Aspie Theory - "Horror', 'Sci-Fi' or Regular Escapism?

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I recall reading the comment in a Tony Attwood book that he came across many Aspies who developed an intense interest in certain types of Gothic/Horror stories or films because they often reflected a sense of being an outsider or an outcast from society. Anti-heros who lived separately, in the shadows, with different abilities, that kind of thing. He mentioned the Wolfman, as an example, I think.

I TOTALLY identify with this and from a very young age I was drawn to gentle Gothic/Horror themes films and books because they often showed a fairly 'dignified' and comfortable existence for people who were very different. I used to get a wonderful warm glow from watching things like the Munsters and the Addam's family as a young child, because here were all these strange people who still accepted one another and still lived fairly happily.

As a slightly older child I got into the Hammer Horror films, and absolutely loved films like Bettlejuice. And so on. I was never really into the real gory horror particularly, more the gentle, gothic stuff.

So I was wondering if others here identified with any of this and if Attwood has made a pertinent observation?

I imagine certain types of Sci-Fi also might be appealing to Aspies for similar reasons.

Any thoughts? And please vote in the poll.

My father got me into Star Wars at a very young age. I love sci-fi movies a bit better than the gothic/horror style.

My favorite characters have always been the ones you described. The anti-hero seems to be my most favorite role, and I tend to play it out in real life on occasion.

The main character of a story I'm writing has anti-hero qualities.

I absolutely love the old horror movies of yesteryear (the ones without the gore). I have collected a lot of these old films on DVD and VHS. The Attwood observation is interesting---maybe my AS has made me so interested in these old films.

Some of my favorites:

The House on Haunted Hill (original Vincent Price version)
13 Ghosts (old original version)
Carnival of Souls
all of the Universal monster classics (Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolfman, etc.).
some of the old silent classics (Nosferatu, Metropolis, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, The Phantom of the Opera, etc.).
Ray Harryhausen films like First Men in the Moon.

As a child I loved collecting the plastic 1/8 scale monster models that were largely based on the Universal monster movies.

I would also like to add that I enjoyed Star Trek, but it was the horror movies that really captivated me.
I still have my old 1970's horror film encyclopedia (with plenty of big pictures) called From Screen to Scream.

As a child I also loved those old (fairly graphic) horror comic books like those from Eerie Publications.

As an adult I still love these old horror films. And I also got into some of the old back and white Film Noirs.

My big interest is mainly in fantasy fiction, so I kind of fall in the middle of the sci-fi or horror question. I enjoy and identify with a lot of the common themes the genres share though, like the idea of an outsider struggling to find acceptance, an underdog finding their true strength, or people who had different abilities or talents than others and had to pay a price for having them. I also like a dash of darkness, of the hero who has to contend with his own darker nature or the villain who you sometimes want to get away, so I suppose that lends itself to the horror side of things.

I'll be interested to see what others' responses to this are.

I certainly have a love for the more classic horror creatures, primarily vampires and werewolves. Not all of them, mind you. I like the ones that are, as the OP says, outcasts and live in the shadows.
It's why Bram Stoker's Dracula is still one of my favorite movies to this day and why I'll give any vampire or werewolf movie a chance.

And yes, I also enjoyed watching The Addams Family and Beetlejuice (loved both cartoons). The thing I loved about The Addams Family Values movie was that the ending wasn't really a happy ending. Being quite young at the time I remember my parents not being very comfortable with the last scene, whereas I was litterally rolling on the floor with laughter shouting "Thing popped out and scared him! *insane giggling*".

Some great replies.

I do love Sci-Fi too - obviously Star Wars and Star trek were massive obsessions - but it's the Gothic Horrors where I get a real warm glow, like I'm 'home".

Yes, I loved Vincent Price too. I liked the film versions of the E.A. Poe stories he appeared in. Does anyone remember "The Tingler"? Vincent Price was great in that. I absolutely loved that film.

I had a love of the Buffy and Angel series that was too embarrassing to admit to others, given my age. But I have the box sets

Bram Stokers Dracula - I presume you mean the Gary Oldman film? - is fantastic! Love that.

Anyone remember the "The Frighteners", with Michael J. Fox? That was a very pleasant surprise.

ooh! I havne't seen that one yet. Have you seen "The Haunting"? The original one from 1963? Awesome stuff.



Love this movie! I live near where it was shot and that big lake resort pavilion (it's called Saltair and is right on Salt Lake in Utah) is still there but it's a re-build of the original, made in 1981 so it's not *really* the same building from the film and it's nowhere near as cool as the older version that's in the film. They have concerts and raves in it now.

Hi Sparrowrose. I was discussing old horror movies the other day and someone mentioned "The Haunting" from 1963. I hadn't heard of it at the time. And I still haven't seen the film, though I have seen some fragments of it on Youtube. I will have to try and find it. That is so cool that you live near the old Saltair pavilion. It's a shame the old one is gone.

Hi Maolcolm. I remember The Tingler. That was a strange one indeed. Like the original House on Haunted Hill and 13 Ghosts, I believe The Tingler was directed by William Castle. I love those films.

