was a gore-hound. I tried to find the most disturbing, awful, and disgusting films possible when most of the information about same was spread by word of mouth and by semi-secretive online forums. I put in an active effort.

And then I watched the first "Saw" film.

And not only did my partner-in-crime get up and run out of the room during the big scene with Lawrence and the titular saw, I sat frozen. I watched, but only because I couldn't move. I experienced sympathy pains in my leg and foot during that scene which immobilized me. I finished the movie, but only because I didn't have a whole lot of choice in that moment.

After that, I started accepting some things.

I accepted that I do not like splatter films. I can stand a lot of violence onscreen, provided that I have the personal sense that the violence has a purpose other than depiction, and provided that it isn't relentless throughout the entire work. I do not enjoy stories where the portrayal of violence, of human pain, is the primary purpose of the story. (This distinguishes splatter from other, even very violent forms of horror; the object of the art is primarily in the portrayal.)

There is nothing morally wrong with splatter horror. There's nothing wrong with being a gore-hound. It's just not for me.

Accordingly, I do not watch splatter films. I uplift and support my friends who are into "Saw" or "Hostel" or "Haute Tension" or "Martyrs", but I have no plans on ever getting into this style of film again. I avoid films which are considered to be crossovers.

I don't feel like my life is missing anything. I don't feel like I'm less of a horror fan. I don't feel like I'm missing out on all the coffinshipping. I'm older, and one of the luxuries of getting older is that I have learned what I like, what I don't like, what I can tolerate, and what I can't. I have seen enough films at this stage in my life, and I don't want to waste my time watching stuff I won't enjoy based on its genre alone.

What I don't do is go onto Tumblr and say "Hey, I really wanna watch 'Saw'! Can anybody direct me to a cut of the movie that edits out all of the traps?"

First, it is kind of silly to take the very reason a thing exists, remove it, and then think you have still meaningfully interacted with the original media. If you cut the dream sequences from "Nightmare on Elm Street", you haven't seen "Nightmare on Elm Street". If you cut the stalking sequences from "Halloween", you have not seen "Halloween". If you cut the gruesome murders and mentions of child death from "Friday the 13th", you haven't seen "Friday the 13th". You may as well just not watch it.

Second, whether we like it or not, demanding a censored version of a horror work is placing judgement on people who enjoy that work uncensored. People who demand censored fanfic on the Archive are, in fact, judging people who read or write uncensored fanfic. "I could never watch such disgusting drivel" is placing judgment on people who do watch stuff you consider to be disgusting or drivel. I repeatedly stated in the above essay that I do not judge folks who like splatter films because failing to do so means I am implicitly placing judgment on folks who like splatter films.

To suggest there is something so wrong about the original work that you must only engage with it in a form that could be shown on an airplane, is to suggest that there's something equally wrong with people who engage with the work as originally presented.

Third, and this is where I am going to be judgemental myself, let's be totally honest here.

People who say they want to watch "Re-Animator" censored don't want to watch "Re-Animator".

They feel social pressure to watch "Re-Animator" because West was and is a popular blorbo on Tumblr and TikTok. They've seen heavily curated and edited "fan videos" which amount to the same set of six Danbert clips and five Herbert-only clips. They've seen fluffy fanart reblogged by their friends. And they feel like they're supposed to like "Re-Animator" because they liked those fan videos, and thought the fanart was cute, and anyway, their friends are all telling them they have to watch "Re-Animator"--

--only watch out for That Scene, it's gross! And That Scene. It's upsetting. And That Whole Subplot, it's super gross. And ignore how Herbert behaves in the story because it's Problematic. And ignore how the story portrays misogyny, because their friends all think portrayal is endorsement. And oh, definitely don't watch That Part. And don't ship anything but the Approved Ship in the Approved Manner, or else they'll be stalked and harassed by people who are infuriated that they didn't like the movie Correctly. Plus they'll be kicked off all their Discord servers, or suspended while being warned that YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT THAT PART OF THE MOVIE ON HERE, DIDN'T YOU KNOW THAT?!

So these folks end up on Tumblr asking for a curated version of the film. One that's safe for TikTok and Tumblr and Discord Communities. One that won't get them in trouble and will allow them to claim that they've seen The Movie and know who The Character is. That way, they can join in with their friends in harassing anyone who doesn't write The Character the way they want him to be written--that is, the heavily censored and entirely-divorced-from-the-source-material version of The Character approved of by their friends.

I am here to liberate you.

You don't have to watch "Re-Animator".

You don't have to like it. You don't have to engage with the fandom. You can just not. You can admit to yourself and your friends that you just don't like this style of horror. It won't make you less transmasc. It won't make you allistic. It won't even make you not a horror fan--you might like other horror stories!

Not every horror story is for you. They don't have to be. You might even feel that horror, as a genre, isn't for you. That's cool! It doesn't have to be! You can like other things! You don't have to like this thing!

I don’t think you tumblrinas seem to understand that

Background tutorial WOAHHH!! The people have been asking for this so apologies for taking so long whoops,,,