"Sturgeons Law- which states that ninety percent of everything is crap- needs to be revised to be applicable to the horror genre; the percentage has to be raised." ~ Dean Koontz
The horror film genre has become stale and predictable, with the American release schedule predominantly consisting of lazy sequels and lazier remakes of homegrown and foreign classics. I will highlight the reasons for this decomposition and offer examples of productions that may remedy this decline.
Problem
South-East Asian filmmakers, regarded by many as the masters of psychological horror, are experiencing a dry spell. Peaking with films from Japan, such as The Ring (1998) and from South Korea, such as A Tale of Two Sisters (2003); recently directors have relied on their productions being ineffectively remade overseas.
Remedy
Chan-wook Park’s Thirst (2009). A failed blood transfusion turns a devote Christian into a vampire. Great premise and with the visionary director of Oldboy (2003) at the helm expect a deeply psychological exploration of faith and a diversion from vampire conventions.
Regarding unconventional vampire films, be sure to catch Tomas Alfredson’s Let The Right One In (2008) before it is remade in 2010.
Problem
American audiences are lapping up what has contemporarily been labelled the torture-porn genre; a movement originating from films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Barring the ingeniously constructed SAW (2004), torture-porn has had little to offer in terms of psychological depth, instead relying on over-excessive gore and sadism to shock.
Remedy
Dario Argento’s Giallo (2009). Adrien Brody hunts a maniacal serial killer known as “Yellow”. From the director of the seminal horror Suspiria (1977), expect relentless pacing and evocative imagery.
Problem
Horror has begun to consistently parody itself with the Scary Movie (2000-06) franchise, to the point where these takeoffs have become more popular and gross more money than the films they lampoon.
Remedy
Instead of producing lazy parodies, companies should take a chance with independent filmmakers. Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez’s The Blair Witch Project was the highest grossing film of 1999.
Problem
A large percentage of filmmakers choose to establish their careers with the horror genre and there is a misconception that the genre is easy to tackle; that to scare the public is an easy task. Audiences have become desensitised to horror conventions.
Remedy
Be unconventional: Don’t think horror, think story. The Mexican’s have broken the mould with Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men (2006) and Spanish born Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Orphanage (2007). Though not conventional horrors, their films hinge on elements of the genre.
Problem
Most of the great examples of horror have come from master filmmakers: Herzog, Kubrick, Hitchcock, Spielberg, Tarkovsky, Scott; to name but a few. Contemporarily, our most celebrated filmmakers have avoided the genre.
Remedy
Sam Raimi’s Drag Me To Hell (2009). The director of the Evil Dead series returns to his roots. Some critics are already declaring this a classic of the horror genre, though the furore may be an exaggerated backlash from the monotony of substandard examples in 2008.
For experimental horror wait for Lars von Trier’s Antichrist (2009).
Problem
On September 11th 2001, the American population experienced a very real horror; the advent of terrorism may have had a profound affect on the film industry, and in particular, the horror genre.
Remedy
Alex Rivera’s Sleep Dealer (2008). Films dealing with dystopian future societies can generate a palpable sense of horror, particularly relevant to modern global deterioration.
The horror film genre has become stale and predictable, with the American release schedule predominantly consisting of lazy sequels and lazier remakes of homegrown and foreign classics. I will highlight the reasons for this decomposition and offer examples of productions that may remedy this decline.
Problem
South-East Asian filmmakers, regarded by many as the masters of psychological horror, are experiencing a dry spell. Peaking with films from Japan, such as The Ring (1998) and from South Korea, such as A Tale of Two Sisters (2003); recently directors have relied on their productions being ineffectively remade overseas.
Remedy
Chan-wook Park’s Thirst (2009). A failed blood transfusion turns a devote Christian into a vampire. Great premise and with the visionary director of Oldboy (2003) at the helm expect a deeply psychological exploration of faith and a diversion from vampire conventions.
Regarding unconventional vampire films, be sure to catch Tomas Alfredson’s Let The Right One In (2008) before it is remade in 2010.
Problem
American audiences are lapping up what has contemporarily been labelled the torture-porn genre; a movement originating from films such as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). Barring the ingeniously constructed SAW (2004), torture-porn has had little to offer in terms of psychological depth, instead relying on over-excessive gore and sadism to shock.
Remedy
Dario Argento’s Giallo (2009). Adrien Brody hunts a maniacal serial killer known as “Yellow”. From the director of the seminal horror Suspiria (1977), expect relentless pacing and evocative imagery.
Problem
Horror has begun to consistently parody itself with the Scary Movie (2000-06) franchise, to the point where these takeoffs have become more popular and gross more money than the films they lampoon.
Remedy
Instead of producing lazy parodies, companies should take a chance with independent filmmakers. Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez’s The Blair Witch Project was the highest grossing film of 1999.
Problem
A large percentage of filmmakers choose to establish their careers with the horror genre and there is a misconception that the genre is easy to tackle; that to scare the public is an easy task. Audiences have become desensitised to horror conventions.
Remedy
Be unconventional: Don’t think horror, think story. The Mexican’s have broken the mould with Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) and Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men (2006) and Spanish born Juan Antonio Bayona’s The Orphanage (2007). Though not conventional horrors, their films hinge on elements of the genre.
Problem
Most of the great examples of horror have come from master filmmakers: Herzog, Kubrick, Hitchcock, Spielberg, Tarkovsky, Scott; to name but a few. Contemporarily, our most celebrated filmmakers have avoided the genre.
Remedy
Sam Raimi’s Drag Me To Hell (2009). The director of the Evil Dead series returns to his roots. Some critics are already declaring this a classic of the horror genre, though the furore may be an exaggerated backlash from the monotony of substandard examples in 2008.
For experimental horror wait for Lars von Trier’s Antichrist (2009).
Problem
On September 11th 2001, the American population experienced a very real horror; the advent of terrorism may have had a profound affect on the film industry, and in particular, the horror genre.
Remedy
Alex Rivera’s Sleep Dealer (2008). Films dealing with dystopian future societies can generate a palpable sense of horror, particularly relevant to modern global deterioration.
1 comment:
Good article Rich. Just watched Eden Lake last night. Have you seen it? You should watch it, it's a decent British horror film.
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