There was an old black and white film I I loved as a child but can't for the life of me remember what it was called.

I recall that it was a group of people in a mansion of some kind and most of the film took place in one room. I think it had a checkered floor. I think perhaps the people were trapped and were trying to work out how to escape. Pretty spooky but in a weird psychological way. Anyway, the twist, if I recall correctly, was that they were, or became, trapped in a painting. It was something like that but I'm going to the very edges of my infant memory. I was mesmerized by the film at the time but have never been able to remember the title and I've never seen it since. Does it ring any bells to anyone? I'd love to watch it again.

And thanks, Glider18, for the info in William Castle. I don't know if I've ever seen the originals of 13 Ghosts or House on Haunted Hill so I will have to check them out.

I've been drawn to goth/horror stuff ever since I was young child. I loved the Beetlejuice cartoon. I wanted to be Beetlejuice so badly! I also loved The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Then, between the ages of 16 to 18, I was really passionate about the anime horror series Hellsing, as well as Trinity Blood.

Now I'm into Tim Burton movies (again) and other movies starring strange/eccentric protagonists such as cult classic musicals (Repo! The Genetic Opera, Phantom of the Paradise, and of course The Rocky Horror Picture Show), and a handful of movies starring Crispin Glover (Willard, River's Edge, Simon Says, Rubin & Ed).

Tony Attwood also mentions that people with AS can become interested in other cultures and time periods. I also fit that description, because I like movies that take place in the UK and Europe between the 17th and 19th centuries, such as Amadeus and Wilde. I plan on watching Immortal Beloved and Impromptu as well.

Hi Maolcolm, I wish I could help you on that movie you saw. I was trying to find anything like that on the internet for that movie---but no luck. I mentioned it to my wife a few minutes ago, and she thought it sounded like something she either saw on Rod Serling's Night Gallery (but they were color) or Twilight Zone. But those were not movie length.

Yeah, I was fixated on Oriental Cultures, primarily China and Japan but pre-20th century. I think it was the way that everything seemed highly efficient and ordered and methodical, but also very beautiful. There was an established "way" to do everything.

Like you I also loved pre-20th century British culture, which was convenient for me being British. I was massively into the Sherlock Holmes stories, the Basil Rathbone films and later the TV series with Jeremy Brett, which was truly amazing. He was perfect for the part.

If you like the old UK culture and Gothic Horror Idaho, have you ever tried the old Hammer Horror films? They are a bit dated but I still love them.

Edited to add. Oh, thanks for trying Glider18. It will remain a gothic mystery.

Last edited by Maolcolm on 26 Oct 2010, 7:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Anybody remember the "V" miniseries from the mid 1980s? I was fascinated with them, and especially with the reptilian aliens that had false skins and almost-ALMOST-could pass for humans, except for their weird voices. I haven't been interested in the current "V" airing on ABC (US).

Once I discovered David Icke, I was reading everything I could about his fringe theories, which involve-like V-reptilian aliens who can change shape and who live among humans as humans, with the actual humans unaware of the alien natures of the reptilians. The 1988 movie They Live involved a similar concept-aliens who live among humans and who control humans for obscure purposes. I haven't seen it, but I've been told it's quite good.

That's been the extent of my interest, and I think the connection is obvious. The current rage about vampires seems to be tilted towards women, and highly sexually charged. I'd go see a vampire movie that was more about vampires trying to live undetected among humans, like V, and not about sex. I think True Blood is gross-the concept is good, but the execution borders on fetish porn. The whole Twilight thing is also quite creepy, especially how women get obsessed with the vampires and forget their own husbands/boyfriends/lovers in the process. It's as if women get obsessed with Twilight and forget about real life.

I would love to see The Host-Meyer's other book-made into a movie. In The Host, aliens conquer Earth and take over the bodies of humans. A small resistance remains. One of the rebels is captured and has her alien installed, except she refuses to leave her body, so there's two beings living in the same body.

I certainly do. That is another one I was obsessed with. Diana was my favorite. I remember Robert Englund was in that as an alien good guy, before his Freddy Kruger days.

Yes, They live is a good film, especially if you have interests in conspiracies, NWO etc. That film is an excellent metaphor.

One of the most intense old horror movies (in my opinion) was Theatre of Blood with Vincent Price. Also Vincent Price's role in the Dr. Phibes movies was good too.

Would that be Buñuel's "The Exterminating Angel"? It's black and white, there's a mansion and a dinner party is trapped inside. The foyer has a black and white checkered floor. It's strange and psychological with creepy elements of how the people interact with one another. Bodies start piling up in closets and people are using vases in one closet as toilets but when people come out of the toilet/closet, they look like they've just touched the face of God or something equally blissful. I don't recall any bit about being trapped in a painting, though. Also, it's in Spanish (although you might understand Spanish or you might have seen a dubbed version or you might have been old enough to follow subtitles.)

Here's the trailer to see if it looks familiar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERHL5nzEMmM