Supernatural: the horror show that all can enjoy

Cierra Moore, Staff Writer

Let me start out by saying that I am by no means a thriller junkie. I shy away from horror movies, and, frankly, I get scared even watching Disney movies. That being said, Supernatural, a horror/drama TV show, must be one incredibly special show if I am not only willing to watch it, and even love it too.

Although the show is still running—it is on every Wednesday on the CW Network— Supernatural is no spring chicken. It began airing in 2005 and is currently in its 11th season. So yes, one would have quite some catching up to do by starting at episode one of 228. But it is much easier to blow through an entire season in under a week than one would think. Believe me, I know.

The premise of the show is that two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, pick up where their father left off, saving people and hunting things—the family business.  Considering the show is in the horror/drama genre, and the title is Supernatural, one can gather that Sam and Dean are not your average hunters; they hunt ghosts, demons, and a host of other monsters. Yet, a scaredy-cat like myself is able to view it almost comfortably. So what is it that sets this show apart from other horror dramas, but still allows it to be more of a thriller than Scooby Doo?

The reason that I can endure the show, and perhaps the main reason that I like it, is that the central focus is on the brotherly relationship between Sam and Dean. Now that is bound to catch people off guard that a show seemingly all about hunting down and killing all-powerful demons and gruesome creatures is really about two brothers’ relationship with each other. Granted, the show features plenty of demon-killing and creature-yanking actionit is, after all, a horror showbut there is so much more to it. The writers are able to successfully weave together two separate narratives: that of two brothers fighting monsters, and that of two brothers interacting with each other.

Another big reason that the show is not unreasonably scary is the amount of humor injected into it. Considering that its main characters are brothers, prank competitions, petty fights, and general shenanigans are sure to be included. The show’s writers also have plenty of fun throwing in hilarious filler episodes every season, which typically become  pretty meta, meaning the show knows that it is, in fact, a TV show. In one of these episodes, Sam and Dean arrive on the set of a horror movie that has a very similar plot to the actual show, yet the cast and crew continuously joke about how ludicrous the hunting and fighting the supernatural is.

In short, there is something for everyone in Supernatural. The show is so versatile that future screenwriters, those interested in American folklore and mythology, and lovers of horror and gore (myself not included) can all enjoy it!