The decline of the American horror movie.

[akuma696]

This has been swimming around in my mind for a few weeks now and I would like the FFR communities' opinion on this topic. To me everything is too cookie-cutter now. There hasn't been a decent horror movie in years. All of the more recent horror movies go for just shock value and there is virtually no plot to the movie. There are always famous actors playing people about ten years younger than their actual age. There is absolutely no emotional connection to the characters, so if they die a brutal death there is no real effect there. What ever happened to a psychologically traumatizing horror movie. I know this just sounds like a giant rant, but it is something that really concerns me. I want my great horror movies back. So FFR, what is your opinion on this?

[Starshot]

You just have to look for them.

Indipendant film companies generally have great horror writers and directors. Lionsgate is notorious for cranking out some of the best horror films I've seen in years (Saw and Hard Candy, just to name a couple). Those films literally make a connection with the characters, as you've stated beforehand.

Now, when it comes to the past, one must admit, it was like it was now. Don't deny it, there were ****ty movies back then as well as there are now. There were bright lights, though, people like Carptender, who helped pave the genre to what it is today.

With that said, check out any sort of indie horror film you can find. Look up the series "Masters of Horror" and check out the works of the directors, as well as the series itself. "Masters of Horror" is a series of short horror films made by well known directors, as well as independent directors. All are stunning and really shouldn't be missed.

Have fun.

[akuma696]

See that's the thing though, just about every good horror movie now isn't marketed well at all. You really have to look for them. As of right now I don't really look at American horror movies anymore. I stay more in the Asian horror movie catagory. I will admit there were some really corny horror movies in the past but it just seems to me that Hollywood can not make a decent horror movie that is marketed properly. It also seems impossible to make a great psychological horror movie anymore, it really is all about shock value. Directors today seem to be like "Oh, what can I show that would just totally gross someone out." That's the reason everything looks the same now. But, I'm ranting again, so I'll save a little for later.

[AriesMalvis]

yea i like ones from japan and korea
like a tale of two sisters and the wishing stairs

and it's true that independant companies can usually make the best movies
it's cuz all the main companies are always having to make new things so they don't put as much effort into it
i haven't seen a good american horror movie in a while
most have a basic story with blood and gore...gets boring

[ashleychauntel]

My friends and I have this same discussion on occasion... The main problem with making new horror movies, in America anyway is there really is no originality left in Hollywood. All people know how to do anymore in the scriptwriting realm is to re-write the things that have been done, to make sequels to existing movies, or to write pointless movies that are more funny than scary to the average person.

There is just something missing.

LionsGate is trying with Saw I, II, and III - but you see the pattern of repetition, of the sequels, and the 4th one is in production now. I don't want to say anything bad though, the Saw movies got me back to watching any LionsGate films - they'd been putting out some real bad ones until that fell in their lap. And still, Saw is nothing extremely great. It's not really even horror I don't think... more suspense/thriller/gore - but it never scared me.



Someone needs to raise the stakes, bring out some new ideas, something we haven't ever seen, or something that hasn't at least been done in a while for sure.

I guess we'll have to look to the indie films that don't really get their credit for the time being...

[AriesMalvis]

yea firstly ppl need to kno when to stop with a series of movies

and it's like this with other genres as well...like comedy
overused jokes...gets annoying

[Wlfwnd91]

Saw 1 I liked. It was original, and though the acting was awful, the plot and the creativity was there. Saw 2 was ok, it did a better job cause they wanted to up the first one. Saw 3 was just them trying too hard. I could see people sitting in a room going "Hmm.. How can we kill people this time?" and totally just failed miserably. A 4th I won't even bother to see. The reason Hollywood can pump out these sequels is because even though everyone hates them, they get loyal to movies and will pay $10 for a ticket to go see them. Nightmare on Elm Street was a great horror, but lately there hasn't been anything special.

[ashleychauntel]

Today I sat in a small room with a group of roughly thirty people to listen to a speaker, the speaker: John Carpenter.

Now, being the horror movie thread, I hope people know who he is. If you are clueless: John Carpenter's Vampires and more notable: Halloween.

He talked and answered question, one of which in regard to the style of horror movies being made today - and he made a very good point that I have completely overlooked in previous thoughts:
Horror movies are based on fear - and when writing a horror script that will be believable you have to make the people fear what you are writing about. Therefore, the best way to make someone fear something is use something they love, something that is popular and turn it into something scary.

Example: In hte 80's people got really into fitness and body image. Horror movies from the 80's dealt with body horror; ripping of the flesh, so on and so forth.

So, in a way - the horror movies of today play off of popular fads, trends, excessive fears - and so on and so forth.

Our trend seems to be torture and control, look at the Saw trilogy and Hostel. It is horror in the sense that horror encompasses gore, suspense, a little action, thriller, etc it can potentially be scary - but it's the not the same kind of scary as before.



Maybe if we were afraid of the right stuff then scriptwriters could freak us out more easily and horror movies could be better, just a thought... :]