Views on modern 'horror' films

[Preacher]

Hi guys,

Just wanted to ask y'all a quick quezzy. Are any of you out there getting a bit bored of all mainstream crap thats being churned out these days??

I'm a big fan of movies of the horror genre. Particularly movies of the 80s and 90s. But it seems that no new films are being produced that are any good.

Few egs....

Just watched 'the hole' on british television. Quite hyped up. Good start. Decided to stay up last night and watch it so i'm knacnkered today. First hour....quite good.....might be a spooky ending.....and then......bollox......no murder....no madman......no nothing.....complete waste of time.

Last year I watched 'Jeepers Creepers'. Was dubbed...'the scariest movie to come out of america'. First hour......really good......quite scary....bit of a chain saw massacre air to it.....then......special effects made of papier mache....a shite baddy...and crap ending.

Remake of Dawn of Dead...turd. Wrong turn.....turd. Cabin fever....turd.

The list is endless. However, there does seem to be a few 'little gems' cropping up. Good input from the good old British and Japanese horror industries. 28 days later, dog soldiers, ring etc.

Dont know, maybe i'm gettin old. We need a horror film to remember this decade by. We need a bad guy. Thats why i was pleased to see the old freddy vs jason movie. Lots of people thought it was turd but it was a refreshing alternative to the cloned crap films coming out now.

One more thing.....'Godsend' has just come out in the UK....any good or bollox??

Cheers...preacher

[Vodstok]

Havent seen "Godsend" yet, but if they kill rebecca romijn, it may be worth it...

Maybe it's just a difference of opinion, but i cant understand someone hating Dawn of the dead (2004) and jeeper creepers, but actually LIKING FvJ.

However, you are dead on with 28 days later, Dog soldiers and the ring. The big thing is, any of the movies you listed, you will find people here that like them, and those that hate them. The general concenus IS that modern horror flicks suck (in general), but the specifics vary greatly.

Here is my take on things.... We need new writers that actually have some imagination.
We need to stop hiring special-effects driven directors that kill out any story that may have existed to get some "cool" effects on screen.
We also need Hollywood to FUCK OFF when it comes to the pg-13 rating. Some people can pull of a good pg-13 (Gore Verbinski made a great horror flick that was only pg-13, the ring, but that is a RARE gem). Horror needs to have the flexibility alloted by an R rating, And i dont just mean that for gratuitous tit scenes or excessive gore.

But i am sick of limp-dick politically correct, predictable bullshit where the lead character yells "Crap" instead of "shit", simply because they wanted to sell ticvkets to the pg-13 crowd....

Fuck middle america.

[Preacher]

S'nice to read your views. I think the key is (and this has been said a million times) that too many horror films at the mo follow the same old trend.

I think if I see one more damn horror film that starts with a group of american teenagers (all different) who are bored with life and want to do somethin 'way out' i'm just gonna switch off. If i'd wanted to see that shit i'd watch bloody scooby do (which would probably be scarier - did you see the one with the swamp monster??).

The key is also to put horror in a position where it is not expected. For example horror films involving kids are very popular cos kids are meant to be innocent. (this is why i may be interested in godsend - reminds me of the end of Pet Cemetry).

The setting is also gotta be somewhere unexpected. Thats probably why dog soldiers is so successful.

Dow know what the 'R' rating is over here. Suppose its like an 18. Thats the other problem. Theres no horror films over here that make an 18 certificate anymore. How the hell are films meant to shock people if you have to make them for an audience of kids (less than 15). Its bollox. Wish I lived back in the days of old where horror was a new thing and really messed people up.

I did like F vs J but only cos I went in there expectin it to be nothin but a gorefest and a bit of a laugh. When you add a metal soundtrack on top of that its pretty good. When I left that there were a few people talkin like they went in there looking for artistic fullfillment or something. Suprised they didn't start talkin bout the bad cinematography and the lack of casting imagination. Hee hee.

Oh yeah....does anyone know whether you can put your own little picture of your choosing alongside your message??

Laters....preacher

[Stingy Jack]

Well, I've already talked at length about the subject "what makes a good horror film." And I've cited a few examples of recent films as well.

I agree, though, that horror films nowadays suck, in general. However, I do believe that they are getting much better than the garbage produced in the 80's and early to mid 90's. But, the Japanese and the Brits aren't the only ones that deserve credit for this. I think the increasing interest in indie films has also produced some great horror films. Independent filmmakers really take their art seriously because they just want to make a movie that is good enough to be sold to mainstream audiences. They aren't blinded by the dollar signs that have infected most major production companies. Plus, they don't have the budgets to create eye-popping special-effects and cast big name stars. Therefore, their stories have to rely on the classic elements of good storytelling to make them good. I think the indie market will soon overthrow the big producers in terms of quality films.

So, in sum, I think the horror genre is taking a turn for the better. And seeing as we're only 4 years into this decade, we have plenty of time to produce an iconoclastic film that speaks for the decade. And my bet is that it will be a zombie movie.

[orangestar]

Originally posted by Vodstok
The big thing is, any of the movies you listed, you will find people here that like them, and those that hate them. The general concenus IS that modern horror flicks suck (in general), but the specifics vary greatly.


