The Weird

The word “weird” can mean a lot of things. It has three definitions in the dictionary: involving or suggesting the supernatural, fantastic/bizarre, and concerned with or controlling fate/destiny. It can be used to simply describe something that is interesting, such as a cat with moustache pattern on its face, or can be used to describe something horrible, like the monster from Stanger Things coming to destroy mankind. Overall, the word describes a break from what is considered normal or typical.

            When applied to media and stories, the word “weird” can also mean a story that contains elements of various genres, or one that fits in no genre specifically. The movie “Cabin in the Woods”, for example, while focusing on various elements of horror stories, also contains various elements and tropes from the science fiction and fantasy genres. The movie involves scientists strategically recreating typically horror movie tropes using both sci-fi and fantasy elements, such as advanced mechanical traps and mystical curses.

            While all elements of all three genres can be seen in the movie, it cannot be defined as any one in particular. Therefore, it falls into the category of “weird”. It further falls into a “weird” category because elements of both western and oriental horror are present. The typical western horror tropes are clearly defined and even explained in the movie, such as the elements of sex, the defined characters of the slut and the virgin, and the need to defeat and destroy the enemy. However, there are also elements of Asian horror, such as the focus on needing to return balance to nature though a ritual and the fact that the monsters are not killed and returned to normal in the end.

            Overall, the definition of “weird” as a genre can be seen as a catch all for stories that don’t necessarily fall into any other genre, or those that simply encompass many. As movies and stories evolve and take elements from multiple other stories, the weird genre as a whole will continue to grow and become more prominent.