Why is the horror genre less successful than any other genre?

[LuvablePsycho]

Personally I think it's because it's very hard to come up with stories to scare people. Most people really aren't afraid of things like the undead or monsters because deep down we all know that they don't exist, and for every GOOD horror movie that manages to succeed in scaring people there's like 10 or 50 bad ones that are all either copycats of a good one or just really bad movies with no effort put into them (many border on being softcore pornos).

So yeah, I think it's just hard to scare people. Especially nowadays with people being as cynical and jaded about violence as they are. Also I feel like the people who actually are fans of the horror genre aren't really afraid of it either but they enjoy it for some other reason like myself for example.

And honestly things that go on in the real world like war, violent crime, and natural disasters are a helluvalot more scary than what you see on TV or read in books.

[Angra]

What do you mean by less successful?

[LuvablePsycho]

I mean that most people seem to like any other genre like Action, Comedy, or Drama more than they do Horror. A lot of Horror movies don't seem to have as high a budget or make as much money as those other genres, and Horror movies often get bad reviews from critics just for being horror movies.

Face it, Horror isn't a successful genre.

[LuvablePsycho]

But on the other hand I often get the feeling that people who make horror movies don't really care that much about money, they just enjoy making the movies.

[Angra]

Originally Posted by LuvablePsycho

I mean that most people seem to like any other genre like Action, Comedy, or Drama more than they do Horror. A lot of Horror movies don't seem to have as high a budget or make as much money as those other genres, and Horror movies often get bad reviews from critics just for being horror movies.

Face it, Horror isn't a successful genre.

What do you build that statement on?

[Angra]

Originally Posted by LuvablePsycho

But on the other hand I often get the feeling that people who make horror movies don't really care that much about money, they just enjoy making the movies.

I agree about that. Most indie horror directors don’t have a single original idea or any idea how to make an effective horror movie, they just want to make a movie. That always bothers me.

[DeadbeatAtDawn]

Originally Posted by LuvablePsycho

But on the other hand I often get the feeling that people who make horror movies don't really care that much about money, they just enjoy making the movies.

Yes they enjoy making movies and no, they care about the money.

Take a look at this..

http://horror.com/forum/showthread.php?t=68499

[LuvablePsycho]

Originally Posted by Angra

I agree about that. Most indie horror directors don’t have a single original idea or any idea how to make an effective horror movie, they just want to make a movie. That always bothers me.

What bothers me is the people in Hollywood who are obviously in the movie business just for the money and get paid more than they deserve for releasing the same mediocre crap over and over again.

I'd rather people make movies because they actually enjoy doing it rather than doing it just for the money. Even if their movies aren't that good. But that's just me.

[LuvablePsycho]

Originally Posted by DeadbeatAtDawn

Yes they enjoy making movies and no, they care about the money

Well obviously everybody wants to get paid for their work. I mean movies are expensive to make and everybody knows that. I'm just saying that there are movie makers out there who only care about the money, especially in Hollywood.

[ImmortalSlasher]

Originally Posted by LuvablePsycho

Personally I think it's because it's very hard to come up with stories to scare people. Most people really aren't afraid of things like the undead or monsters because deep down we all know that they don't exist, and for every GOOD horror movie that manages to succeed in scaring people there's like 10 or 50 bad ones that are all either copycats of a good one or just really bad movies with no effort put into them (many border on being softcore pornos).

So yeah, I think it's just hard to scare people. Especially nowadays with people being as cynical and jaded about violence as they are. Also I feel like the people who actually are fans of the horror genre aren't really afraid of it either but they enjoy it for some other reason like myself for example.

And honestly things that go on in the real world like war, violent crime, and natural disasters are a helluvalot more scary than what you see on TV or read in books.

I think even if we don't know the monster doesn't exist. You are still supposed to be enough in the movie to think if this was real. If the monster was in the room with you. Now. That's scary. Like Ridley Scott said about the Alien, I going to make you believe this is real. Or something like that. As we get older it's more difficult than when we were young. But like I posted or someone else in that what do you do to enjoy horror movies topic. I think it's important to get surround sound if possible, watch at night in the dark, and have a light drink or two. Not to get drunk but to depress your normal senses. After movies like Sinister and It Follows, I was paranoid as hell.

I do think nudity was something a lot of early or at least horror movies I grew up watching played around with. But it was teasing or far more tasteful than what you can stumble across on the Internet. As back then, if you wanted to see nudity you had to be brave and venture into seedy places with even worse people to get VHS tapes or magazines. That glimpse of nudity in Halloween or Friday the 13th was a big deal to a kid.