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Anonymous Wrote:
http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-11229-Newark-Film-Examiner~y2009m5d27-Seven- reasons-why-the-horror-genre-is-dying
With the upcoming release of Sam Raimi’s new film “Drag Me to Hell,”
it’s a good time to think about what the horror genre has become over
the past few years. It's films have gone from being rebellious and
violent statements to watered down, socially accepted, children’s
movies. Sure the films are profitable, but they lack originality and
artistry, causing many diehard fans to lose hope. So what’s happened
to horror? There are seven factors, each one more ghastly than the
last, that are leading to the genre’s demise.
7) Over Saturation
It would seem “quantity over quality” has become the horror adage.
Each week more and more poorly produced, straight-to-video horror
films hit the shelves and each week, the genre becomes a little more
diluted. Horror is becoming the new porn, where anyone with a video
camera and willing participants can shoot a film and get distribution.
This lackadaisical approach to filmmaking turns a genre with little
respect into a complete joke.
6) Big Budgets
It might appear shortsighted to say a bigger budget would have a
negative effect on a film. The more money spent, the better the film
will be, right? Not always. What made many of the older films so scary
is how real they seemed, looking more like documentaries than feature
films. Also, no one in the films looked like actors. Leatherface’s
family in the original “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” looked like they
were pulled from a local insane asylum, not a casting call. All in
all, the films were so genuine that they scared audiences for days
after leaving the theater. Today, horror films are so stylized and
clean it would be like getting scared by a car commercial.
5) Computer Graphics
Has the price of corn syrup and red food coloring skyrocketed? Recent
horror films have become so dependent on computer graphics that they
look more like cartoons than live action movies. Think of how much
better “I Am Legend” would have been if the monsters chasing Will
Smith around dilapidated New York City weren’t those silly looking
animated abominations. The thing with CG is it can be beneficial, but
when it’s overused, the films tend to be less scary and more stupid.
4) PG-13 Ratings
Nothing makes horror fans gripe and groan more than seeing a PG-13
rating on a horror film. What this rating guarantees the audience is
that there will be little language, no nudity, and toned down
violence, while guaranteeing the producers of the film a better box
office turnout. The PG-13 rating plays to the teeny bopper crowd, who
will scream in terror at every single cheap scare inserted throughout.
It also robs potentially good films of any kind of legitimacy with
unrealistic dialogue, little suspense, and moderate violence. Not to
say violence in moderation isn’t sometimes a good thing, which brings
us to...
3) Torture and Rape
Many of today’s horror filmmakers are confusing what’s disgusting with
what’s scary. In a genre where less can be more, over the top, bizarre
violence has become a crutch. From the “Hostel” films to “Saw” one
through one million, it’s obvious that these filmmakers are trying to
get scares by repulsing their audience. What they need to realize is
making someone vomit is far different than actually scaring them.
Along with torture, rape scenes have become a way for filmmakers to
push the envelope. Yes, some older horror films did contain both these
aspects, but today it seems every horror film has a scene with someone
tied to a chair getting god-knows-what shoved god-knows-where, while
somewhere else a poor unsuspecting girl is about to be deflowered by
some maniac. Ultimately, you have to ask yourself, is this really
entertaining?
2) First Person Point of View
Why is it that every time someone runs in a film there are sequences
of nauseating hand-held camerawork? Can the viewer not understand what
the person on the screen is doing without seeing it through their
eyes? If that’s not bad enough, there are the films in which the
characters themselves are shooting the movie. Ever since “The Blair
Witch Project” filmmakers have been making first person horror films
and every time the characters use the same sparse reasoning of “I’m
filming this because it’ll be important,” to justify their actions.
Even horror legend George A. Romero took part in these shenanigans in
his last film “Diary of the Dead.” There is nothing more unbelievable
than a group of twenty-something idiots who think filming giant aliens
or zombies or invisible witches is more important than their own
safety.
1) Remakes
It’s nothing new for filmmakers to rehash old ideas and characters,
but the horror genre has become notorious for it. At this moment,
there are over 60 horror films slated to be remade. Granted some of
them are just talk, but it’s a staggering number even if only half of
them come to fruition.
At first the remakes were of classic and foreign films (“The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre,” “The Ring,”), but in 2009, it would seem producers
are willing to remake anything. The list of upcoming remakes includes
the classic (“Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Hellraiser”), to the not-so-
classic (“The Gate,” “It’s Alive”), to the completely ludicrous
(“House on Sorority Row,” “Plan 9 from Outer Space”), all of which are
completely unnecessary. All these remakes do is halt progress on new
ideas. Instead of starting new franchises, they keep bringing back the
old, rarely improving on the originals. If there is a film which is
revered among its audience, then why would it need to be redone?
Hollywood has also started to confuse the word “remake” with “reset,”
continuing film franchises from the remakes. So in 20 years are there
going to be remakes of the remakes?
There are no doubt positive sides to each one of these factors. For
one, with the over saturation of the market, many more talented
filmmakers are getting their films seen. With studios willing to shell
out more and more cash to produce horror films, the genre will never
completely die. Not every remake or PG-13 film is terrible. It’s a
matter of taste and opinion. Some people like computer graphics and
don’t mind shaky camerawork. Yes, there are even those strange and
demented people who don’t mind seeing torture and rape in films. “I
Spit on Your Grave” is still selling copies, right? So even though the
damage done may seem insurmountable, there is still hope for horror.
Someone just needs to step up and save it.
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