I don't think horror get a pass at all if you look at the average score of anything horror, they are pretty average. If you get through the list of 2019, most of them dance around 5 and 6, only a few scratches 7 (midsommar being one of them).
While some may be legit, some of it comes from the fact that horror is so divisive and misunderstood. It's weird but horror isn't defined yet. Nobody knows exactly what it is while at the same time we kinda have a grasp of what it is ![:joy: :joy:](https://forums.tapas.io/images/emoji/emoji_one/joy.png?v=3)
In other genres, we pretty much know what to expect, it's pretty self-explanatory but horror? mmm
We expect different thing from horror, some like cheap jumpscares, some like over the top gore, some like super cliché tropes, other like more arthouse type of shit and the list goes on. The experience varies greatly.
So how do you define horror? You can't. Out of all genres, this one must be the most personal and it's probably why most horror stories explore the human's psyche.
Midsommar, Hereditary or Badabook aren't for you that's all. It's okay and it should be. You're not supposed to like everything.
Horror itself isn't meant to please you. If it was, it won't be called horror. It's common sense but it's not at the same time. Because it's entertainment, it's expected to please everyone but the thing is, it's not the same kind you are looking for when you go for drama, romance, action, sci-fi, etc.
So people are easily misled by it.
My take is, when it comes to horror, even though it's grounded in reality at first, the core of it, is not.
It extrapolates human emotions/reality and dives into something we're not accustomed to, something beyond our belief. That's why it's deemed to be "horror". It's the impossible made possible.
If you don't understand something or feel something is dumb that's fine. Because the thought process isn't meant to be understood. Some get it, some don't move on ![:joy: :joy:](https://forums.tapas.io/images/emoji/emoji_one/joy.png?v=3)
If you don't get the hype behind those "stupid" movies or if you think horror have low standard, show the way.
Do it better. Do it your way.