No one can really say whether movies are getting better or worse because no one can agree which movies are good nowadays. You hated Cabin Fever, I loved it. You loved 28 Days Later, I hated it.

I think since The Ring, horror has been trying to move itself in the right direction, but it isnt there yet.

Vod is also right about the R rating. I wouldnt even be able to see them in theatres, but it would be worth it to ren t more R rated horror movies.

[Preacher]

Hmmmm. Maybe.

i still cant imagine any films being as effective on the general public as the nightmare on elm street series, halloween series, poltegeist series etc etc.

But you are right. Good films come from more independant film makes which is one reason why say british films are so good. Its also good when theres a cast that are hardly recognisable.

Dont think another zombie movie will be the 'talked about' film of the decade. I think zombie movies have had there time. The Dawn of the Dead film was poor cos they totally removed every typical zombie characteristic. The whole thing about zombies is that they're meant to be slow, clumsy and mindless. Its just unconscious motor moving occuring. The makers of this remake forgot all this and obviously just tried to copy 28 Days Later which is a class film (but not a zombie film) with zombies runnin around and thinkin for themselves. By the way - what use was the baby scene - absolute rubbish. They obviously have just put that in to be controversial.

No...as I said before....to really make a good horror film you gotta fuck with peoples heads. Good idea.....instead of makin a lame thriller seem to be a horror movie, they should take a romantic comedy (probably a chick flick bout some bird who learns how to dance) and then add a massacre or somethin at the end. I am taking my medication by the way.

God bless you all my children
Preacher

[Stingy Jack]

Dude, I don't know what your kick is with the slasher flicks. You keep mentioning that the Nightmare on Elm Street series and the Halloween series were great horror films. Personally, I think these films represent a low point in the history of horror films. But that's just me. Sure, they were scary ... until they started making sequel after sequel. Then they stopped trying to be scary, and just kept trying to outdo each other in body count. Then they started to turn into comedies. No, I don't think these films represent great horror.

And you may be right about the defining film of the decade not being a zombie flick. It just seems that zombies are making a comeback. But, to decide what film is going to represent the decade, you have to look at what people are afraid of now, in real life, and decide which horror film represents that fear. I think that the two major real-life fears of our generation are terrorism and disease. And for that reason, I think 28 Days Later is, right now, the horror film of this decade. It capitalizes on our fears, takes itself seriously, and is genuinely scary. But, it is more focused on the disease aspect, even though you could say that the soldiers are terrorists. I think the defining film of the decade would have to involve an unseen enemy (disease), or an enemy in plain sight that we never knew to be hostile (domestic terrorists). Ideally, it will be a combination of these. But, it can't be a slasher flick. Those are tired.

[-->oscam5<--]

What I dont like is all this 'psychological horror' bullshit.
Its like, 90% of new 'horror' movies. Not scary so dont try to be.
Cabin Fever and Wrong Turn, the new tcm, new dawn however, were brilliant. Really loathed 28 Days later, It seemed to me like it didnt try to be scary in anyway at all.
It sure is a better time now than it was in the 90's though.

[Preacher]

Hi guys,

Nice to read all your replies.

I suppose your right about the fact that the downfall of the good old slasher movies is the number of bloody sequels that are produced. Think the originals were all classics cos they were simple.......one bad guy who wants to murder as many people as possible. No bullshit about the cousin of a friends brother comin back to avenge a death (not talkin bout one particular film here).

Suppose i did actually like cabin fever but only for comedy and gore value. That scene where the bird is shavin in the bath was great. Was really cringin. Liked the twist at the end where the hillbillies get their comupance.

Preacher x

[jay o2 waster]

I have an opinion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!11

[Freddy Krueger.]

Originally posted by Vodstok
but i cant understand someone hating Dawn of the dead (2004) and jeeper creepers, but actually LIKING FvJ.
Freddy VS. Jason is and was a wonderful Horror movie. Lots of detail and lots of background story for people who don't know about the history of Freddy or Jason. A perfect battle of evil vs. evil. And I liked the ending of Jeepers Creepers. Know why? Because I am sick and tired of those "happily ever after" movies. As a child that is why I never watched any cartoons like power rangers or anything. The good guy always wins. But in Jeepers Creepers it was an unhappily ever after. It was awesome. I loved it.

[Vodstok]

I still dont like fvj, sorry.

Jeepers Creepers was good. VEry good. Loved the dark ending. He was such a nice kid, too :)

[Stingy Jack]

Vod! I have just finished reading the Prologue (Prelude?) and Chapter 1 of Gloom.

[Vodstok]

Originally posted by Stingy Jack
Vod! I have just finished reading the Prologue (Prelude?) and Chapter 1 of Gloom.

Yeah?! What did you think?

[Stingy Jack]

Should I do this here, or through PM?

[Vodstok]

either pm, or the "horror writers" forum. if you have any suggestions or corrections, that would probably be a good place so other people can benefit from it :)

[Stingy Jack]

Okay, I will start a thread there.

[Preacher]

Hmmmmm............ok?????

[Vodstok]

We were referring to this:
http://horror.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8185

It's about a story i am writing, but it reads like a course in creative writing. It is very cool.