The word horror is derived directly from the ancient Latin to “tremble or shudder.” What makes us seek this shudder in slasher movies, ghost stories and zombie flicks?
This excellent article from “Harvard Business Review” argues that humans love horror movies because they offer two-fold stimulation, simultaneously triggering anxiety and excitement and delivering a hot hit of adrenaline.
In this sense, horror provides a feeling not wildly dissimilar from a theme park ride or a first date; butterflies from bloodshed if you will.
In a shock to no one, individuals who exhibit higher levels of empathy are less inclined to enjoy horror than those with fair to middling rates of compassion. Though interestingly, if you’re looking to trauma bond or build community, horror can help. Research suggests watching a scary movie with a romantic love interest or a group of friends engenders intimacy and affinity.
Horror movies regularly make use of archetypes, (last girl, token, skeptic, killer, old person whose advice goes unheeded, etc.) and astrology, by and large, is predicated upon them. With this in mind, we have assembled a list of the horror classics that align with each zodiac sign. Read on and shudder forth.
ARIES (March 21 – April 19)
“Suspiria”
As the first sign in the zodiac, Aries folk simply won’t settle for second place. Fittingly, “Suspiria” combines the competitive and equally cutthroat worlds of professional dance and witch covens. In Dario Argento’s 1977 original, the whole mess is eventually engulfed in flames, apropos for this cardinal fire sign. In the 2018 reboot, ecstatic dance and bald carnality, two hallmarks of the Aries spirit, are generously applied.
TAURUS (April 20 – May 20)
“Midsommar”
Dani, Florence Pugh’s “Midsommar” protagonist, has much in common with the people of the bull. Loyal to a fault and usually to their own detriment, it tracks that a Taurus would take a European vacation with their longstanding and totally toxic love interest only to take grudge holding and vengeance exacting to a seriously depraved new level. Minus the horrifying violence, the vibe of “Midsommar” and the earthly delights it promises; sex, sunshine, feasting, finery, Psilocybin, flower crowns etc. are absolutely in tune with Taurus.
GEMINI (May 21 – June 20)
“Scream”
Gemini rules communication and those born under the banner of the twins are curious, inquisitive and highly verbal. In kind, “Scream” is a slasher film that leverages the telephone as a menacing character and features a masked antagonist who gets off on calling and bombarding his victims with horror-themed inquisitions and trivia. Gemini energy is synonymous with duality and Skeet Ulrich’s Billy Loomis is dark duality personified, a tender, sweet-talking boyfriend and a knife-wielding psychopath with mommy issues. We all contain multitudes, folks.
CANCER (June 21 – July 22)
“Dracula”
Ruled by the mighty, moody moon, Cancer is the most nostalgic sign in the zodiac. Their insides are a tender, sun-burned scrapbook, upholstered with frayed heart string and used bubblegum, longing for everything and everyone they have ever lusted for, lost or loved. Cue Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” directed by Francis Ford Coppola. In addition to being an ancient, top-hatted, blood-thirsting aristocrat, Gary Oldman’s Dracula is also a doomed romantic holding the proverbial eternal flame. Consequently, his promise to Winona Ryder’S Mina, “I have crossed oceans of time to find you,” ranks as the most Cancer sentiment in any movie ever.
LEO (July 23 – August 22)
“IT”
Leo rules the fifth house of play, romance and the inner child. Colloquially known as the “fun house” it could be argued that clowns, evil and otherwise, have a place here. Further, Leo loves a stage and Pennywise is nothing if not a consummate showman with a flair for the dramatic. Leo is at its best, brightest and bravest in defense of others and the traumatized kiddos of Derry, Maine are all heart and united front in the face of evil. Resilient and resourceful, in true leonine form, they even find time for love and fledgling attempts at poetry, “‘your hair is winter fire, January embers, my heart burns there, too.” Hearts on fire? Leo energy distilled.
VIRGO (August 23 – September 22)
“The Shining”
Based on the novel by prolific Virgo and master of horror, Stephen King himself, “The Shining,” shares much in common with this mutable earth sign. Virgo rules the sixth house of service and natives have no fear of desolate places or hard work. Enter the Torrence family who takes up the sketchy charge of caretaking a remote hotel in the dead of winter. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication and exchange and it is ultimately telepathy that saves the day and the mother/son duo from the maniacal, axe-wielding clutches of Jack Nicholson. The film made famous the adage, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” an apt reminder for Virgos who run the risk of prioritizing the grind over the road to joy.
LIBRA (September 23 – October 22)
“Get Out”
At its highest expression, Libra seeks to illuminate injustice, call the problematic into question and balance the scales of perception through social critique. A neoclassic, Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” accomplishes all of that and more. Libra rules the seventh house of partnership and is governed by Venus, the planet of aesthetics and attraction. In kind, the premise of “Get Out” concerns a black man in a biracial relationship going home to meet the parents of his paramour. At first glance, all appears to be welcoming and well manicured but beneath the veneer of civility lies unspeakable horror.
SCORPIO (October 23 – November 21)
“Halloween”
Halloween, (along with Samhain and Día de los Muertos) is celebrated during Scorpio season, apropos for a sign that rules over the eighth house of sex, death and regeneration. John Carpenter’s classic film “Halloween,” casts Michael Myers as a masked, relentless killer who can’t be stopped or stalled by bullets, stab wounds or a clothes hanger to the eye, a tenacity scorpions can relate to. Fun fact: enduring heroine Laurie Strode is played by real-life Scorpio Jamie Lee Curtis.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 – December 21)
“The Devil’s Rejects”
Rob Zombie braids dark comedy and classic horror tropes in this sequel to his 2003 directorial debut “House of 1000 Corpses.” No sign loves a cheap laugh, a getaway car or the call of the open road more fully than Sagittarius. On the run from the law and at odds with each other, the surviving members of the depraved Firefly family end their crime spree in typical Sag fashion; by driving a mint Cadillac Eldorado, with guns blazing and “Free Bird” blaring, into a police barricade.
CAPRICORN (December 22 – January 19)
“The Witch”
Sea goats will find much to love and a cloven foot to clap in, “The Witch,” the 2015 debut from director Robert Eggers. In the major arcana of the tarot, Capricorn is represented by the Devil and spoiler alert, satan takes the form of the family goat in this tale of madness, suckling crows, crop failure and infanticide in 17th century New England. “Wouldst thou like the taste of butter . . . wouldst thou like to live deliciously?,” You bet your bottom dollar Beelzebub.
AQUARIUS (January 20 – February 18)
“28 Days Later”
Aquarius rules the eleventh house of community and water bearers tend towards eccentricity and activism. In kind, the zombie virus that infects the human population in “28 Days Later” is unwittingly unleashed by a band of well-meaning animal rights activists. In terms of survival skills, an Aquarius is the sort you want on your side in the event of a zombie apocalypse. These people are kind without being sentimental, can balance innovation and implementation, and suspicious weirdos that they are, a large swath of them have been planning and plotting (oft gleefully) for the day the grid goes down, the zombies run rampant and it all breaks bad.
PISCES (February 19 – March 20)
Nightmare on Elm Street
Pisces rules the twelfth house of dreams and the unconscious mind, making “Nightmare on Elm Street,” the 80’s classic that made an entire generation afraid to fall asleep, an apt choice. Freddy Kruger’s hunting ground is the dream world, also the preferred realm of escapist-prone Pisces, where the rules of reality are no match for the danger of the imagination. Kruger also gets Pisces points for being a convicted serial killer as the mutable water sign ranks among the top two most dangerous in the zodiac.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.
