YouTubers Hayley and Kayli on the horror!

Genre, that is, but also IRL

Kayli, at left, and Hayley, right, of YouTube channel, Hayley and Kayli. (Courtesy Photo)

By D. Menzies

When you’re watching YouTube, it doesn’t always throw anything that keeps you watching in the lowest common denominator way possible. It will occasionally throw something interesting in a more unique way, and if you know — or want to know — the potential of horror films, if you like keen and funny discussions on ridiculous things about life on screen and off it, that’s what’s you get with the channel Hayley and Kayli, the YouTube transition from the duo’s Pressed Podcast. They were both kind enough to talk to Chilltown Blues about the horror genre and life in the land they reside in, where the stars at night are big, bright, in between vast swaths of nothing, and, much more seriously — partly due to ICE — scarier than they’ve been in a long time.

For their shows Hayley and Kayli don’t just talk about horror films or TV series, but with horror being the bulk of the genres they focus on, here they explain why that is.

“For me,” says Hayley, “horror can explore the human psyche better than any other genre. Assuming the movie isn’t a straight up slasher or comedy, horror can dive into grief, sadness, depression, and even examines what it means to be ‘sane.’ Other horror films touch on belief, religion or cults, which fascinates me as I grew up in a very religious household. Finding the line between reality and what we can create in our minds is something I think resonates with everyone.”

“Horror is a genre that has always had a soft spot for me,” Kayli says.

She has a lot of memories watching horror movies in the living room, cuddled up on the couch with her family. “The genre is a mixed bag of potential, you truly never know what kind of film you’re going to get,” she says. “But when it comes to the films that resonate for me, it’s the ones that play with your mind.