Introduction to Eco-Horror
Eco-horror, sometimes called natural horror, is one of my favorite subgenres. It marries two things about which I am endlessly passionate: horror films and environmental advocacy. I consider myself a biocentrist, or a person who holds the ethical point of view that "extends inherent value to all living things" (Derr & McNamara, 2003). This is the lens I'll be using to examine all 20 of the films in this eco-horror marathon. You can view the list of films I'm covering here.
I attempted to choose films with a variety of subject matters, covering several environmental issues such as fracking, genetic engineering, domesticated animals, pollution, and of course general, toxic human behavior. The films will go in chronological order, beginning with 1953's The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and ending with 2018's Strange Nature. At the same time, I tried to pick lesser known horror films like Black Sheep and Blood Glacier while still retaining some of the classics of the eco-horror subgenre such as Long Weekend and The Birds. I also want to mention that I won't be covering any documentaries, although it is the film space where the deepest thinking about the environment can be found. Here are a couple that I recommend everyone check out: If a Tree Falls (2011) and Cowspiracy (2014).
After 1962, when Rachel Carson wrote one of the most influential pieces of environmental advocacy, Silent Spring, the mainstream environmental movement kicked into gear (Murphy, 2013). The EPA was created in 1970, and the U.S. saw the creation of the Endangered Species Act in 1973 and CITES in 1975. More non-governmental environmental groups were also formed and many existing groups expanded their focus to cover diverse issues such as air and water pollution, over-population, and the over-consumption of natural resources. Unsurprisingly, at the same time, the eco-horror subgenre also took off. Films like Phase IV (1974), Long Weekend (1978), and Day of the Animals (1977), seem to suggest that the humans in the film deserved their horrific treatment based on the way they treated the natural world (Wolfe, 2019).
In a time where the meager environmental protections in place are being dismantled and general apathy about environmental issues still grips the majority of the public, taking time to reflect on art that has already treaded this ground feels like a cathartic endeavor. And anyway, we're all stuck indoors due to a viral pandemic caused by our unnecessary consumption of animal bodies and our species' disruptive pressure on the natural world (CDC, 2020). We are characters in our own real-life eco-horror.
References
CDC. “Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 Mar. 2020, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/animals.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019- ncov%2Fprepare%2Fanimals.html.
Derr, Patrick George, and Edward M. McNamara. Case Studies in Environmental Ethics. Rowman & Littlefield Publ., 2003.
Murphy, Bernice M. “‘Why Wouldn’t the Wilderness Fight Us?’ American Eco-Horror and the Apocalypse.” The Rural Gothic in American Popular Culture, 2013, pp. 178–213., doi:10.1057/9781137353726_6.
Wolfe, April. “Classified: Eco-Horror.” Film Comment, 30 July 2019, www.filmcomment.com/blog/classified-eco-horror/.
