User blog:Lady Lostris/Hocus Focus 2: The Wiki-ing Hour

Eyo, lovely people!

A blog post on October 31st, I wonder what this could be about! You guessed it: Halloween is the time of year to celebrate the dark side of entertainment, and that's exactly why I'm here! Although I've never written a blog post before or celebrated Halloween (I'm Belgian, what can I say) or even seen lots of horror movies ... Whatever can go wrong here?

Nothing of course, cause when you're no expert yourself, you use Fandom to its fullest potential. That is why I reached out to a vast plethora of horror communities we have on Fandom to ask the true experts why horror and everything that comes with it is a whole mood!

Fandom Highlights
Before I hand over the word to them, I want to stand still with some community highlights first. Where we've celebrated Halloween on Fandom before through editing projects such as Monster Mash and Hocus Focus, we wanted to do something different this year. Searching for obscure and fun trivia, we compiled 16 feature cards of different horror communities, which we then highlighted on Twitter and Facebook, one horror community a day and this for sixteen days. Did you miss one? No worries! Take a look at these:

Naturally, there are way more communities and horror franchises to feature than there are even days in the year. To accommodate for those we missed -- and we know we still missed loads -- we are launching this Interactive Map, indicating where in the United States of America horror movies and series took place.

Community Highlights
Now with that, I am excited to pass the spotlight on to people who have immersed themselves completely in all things horror and edit profusely on our horror-themed communities.

Why do you love horror?

 * Horror has always fascinated me since I was small. That tension, the scares, the designs, and the stories are what get me. Ever since I saw the Alien movies, I've always had a love for the bad guy designs. Even the most basic characters like Jason have that charm to them I just can't hate.
 * ―ScaryLookinHobo from the Horror Wiki


 * I think horror stories are a fun way to test your own limits, and maybe push them back a bit. I was never a fan of horror stories for a very long time, but I began listening to podcasts and watching mildly creepy shows, and quickly realized it was exactly what I liked. I still get scared by creepy stuff (which is good, in a way. There's no point to scary stories if no one feels any fear!), but I can't get away from them because of the rush I get.
 * ―WhipItGood from the Stranger Things Wiki


 * "life's no fun without a good scare." I can't say exactly why I like horror, maybe it's just an exciting form of fantasy and there's so many sub-genres to choose from so there’s something for everyone if they’re interested in horror. Zombie/survival horror happens to be mine.
 * ―Mistertrouble189 from the Walking Dead Wiki

Why do you work on horror wikis?

 * Horror is a very under-served genre in the wiki world, and it has always been a mission of mine to try to improve that. I want Fandom to be the place where horror fans can find all the knowledge they would ever need, with an awesome community to match.
 * ―Mandy from the Saw Wiki


 * Personally, I only worked on the Saw Wiki so far. One reason, of course, is my personal love for the series, but I also felt that the complex storyline and twisted timeline turned working on this particular wiki into an entertaining challenge. Also, I always loved that most horror-themed wikis had this special dark atmosphere that really fit their respective franchise and it just makes it fun to discover the stories behind them by reading through these amazing databases.
 * ―TheRealmOfLutherNiles from the Saw Wiki


 * I've mostly grew up with horror and as a result kinda drifted towards working on Horror wikis over other Wikis based on media I'm familiar with/played/watched as it's more natural to me.
 * ―Riley Heligo from the Resident Evil Wiki

Do you like being scared by horror stories?

 * I love being exercised to fear, in a natural sense. The more I tamper into the unknown, the more I get lost in it and may never come out. And yet I learn more about what's out there, to be more open to the unexpected. Exposing me to things I never knew about, can help me better understand it. It's not for everyone, of course, and the only scary for me is where I can be entertained while not knowing what is going on. Scary for being scary (I'm looking at you, every Japanese horror manga out there!) is not my cup of tea because it makes no sense, but the chills I get reading horror like Locke & Key are bolstered thanks to the grounded storytelling, in a setting where the unknown gets scarier every time, demons are real and terrifying power rests in simple keys. Even where anything can happen, it reminds us to be brave and careful even in dark times, or even have a little fun. Nothing should be too serious. And this year, I hope everyone gets to enjoy a good scare from the series, in addition to en excellent read for supernatural enthusiasts everywhere!
 * ―Julia from the Locke & Key Wiki


 * I don't really get scared by horror much these days to be honest, when I was a kid I used to watch House of the Dead previews in the arcade and was legitimately terrified to play it.
 * ―Riley Heligo from the Resident Evil Wiki


 * I LOVE being scared by horror stories. Unfortunately, very few movies and video games in the horror genre ever manage to scare me but every now and then, I come across a little masterpiece that gives me goosebumps and if that happens I appreciate that feeling all the more.
 * ―TheRealmOfLutherNiles from the Saw Wiki

Why should anyone give horror stories a try?

 * I think there's a lot of value in experiencing the full range of human emotion. And particularly for people who have trauma from being in unsafe situations, getting to experience those feelings again without being at risk of injury can be very healing. Or at least it has been for me.
 * ―Alida from The Midnight Club Wiki


 * Despite common stereotypes, horror isn't all about blood and guts. There's such a wide variety of subgenres, with a little social commentary thrown in too. A good horror film can evoke so many powerful emotions, completely alter the way you think, and really give you an overwhelming sense of catharsis at the end. It's like being on a rollercoaster you never want to get off. Plus, it is the only film genre where women appear and speak as often as men. What's not to love about that?
 * ―Mandy from the Saw Wiki


 * There's a lot of different genres of horror, there's something to appeal for everyone. You got body horror, camp horror, monster movies, comedy horror, thrillers, and even video games like survival horror or more jump-scare driven games.
 * ―PirateJet from the Child's Play Wiki

What do you like about your/the horror community?

 * I don't interact with the community often, but I love how chill everyone is despite the genre being about death and terror. So surprisingly zen.
 * ―ScaryLookinHobo from the Horror Wiki


 * It's very welcoming.
 * ―Joker1944 from the Friday the 13th Wiki


 * It's typical as a horror fan to get stereotyped as being scary or strange because of our interests, but the horror community is truly filled with some of the nicest folks I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Every time I go to a horror convention, I make several new friends, with little to no effort. Especially since this is a very thought provoking genre, it's so easy to engage in conversations with others who are deep thinkers like me.
 * ―Mandy from the Saw Wiki

What is your favorite horror movie that you wish everyone would watch?
The suggestions here just kept on coming, so when you are flicking through your movie options tonight, perhaps consider one of the suggestions from our horror communities:

Scary Props
Before I close this out, I do need to give a special highlight to PirateJet from the Child's Play Wiki. Despite saying she likes "comedy horror more so to straight-on nightmare inducing stuff", Halloween is her favorite time of year, and she spends part of her free time making horror props based on children's toys to feature in her yard during the spooky season. Five new dolls were made for this Halloween, three porcelain and two plastic. What else would you expect from the admin of the Chucky Wiki?

Feel free to use the comments section to let us know your favorites!! Happy Halloween, people!