Fandom gets a bad rep, but when it serves as a springboard for deeper, richer media engagement, it’s truly remarkable. Several popular pieces of media first originated as fan texts, and in the past, I’ve chatted with the Halloween fan film community about their work in a franchise space. Over on Reddit, there’s a conversation going on about the wildest, craziest horror fan theories out there. The original poster notes these could be hidden messages or theories that totally change how a given movie is read. As an example, The Shining’s Overlook Hotel is actually Hell, or Home Alone’s Kevin McAllister grew up to be Jigsaw. I’ve even dabbled myself, speculating what Halloween Ends might have looked like with one additional shot. Check out the post below:
Some of these theories are wild, but some of them kind of make sense. Consider the idea that Mary Poppins and Pennywise are the same species, both cosmic deities that appear when needed, only to disappear into the ether until they appear again.
What about the idea that horror cat royalty, Jonesy, was secretly working with the Xenomorph in Ridley Scott’s Alien? Anyone with a cat could believe it.
Found footage aficionados might consider the final shot of The Blair Witch Project is the titular witch holding the camera. Or, of course, the idea that there was no witch, just a madman living in the woods. What if Josh and Mike lured Heather out there to kill her? I’ve never been keen on that one, but it would yield chilling implications.
Some fans even spotlighted Rodney Ascher’s Room 237 as a remarkable expose on filmic conspiracy. Check it out if you haven’t. It’s one of my favorite horror documentaries.
What do you think? What’s your favorite horror film conspiracy or theory? Let me know over on Twitter @Chadiscollins!