We’ve all seen it at the bottom of our Amazon Prime page: Those who bought this also bought that—followed by: Inspired your recent shopping trends displayed with a slew of items you may or may not buy. Why this happens is simple: Algorithms. Oh, the algorithms. If you’re not familiar with what one is, the movie The Social Dilemma on Netflix is a darn good place to start. The movie explains, in great detail I may add, just how the advertisers amongst us know our next moves before we do. With the internet collecting our data, noting our interests and counting our endless minutes spent watching funny videos, a wave of advertisement is sent right to our email home page, our Facebook feed and even to our cable TV.
Whether this is good or bad is up for debate. If you’re in a relationship, you may want to stay off the dating apps and not chance an eharmony or Match.com commercial airing in front of your trusting partner, yet that perfect vacation package advertisement just may make your night after a day spent searching that perfect getaway.
The same goes for books, TV shows, movies and TV series. We all have our favorite. Reminisce back to the times of lying tummy down on the shag carpet, waiting for your favorite seven o’clock episode to air on a Friday night. Memories surface of neighborhood kids jumping off bike ramps, imitating The Dukes of Hazzard, and the famous che-che-che sound of others pretending to be the Bionic man/woman, running through a field. Those indeed, were the times.
Flash forward to the year 2021, if we dare. In a time when some of us are afraid of what’s on TV and others are more so glued to it, the good news is, there still is mindless entertainment awaiting our stressed souls. But what to watch?
Myself personally, a female of Generation X, I’ve found I lean more toward the dark and steady dramas. As a kid, I’d sneak out of bed at midnight, switch on the TV and obsessively watch The Twilight Zone. The unexplained tales had intrigued me into wanting more, which led me to watch Alfred Hitchcock, which then led me to watch Tales from the Crypt. Intro a high school English teacher who had his class read short, creepy novellas and assigned a written summary, I was inspired to write my first haunted story, pushing me further down the horror/suspense rabbit hole.
In my teen years, after I’d blown through all of the Halloween movies, the Friday the 13th’s and the Jaws trilogies, no one seemed to share my fascination and I found myself alone during my movie binges. After my high school friend was no longer allowed to spend the night after she had nightmares from watching A Nightmare on Elm Street with me, I stopped talking about my interest in dark dramas and kept my horror fascinations to myself.
My all-time favorite horror movie is, hands down, The Shining. A child who spends the winter in a snow-closed hotel with his parents, the new caretakers, sees visions of a ghost possessing his father. Suspenseful and intriguing, this is a great movie and a must see. After creating such a great story, I found the rest of Steven King’s ideas to fall flat, and I ventured down other avenues. Today, if I do watch a horror movie with someone, they say they’re stunned by my lack of reaction. In my defense, if a horror movie isn’t done right, there won’t be a reaction. What’s worse than the ending of a cheesy horror movie? Pretty much nothing.
Then, in 1994, the F/X channel debueted. A channel that pushed the envelope with their bold ideas such as Nip Tuck, Fargo and my personal favorite, American Horror Story. I was at the age where I was enjoying the horror/suspense ride alone, yet the stigma of being a weirdo had somehow dissipated, revealing those who loved this channel and their shows amongst me.
If you’re anything like me, a horror/suspense fan and you enjoyed The Shining, the next best tale for you might be The Omen trilogy. And I mean the original movies, not the remake garbage. If you want something a little more suspenseful and a true horror, the movies The Grudge and The Ring, in my horror fan opinion, were both well done (the Japanese films were even better) along with a current movie titled Heredity. Each of these movies presented a good storyline of horror, suspense and low gore. Experienced horror fans are more on board for the storylines, not the blood and guts, so if you are, I’m not the one to offer any recommendations (cough*The Texas Chainsaw Massacre*). If you’re more into classic movies, The Changeling is a good haunted house tale, along with The House on Haunted Hill, and if you can stomach it, The Exorcist.
