Some tattoos are so evil that you’ll have to check under your bed and get a night light after you see them. For some tattoo enthusiasts, watching their favorite horror movie is just not enough. They want a permanent reminder of their favorite horror scenes in the form of a tattoo. Movies are not the only inspiration: horror punk , psychobilly, gothic, and metal music all have dark themes and cult followings.
Hardcore fanatics crave to display their true dedication by getting their favorite murderers, monsters, zombies, evil clowns, torture devices, satanic symbols, and various other horror icons inked on to their skin forever. It is important to find a tattoo artist that is capable of making the blood on your tattoo look like a fresh kill. As an appreciator of all things occult, spooky, and gory I think the art is viciously beautiful.
There’s something strangely appealing about being a bloody zombie, or having one tattooed on your flesh. Zombies and images of death are a marker of our own mortality. We feel more alive by being thrilled or scared. Zombies are scary because even though they are a work of fiction, it seems like it all could be a little too possible. You can ask anyone what you would need in a zombie survival kit and we would all know. Clearly you would shoot it in the head. Just like a stake to the heart for a vampire.
Vampires have gained a lot of popularity too; a new school vampire, like the ones in Twilight, break some of the rules of vampire-lore past. The classic Bella Lugosi Dracula will forever be my favorite. Classic horror images of Frankenstein and his bride, the wolfman and more, will always be popular in the tattoo culture.
The popularity of horror tattoos is a sign of our generation’s obsession with fantasy and fear. Pop culture revolves around violence and sensational imagery to escape the everyday mundane. Horror and gore is so much a part of our culture, through video games and movies, that it feels real and viable. People can relate to it. One thing I can say for sure is that the world at large has inspired a lot of gruesome images that have turned into beautiful body modifications. I’m not sure that I could handle a portrait of Freddy Krueger, or something equally as creepy staring at me from a tattoo on my arm for the rest of my life, but I definitely appreciate the look.
