Fears for Tears
Freaks (1932) d: Tod Browning
The Devil’s Backbone (2001) d: Guillermo del Toro
Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017) d: Issa Lopez
The Orphanage (2007) d: J.A. Bayona
The Babadook (2014) d: Jennifer Kent
Train to Busan (2016) d: Yeon Sang-Ho
Sad horror is my personal fave (to the surprise of no one in my life).
Freaks is a fascinating Pre-Code horror movie about the lives of carnival sideshow performers. It is heartbreaking and empathetic, sympathizing completely with the “freaks” who were all played by genuine circus performers which absolutely scandalized the public when it was released. I think the dinner scene is one of the cruelest things I’ve ever seen in a film. I found it mesmerizing, and you should really read up on its legacy.
The Devil’s Backbone is a melancholy, gothic ghost story. Like Freaks and true to Del Toro’s oeuvre, this movie is primarily concerned with humanizing the “Other,” while exposing the horrors the world subjects them to. Stay with Spanish for Tigers Are Not Afraid, which follows a gang of street children in Mexico. It’s gritty and surreal and it gutted me. Honestly, I don’t know why there wasn’t more buzz around it. Then move to The Orphanage, which is one of my all-time favorite horror movies. Despite its title, the story revolves around a woman and her adopted son. The first time I watched it, it really got me good – especially “uno dos tres, toca la pared” (if you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about). It’s atmospheric and deeply sad.
Speaking of sad moms just trying their best, next you’ve got The Babadook. The titular character has been heavily memeified and become a cultural icon, but if you haven’t seen it before, it’s actually genuinely scary, and a hell of a portrait of grief. Last is zombies-on-a-train flick, Train to Busan. If that description doesn’t sound like the likeliest wellspring for a tear-jerker to you, you’re not alone. I was shocked to find myself SOBBING at the end of this movie. Watch it, watch it!