Cozy Horror is such a fascinating term. I honestly 100% understand the desire for cozy wholesome stuff. Where my beloved mutuals might snark at the Wholesome Direct, I know in my heart that sometimes you need the video game equivalent of a hot chocolate.
But. Cozy Horror.
A Cozy version of the genre that is meant to unsettle you.
Horror isn't necessarily only jumpscares and gore and violence - but it is those things because they're effective ways to unsettle and unnerve, the real core of what horror is (in my opinion).
"Cozy Horror". Man. It's just a total "what the fuck are you even talking about" sequence of words. Which is impressive, given its brevity!
I wouldn't necessarily define Cozy Horror as analogous with hot chocolate by a fire.
YMMV on interpretations of these movies, but for me, Midsommar is Cozy Horror because it's about the importance of being seen and truly cared for, and how the absence of it drives you to desperate lengths. The VVitch is about recognizing that you're trapped in a cage of repression and tradition, and realizing that you can enjoy the pleasures of life without being punished. Suspiria (2018) is about a bunch of gleeful witches making sexy torture art in a purely female space.
to me, Cozy Horror is about a story you can fully relax into, knowing that its themes resonate with you, and that it will make you feel seen, understood, and respected. add the body horror, consistently excellent cinematography, and goth aesthetic, and you've got my favorite genre.
Sometimes it's just cozy to know that other people have the same anxieties and fears as you.
Okay, for one thing, those examples are all just horror movies. It's the same trick as "elevated horror" - deciding you've invented a new subgenre which is full of the good stuff, unlike the regular type which is bad.
Secondly, Midsommar is a movie about a white supremacist cult manipulating a woman into falling in line with their beliefs, until we get the "happy ending" where, yay! She's a member of the white supremacist Swedish cult!
If your takeaway from that movie is "wow... women need to feel truly seen in this horrible patriarchal world. I'm so glad this movie truly sees and respects me as a woman", then I'm really sorry but you might have missed the entire point.
Like, the cult uses this feminist angle because that's kinda generally what cults do! They identify something that people need, and then convince them that they're the only ones that can provide it.
If you're listing Midsommar as a movie that makes you feel seen and respected, you've actually fallen for the same trick, oh my god!
