Pop Music Horror Films are Missing Out on a Huge Audience By Not Actually Understanding Pop Music Fans

• Why Has There Been a Sudden Deluge of Pop Star Horror Films?

  Much of pop culture in 2023 was defined by the return of concertgoing, with musical acts like Taylor Swift and Beyoncé going on massive world tours. It was truly a singular moment in time, no doubt caused in part by the isolation of the prior few years. People were comparing the fan frenzy of Swift’s Eras Tour to Beatlemania. News sources were reporting that these tours were boosting local economies. In this fractured, algorithmic digital age, the coverage of these tours, the pop stars behind them, and their devoted legions of fans became a rare instance of monoculture. 

   

• Naturally, in the wake of this moment, other artists were inspired by the cultural obsession with female pop stars. By 2024, M. Night Shyamalan gave us Trap, which was set at a stadium concert that closely resembled the Eras Tour and featured his daughter as the Taylor Swift-coded Lady Raven. That same year, the protagonist of Smile 2 was fictional pop star Skye Riley, who becomes haunted by disturbing visions of friends and fans with creepy smiles while preparing to stage her comeback. Even on television, Donald Glover executive-produced the limited series Swarm, which follows a mentally unstable fan who develops an obsession with a Beyoncé-esque figure. 

  And that’s not all. There was also the comedy-hostage thriller Borderline, the Weeknd’s vanity project Hurry Up Tomorrow, and the Weeknd’s other vanity project, the controversial HBO series The Idol. Not all of these projects were full-blown horror films, but they each incorporated elements of the genre while exploring the growing popularity and all-around craziness of stan culture. 

  It makes sense why these themes would lend themselves well to horror tropes. Cultural frenzy has always been a great recipe for the genre. Just ask anyone who saw The Exorcist or The Omen when they were first released in 1973 and 1976, respectively. Those films explored taboo connections between religion and horror that, judging by their box office receipts and lasting cultural resonance, successfully tapped into the zeitgeist.  

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  via @FilmUpdates

• You would think, then, that this recent trend of pop star horror movies would yield similar results, but that has not been the case. Of all these films, Smile 2 was the most commercially successful, having grossed over $130 million worldwide. Still, it wasn’t exactly a must-see cultural phenomenon. Did it attract traditional horror fans? Yes. Did it attract the legions of music fans who would drop hundreds and thousands of dollars to see their pop queens on tour? Unclear. 

  That’s because, with the exception of the projects involving the Weeknd (which were critical and commercial misfires), most pop star horror films do not speak to or involve actual fans of contemporary pop music. Furthermore, when it comes to the actual messaging in these films, the messenger tends to be neither a pop star nor a stan, and therein lies the problem, folks.

• The Problem with the Pop Star Horror Movies

  There is no denying the fact that the blind loyalty many fandoms have developed for their pop stars can be dangerous and even disturbing. However, if filmmakers are interested in telling these stories, they need to be willing to meet the culture where it is. They need to understand why certain musical acts have gained such popularity. They need to consider what it is about these pop stars that would drive so many individuals to willingly drop their life savings on the chance to see their idols in concert. It’s easy to judge stan culture from afar. It’s harder to understand and empathize with it.

  
   

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  via @DavidCRooney1

• As a stan of pop music stars and a fan of horror movies, every time a new pop star horror movie like Mother Mary is announced, I become hopeful that the next one will accurately portray this world without judgment or condescension. I would love to see one of these movies truly reflect our times, but in order for them to work, filmmakers need to immerse themselves in the joys as well as the horrors of this culture. Because, for better or worse, stan culture provides meaning and community for so many pop music lovers. Many of these films are not infused with that sense of adoration and immersion. Instead, the filmmakers are often operating from a place that mocks or dismisses the very culture they endeavor to capture. 

  To that end, someone who genuinely loves, understands, or even participates in stan culture would be a stronger fit to tell these stories. After all, who would be better at channeling pop star worship than someone who actually worships pop stars?

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  via @FilmUpdates

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