{"id":162657409,"date":"2025-07-09T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/?p=162657409"},"modified":"2025-07-07T15:57:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-07T20:57:30","slug":"horror-can-be-done-in-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/?p=162657409","title":{"rendered":"Horror Can Be Done In Cities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8220;I can&#8217;t say nothing or Candyman will get me&#8230;I ain&#8217;t scared of nobody but you&#8217;re crazy walking in here on your own.&#8221; &#8211; Jake, &#8216;Candyman (1992)&#8217;<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s an old <em>Cracked After Hours<\/em> about horror that claims horror in the U.K. takes place in cities, but horror in the U.S. takes place in rural areas. That&#8217;s where we did our sins\u2014the U.K. industrializing, then forcing that on the world, plus Jack the Ripper; the U.S. committing genocide and making chattel slavery the national income. It&#8217;s great, as all old <em>Cracked After Hours<\/em> were great, but I finally think it&#8217;s wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And yeah, I see that this video is age-restricted and can only be watched on YouTube. That&#8217;s silly. Click over, watch it, come back. Make sure you come back! But don&#8217;t say &#8220;be right back.&#8221; We&#8217;re talking about horror movies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Four Creepy Hidden Truths Behind Popular Scary Stories | After Hours\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uAR1fp1tbds?list=PLp-OqIVRKQ1qv7B6ap-2RryhSf8Yayk0D\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right up top, I should clarify that I don&#8217;t think you should be scared of cities for all the reasons right wingers think you should be scared of cities: public transit, schools with students of color, living without a lawn. Nor should you be worried about expertly sneaky muggers on every train, half-crazed murderers on every corner, and perpetually-horned up violent rapists in every alley. Cities in general are wonderful. Density should be celebrated and enjoyed, so should diversity, so should public transit. I will never not live in a city\u2014<em>within the city limits<\/em>\u2014unless the most perfect possible beach house comes along.<sup data-fn=\"34cc8742-0274-4b9d-8535-20f026a54849\" class=\"fn\"><a href=\"#34cc8742-0274-4b9d-8535-20f026a54849\" id=\"34cc8742-0274-4b9d-8535-20f026a54849-link\">1<\/a><\/sup> That said, many things about a city are ripe to exploit for horror. Let&#8217;s take a look, and we&#8217;re going to focus on movies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Crowded_train_(38690236841).jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-2-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-162657418\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-2-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-2-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-2-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-2-1536x1152.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-2-1320x990.png 1320w, https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-2.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">probably no one on this train is A killer, but anyone on this train could be THE killer (credit: Wikimedia Commons, <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Crowded_train_(38690236841).jpg\">Eric Fischer<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first thing that stands about <em>Scream VI<\/em> is how it does claustrophobia really well. The pre-title sequence has Ghostface lure Samara Weaving\u2019s Dr. Crane out of a restaurant and <em>deep<\/em> into a lonely alley with just the slightest suggestion. Then there\u2019s the crowded frat party Tara and Chad start in. Once Sam yanks them out, she\u2019s rewarded for her efforts by immediately having some internet-addled conspiracy freak throw a drink at her. There\u2019s the scene where Ghostface stalks the Carpenter sisters through the bodega (yes, slashers are allergic to guns, but Ghostface stalking the aisles with a shotgun is genuinely scary). Then there\u2019s the excellent set piece of our heroes crawling from one apartment building to another over a horizontal ladder, trying to escape Ghostface while also not falling however many stories to their deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-162657419\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-3.png 1000w, https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-3-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-3-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-3-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">I typed &#8220;don&#8217;t look down&#8221; into Wikimedia Commons and it brought up this delightful picture from Cambridge <em>(credit: Wikimedia Commons, <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Don%27t_look_down%5E_-_geograph.org.uk_-_5783173.jpg\">Keith Edkins<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We can\u2019t talk horror in a city without bringing in the phenomenal <em>Candyman<\/em>. That movie has a ton of elements that play into the city setting: the white saviorism of a grad student going into gang-controlled high rises for the sake of academic research, the mythical explanation for the daily death and despair, and the simple, scary fact that you never know what\u2019s inside a building. The 2021 version throws adds two other potent urban problems to the mix: police dishonesty\/brutality, and artists exploiting tragedy for acclaim\/profit without truly understanding their subject matter. Both movies are among the scariest and smartest horror movies out there, and they completely depend on a city setting.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alligator (1980) - Official Trailer\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4_f3-h4tGFQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Alligator<\/em> is kind of a city horror movie. I do enjoy <em>Friday The 13th 8: Jason Takes Manhattan<\/em>, even if there\u2019s barely any city. <em>The Matrix<\/em> and its sequels aren\u2019t horror, but they prove that cities can be good settings for high stakes action sequences. The fact that I\u2019m already making a non-horror exception is proof that we need more horror movies set in cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Friday the 13th: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) - Jason vs. New York Scene (9\/10) | Movieclips\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hktlkG0QuKY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two more things about <em>Scream VI<\/em>, and they are massive spoilers, so. One of the scariest things about cities (honestly, one of the coolest, but we\u2019re talking about horror movies here) is how you never know what\u2019s behind a building\u2019s facade. The Chicagoan in me must reference HH Holmes here, of course. Seriously, though\u2014there are so many buildings, and you\u2019ve been in so few of them. At the end, when we\u2019re in a strange building that turns out to be a shrine to past Ghostfaces? And the head Ghostface is a cop? That\u2019s terrifying stuff. You know how murderous cops are? You know the unrelenting chokehold they have on city governments? Cops are like what the makers of Candyman thought gangs were\u2014highly militarized, unfeeling, violent street-kings making everyone scared and miserable and often dead. Now one of them has decided to hunt you, specifically? And your sibling?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Scream VI (2023) - Convenience Store Kill Scene | Movieclips\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QCk-Lv1udOY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Up top, I said we\u2019d just be talking movies. You can find city horror from authors like Victor LaValle, Ann Rice, Juan Martinez, Hailey Piper, Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., and more. In fact, let me know about city horror writers you like. Hollywood, if you want any city horror scripts, get at Brendan and me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sorry you got an email, <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chris<\/p>\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-footnotes\"><li id=\"34cc8742-0274-4b9d-8535-20f026a54849\">trick caveat: every beach house in the world is compromised by climate change <a href=\"#34cc8742-0274-4b9d-8535-20f026a54849-link\" aria-label=\"Jump to footnote reference 1\">\u21a9\ufe0e<\/a><\/li><\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I can&#8217;t say nothing or Candyman will get me&#8230;I ain&#8217;t scared of nobody but you&#8217;re crazy walking in here on your own.&#8221; &#8211; Jake, &#8216;Candyman (1992)&#8217; There&#8217;s an old Cracked [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":162657418,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"[{\"content\":\"trick caveat: every beach house in the world is compromised by climate change\",\"id\":\"34cc8742-0274-4b9d-8535-20f026a54849\"}]"},"categories":[30,10],"tags":[55,52,53,54,31,51],"class_list":["post-162657409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-horror","category-wednesday-column","tag-alligator","tag-candyman","tag-friday-the-13th","tag-halloween","tag-horror","tag-scream"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162657409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=162657409"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162657409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162657423,"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162657409\/revisions\/162657423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/162657418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=162657409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=162657409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lazyandentitled.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=162657409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}