The Bizarre Subgenre Of Horror You Never Knew Existed
Most people are familiar with the basic movie genres. You can have fantasy, science-fiction, and horror, to name just a few. However, those labels only really begin to scratch the surface when it comes to categorizing films. Each genre has its own litany of subgenres, and while a lot of them are fairly standard, horror movies can get downright bizarre when you look into all of the trends that have popped up over the years.
Some horror subgenres make sense — like body horror ("The Fly"), folk horror ("The Witch"), and slasher ("Friday the 13th"). Then, there are those subgenres that get so unorthodox to the point where you're surprised studios could make multiple films with the same obscure concept. (Did you know there's a whole range of holiday horror movies, including the likes of "Black Christmas," "Krampus," and "Deathcember"?)
Even that's just the tip of the iceberg. For horror-lovers who are more fashion-inclined, they'll be delighted to hear there's an entire subgenre of horror films focused on killer clothes. On top of campy movies from the 1980s, further entries to the subgenre have been added as recently as 2020.
Clothing horror is very real and very terrifying
While killer clothing sounds inherently ridiculous, there can be a bit of nuance to these films. Many people obsess over their looks and care deeply about how they present themselves to others, spending thousands of dollars to have the latest fashions that aren't even worth the money. In the real world, clothes can, in fact, antagonize wearers, and clothing horror taps into the idea of how individuals can lose their minds trying to find that one perfect piece of apparel.
This idea was most recently explored in the Shudder original film "Slaxx." The movie follows a group of individuals who are trapped inside a fashion retail store for the night, being stalked by a pair of murderous jeans. One way the film works so well is that it leans into its inherent silliness, delivering haunting visuals and a scathing satire of consumerism in the process.
A pair of jeans isn't the only apparel option that has gone on a rampage over the years. There have been movies made about killer shoes ("The Red Shoes"), killer dresses ("In Fabric"), and killer capes ("Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II"). Another recent example of this trend is found with 2019's "Deerskin," which follows a man who gets a really nice jacket and proceeds to go on a murder spree so that he can acquire every jacket around.
All these movies may sound absurd, but you'd be surprised at how effective they can be in delivering scares as well as a few laughs.