If you’ve been there, done that, let’s revisit the series American Horror Story. Nine seasons with generally the same cast, each with a new theme, and some seasons are better than others. What I enjoyed about this series most was the originality of their ideas. As a horror critic, it was a treat to be wowed. When a witch buries a woman alive after giving her eternal life, there’s just no getting any better than that.
On the lighter side of horror/suspense, following the classic movie Psycho, the series Bates Motel is a good watch. A slow, dark drama about odd Norman Bates as a teenager gives us a glimpse into his strange mind all the while the town is in disarray. The Haunting of Hill House is a decent series, but the best of the best dark series, for me, will always be Dexter. A serial killer trained by his father to only kill as a vigilante…you just can’t beat that storyline. Dexter is a likable forensic specialist, and if a known killer is let off on a technicality, Dexter will greet them behind the door, slice them into pieces and dump their body into the sea. And for eight glorious seasons! I highly recommend Dexter for the horror, the suspense, the low gore and even the serial killer romance.
And before Dexter was Dexter, (Michael Hall) was David on Six Feet Under, another favorite. A series about a family who owns a funeral home, each episode opens with a bizarre death, which leads their loved ones to the Fischer Funeral home. Slow, dark, oddly funny and endearing, the viewer will reflect on their own mortality. This show, in my opinion, had the best series finale I’ve ever seen.
Whether you’re a beginner into the horror/suspense genre or a long-time investor like me, there is, and always will be, something to meet your chilling needs. If you choose to explore these new viewing options and learn something about this genre, you too may be able to share your favorites and lead others down a path of their own. If, for some reason, you just can’t do another long series or you think you’ve seen it all, return to the bottom of your Amazon Prime suggestions page and rent the movie Sharknado. Thank me later.
About the Creator
SUSAN KINSEY
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The Station Without Trains
Seen (1) At the far end of a desert highway stood a train station that no map acknowledged. There were no tracks leading to it, no schedules posted, and no trains that ever arrived. Still, every evening at sunset, the lights turned on. Maya found the station by accident while driving cross-country to escape a life that felt too heavy. Her radio had gone silent miles ago, and her phone showed no signal. When she saw the station glowing in the distance, she pulled over, relieved to find signs of life. The station was clean, almost untouched by time. Wooden benches lined the platform, and an old clock hung above the entrance, forever stuck at 6:40. The air smelled of dust and iron, like a place waiting to be used. “Hello?” Maya called. No answer. She sat on a bench, telling herself she would leave in five minutes. But as the sun disappeared, the lights grew warmer, softer. Calm settled over her in a way she hadn’t felt in years. A man in a conductor’s uniform stepped out from the shadows. His clothes looked old-fashioned, but neatly pressed. His face was kind, though tired. “You’re early,” he said. “Early for what?” Maya asked. “For the train,” he replied. Maya frowned. “There are no tracks.” The man smiled gently. “Not all journeys need them.” He explained that this station was a place between leaving and arriving—a pause for those who were lost, grieving, or running from something they couldn’t name. People didn’t come here on purpose. They arrived when they needed stillness. “Does the train ever come?” Maya asked. “Yes,” he said. “But only once for each person.” Maya felt a tightness in her chest. “Where does it go?” The conductor looked at the horizon. “To the life you stopped believing in.” Maya thought of the dreams she had abandoned, the version of herself she no longer recognized. Tears surprised her, sliding down her face without warning. “I don’t know if I’m ready,” she whispered. The conductor nodded. “That’s why the train hasn’t arrived.” They sat in silence as the stars appeared. For the first time in years, Maya didn’t feel the urge to run. She felt seen. Slowly, the station lights dimmed. The conductor stood. “When you leave,” he said, “you won’t remember this place. But you’ll remember how you felt.” A distant sound echoed—not a train horn, but something close to a heartbeat. Maya blinked. She was back in her car, parked on the side of the empty highway. The station was gone. The road stretched endlessly ahead. But her chest felt lighter. She turned the key and drove forward, not knowing exactly where she was going—but certain, for the first time, that she was finally on the right track.
By Do bol ho jaaye 7 days ago in Horror
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