My childhood hero |
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I went through a bit of a horror movie phase when I was a kid, as I'm sure a lot of us did. I liked being scared and watching things that contained a lot of blood and gore; the sicker the better. I even for some reason made my own fake blood and often carried it around in an old aspirin bottle. I still remember that recipe: corn syrup, water, and red food coloring.
Growing up there were a ton of great horror films to choose from. I've mentioned before how I believe the 80s was the best decade for fun movies and horror films were no exception. And there was something for everyone. You like little creepy creatures? You got GREMLINS or GHOULIES or CRITTERS. You like ghosts? You got POLTERGEIST and THE SHINING. You like vampires? You got FRIGHT NIGHT and LOST BOYS. You just want to be scared out of you pants? You got THE THING and PHANTASM II (I thought it was scarier than the first one).
I liked the FRIDAY THE 13TH and HALLOWEEN movies but was particularly partial to A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. One year for Halloween I even dressed up as Freddy, fashioning an old gardening glove and thin strips of metal to create his 
Why mess with perfection? |
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weapon, and ruining a black and red striped shirt by finger-painting green poster paint over the black stripes.
Over the years my horror movie tastes have changed and refined, at least a little bit. I can now see how awful, albeit mindlessly fun, the FRIDAY THE 13TH films are. HALLOWEEN is brilliant and still scares me and the first half of the second one is nearly as good. I also still enjoy A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, and although the sequels paled in comparison (with the possible exception of number three) I think the series was redeemed a little with WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE which I thought was this-close to being as good as the first one.
Now I can appreciate more subtle, much less gory films like FRAILTY and THE DESCENT. And I thought THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, which used nothing but creepy camera angles and darkness, was terrifying.
So, with the risk of sounding like an old guy who believes everything was better in the past, what's happened to horror films? It feels like a new one comes out every other week and they all seem either completely cliché, dumb, or just plain boring. And for the most part they seem 
No thanks |
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to fall into only two categories. The first are the remakes/sequels. THE HILLS HAVE EYES, THE HITCHER, and LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT are just a few recent remakes. Then there are the movies that have had countless amounts of sequels but now are kind of being remade like the aforementioned FRIDAY THE 13TH and HALLOWEEN. All of these movies are almost without exception awful and I wonder why people spend money to see them when they could just rent or download the much better originals.
The second category is the gross-out/snuff films, the movies that aren't necessarily trying to scare you but make you lose your lunch. I think HOSTEL is probably to blame for this trend and I actually liked that one. Many parts of the film are hard to watch (the guy with the blow torch comes to mind) but I though the plot was completely original and innovative. However, I can't say the film was scary, at least not in the traditional sense. All the movies that have followed, like SAW and all those sequels, appear to be about upping the gross ante. Forget scary monsters or creatures or building tension or suspense, these films are all about what 
Terrifying |
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new and disgusting things they can come up with.
I think in a way these horror movies are a lot like the teen comedies that seem to come out all the time. Instead of coming up with funny jokes or scenarios, they just throw in someone getting covered in urine or vomit or some other unpleasant fluid. Just as it's easier to gross people out than to create something genuinely funny, it's easier to do the same than to craft something authentically frightening.
However, with all that being said, recently there have been some great horror moments in films even if the films themselves aren't classified as horror. The GRINDHOUSE movies, although purposely campy, were at times scary. The amazing PAN'S LABRYINTH had some terrifying moments, especially that creature with the eyes in his hands. Parts of the beautifully shot LET THE RIGHT ONE IN were also delightfully eerie. And the marvelous SHAUN OF THE DEAD (how many times has this film been mentioned in this column?), in addition to being hysterically funny, was also very effectively frightening.
So perhaps – ironically – things aren't all gloom and doom for horror movies after all.
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 | Amanda
Jun 2, 2009 5:50 PM
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| (whoops, didn't mean to delete) I agree with you for the most part. Except for the fact that SAW came before (and more than likely inspired) HOSTEL. I'm not a fan of any of them, though. I found SAW sort of inventive, but everything since then (HOSTEL and the many SAW sequels) are exactly as you say. They're just money-making schemes for a gen Y audience that just can't get enough. |
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 | Tim
Jun 2, 2009 8:36 PM
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You said it so perfectly...A Nightmare On Elm Street was the best in the series then came part 3 Dream Warriors...then Wes Cravens New Nightmare. I would then say that part 6 was decent follwed by part 4 then two and my least favorite is part 5 the Dream Child..with that annoying kid in it.
Also why was Patricia Arquette too busy to return for part 4?
I always was...and still am a Freddy Krueger nut.... and think that Billy Bob Thorton will make an interesting Freddy Krueger but still say that the best actor around today to play him in the remake is Hugo Weaving.
You really need to see this video http://www.matchflick.com/forums/showthread.php?t=517
this is a sample of what the new elm street movie could be like.... |
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| Movie Musings |
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Thoughts, observations, conjectures, complaints about movies and mostly how they relate to me personally. If you're looking for something a little broader, try Ebert.
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| Tim Josephs |
Born to write (literally – much to the displeasure of his mother, he emerged with a pencil clutched in one tiny fist), Tim spends most of his days crafting epic monosyllabic poems, new comical titles to his favorite Beatles' songs (Hey, Dude), and angry letters to local businesses that have wronged him in some way. He's really an okay guy once you get to know him.
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Jun 3, 2009 3:16 PM