We here at MissDemeanors are a tough bunch. We write crime, which means we look into the dark side of human nature as a matter of business. But even for us there are topics not to be touched.
The Dark Side
There is one subject that is sure to mean I will not pick up the book or watch the movie, no matter how rave the reviews. If there’s a dead kid, forget it. I’m outta there.
Age Matters
When I was young, I loved horror almost as much as I loved science fiction. Gore? Bring it on! I read everything Clive Barker ever wrote, went to his art openings, and watched Hellraiser multiple times. Tarantino? Yes, please. Brett Easton Ellis? Absolutely.
As I got older, I became… less callous. I can no longer watch Hellraiser, or, God forbid, Saw. I can still read Brett Easton Ellis, but not everything. I will never touch American Psycho or Glamorama again. Interestingly, I heard an interview with him recently where he said something similar, but about writing. He said he could never write a character like Patrick Bateman now because he has more frames of reference. He can’t kill people in his imagination the way he could when he was young. I agree! I can’t either.
Too much psychological darkness gets me too. I like a little bit of levity with my poison. I believe the human condition is a prism of many colors, and when I read, or listen to fiction, I want to see the bravery with the fear, the humor with the angst. Real life is dark enough.
What are your triggers? What won’t you read anymore that you used to? I want to know!
Kidnapped, abused, or murdered children. Will not read/watch it.
It’s not a trigger but I do not read serial killers, especially books where the reader is in the mind of the killer.
I stopped reading one author years ago because every book featured a serial killer doing horrible things to women and then going after the female detective leading the case. Not for me.