The time I discovered my obsession with AJ Bowen was full-blown and other musings on the indie horror genre...

They say that every fire starts with one little spark. That seems to often be the case with me, at least as far as my pop culture obsessions go.  My obsessions tend to be with musicians; it's been awhile since I've had an obsession with an actor. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I realized my latest obsession was with genre actor AJ Bowen. I guess I could just blame Netflix for this, because once I saw his 2010 film "A Horrible Way To Die", I discovered that a few of his other movies were also on Netflix. The aforementioned film is definitely the little spark that started this fire. I came to this film knowing nothing about Bowen or anyone else in the film - it was, after all, a little film, as independent as they come. Half-way through the movie, I was convinced that the main character was played by comedian Paul F. Thompkins, as when he had a mustache, Bowen looked identical to Tompkins. The idea of Tompkins playing a serial killer sounded amazing! And the performance was fantastic. So, I kept watching. But as the film went on, and Bowen's facial hair changed, I was a bit let down by the fact that it was not the actor I thought. However, the movie (and Bowen himself) was great enough that I wanted to see more like it. I still maintain that "A Horrible Way To Die" is one of the better slasher flicks of the last decade and unlike many horror films, has one of the best endings, well, ever.

Being into a horror genre actor is not that weird for me, considering my favorite movie is The Shining. But it was my first true introduction to indie horror movies, often made by the same group of people. You start to notice the same producers/directors coming up (Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett, Ti West) and then of course, the same actors. It's strange to be so into an actor whose films I can't really recommend to most people. For many people, horror films are "above them", intellectually speaking. I certainly get that, because I am much the same way. But I've always been more into the psychological aspect of horror films than anything else, be them mainstream or "B Level." I could go so far as to say that Bowen's films border on guilty pleasures for me. Everyone has them, and perhaps his movies are just my guilty pleasures. On the other hand, Bowen said it best himself about his movies: "I hope that even if the movie is shitty, someone can say, 'Well, that one guy in it wasn't quite as shitty.'" From the ones I've seen so far, none of them were unwatchable, even if some didn't make much sense ("Rites Of Spring"). Bowen just has that certain presence, and it's his looks combined with his acting talent and voice (he can look normal but sound super creepy) that make him impossible to not be drawn in by.

However "low brow" these films might be, at least they're not like anything in the "Saw" movies (which I used to like) or "Hostel." Most of them do have a point and none of them are horrifically violent. I admit to seeing a preview for one movie he was in and deciding that his horrible haircut was too much and that I would never see it. An actor who usually looks hot should always look that way, right? Considering how terrible some commercial horror films look these days ("Paranormal Activity" anyone?), Bowen's films are actually quite good by comparison. If you can get past some lame dialogue and a bit of gore, any of the above movies are worth watching, if only for Bowen's performances. One of the reasons I like him so much is that despite being in so many horror movies, none of his are that similar story-wise. For example, I can't even put "The Signal" in one particular category because I've never seen anything like it: part "Shaun Of The Dead", part "The Crazies" and mostly really fun. Even if Bowen doesn't have much screen time in a particular movie, he certainly makes the most of it - "The House Of The Devil" being a prime example (don't order a pizza from this guy!). In the same vein, even in his silliest movie "Hatchet 2", his lines are so funny (as is his death scene) that you don't care about the rest of the movie.

All of this having been said, the timing of this particular obsession is not lost on me; as a baseball fan, this is the worst time of the year, so other interests have to fill my time until at least March. In addition to the string of Bowen's movies on Netflix, his slasher flick "You're Next" is due for digital release at the end of the month, along with his newest film "The Sacrament", which is set for theatrical release sometime next year. Will I see be re-watching "The Signal" and "A Horrible Way To Die" come next April? I'd like to think so, but even if I don't, it's been a fantastic ride into the world of indie horror films and an introduction to one of the finer actors in that genre.