Descendants of Deliverance: Tracing the Lineage of the Rural Horror Film

[crabapple]

I think this genre goes back a bit farther than anyone realized!

[neverending]

Meh... I never was of the opinion that rural horror started with Deliverance.

[_____V_____]

Someone forget something...?





And if you want to stick to the strictest definition of the words, 1932's White Zombie would be the pioneer of all that is rural horror.

[Doc Faustus]

Night of the Hunter. Lots of rural horror. Wandering twisted preacher, children endangered by nature.

[Roderick Usher]

Evil Dead???

[massacre man]

Rawhead Rex.

[ChronoGrl]

Does Lake Placid count? :p

I think that Larva can go on your list...

I just discovered the movie Redneck Zombies. Haven't watched it, but how could it possibly suck?



Frailty could conceivably count.

The Reaping, though its more ritualistic horror (and not a good movie).

[KrugStillo]

Hi. Thanks to everyone for their contributions to the list. I am humbled by the number that I missed!

Below is a revised list which includes most of the suggestions. The section labeled "questionable" at the end of the list is composed of films that may not be Urbanoia. I realize now that "Rural" horror may be distinct from "Urbanoia" horror. As Ferox13 points out, "The Crazies" doesn't really fit because its only criterion for inclusion is that the film takes place in an isolated area.

Lets look at the list again and use this definition for "Urbanoia" horror films: Films which depict urban or suburban characters traveling into rural areas and running afowl of the local inhabitants.

The revised list is submitted below for your expert advise and consideration....



Official List:



2001 Maniacs (Sullivan, 2006)

American Gothic (Hough, 1988)

Berserker (Richard, 1987)

Breakdown (Mostow, 1997)

Children of the Corn (Kiersch, 1984)

Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (Price, 1993)

Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (Hickox, 1995)

Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering (Spence, 1996)

Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (Wiley, 1998)

Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return (Skogland, 1999)

Children of the Corn: Revelation (Magar, 2001)

Deliverance (Boorman, 1972)

Devil's Rejects, The (Zombie, 2005)

Don't Go In The Woods Alone (Bryan, 1982)

Eaten Alive (Hooper, 1977)

Gator Bait (Sebastian & Sebastian, 1974)

Gator Bait II: Cajun Justice (Sebastian & Sebastian, 1988)

Hills Have Eyes, The (Craven, 1977)

Hills Have Eyes, The (Aja, 2006)

Hills Have Eyes II, The (Craven, 1985)

Hills Have Eyes II, The (Weisz, 2007)

Hoboken Hollow (Stephens, 2005)

House of 1000 Corpses (Zombie, 2003)

Hunter's Blood (Hughes, 1987)

I Spit on Your Grave (Zarchi, 1978)

Jeepers Creepers (Salva, 2001)

Jeepers Creepers II (Salva, 2003)

Just Before Dawn (Lieberman, 1981)

Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (Burr, 1990)

Midnight (Russo, 1982)

Night of the Living Dead (Romero, 1968)

Pigs (Lawrence, 1972)

Pumpkinhead (Winston, 1988)

Redneck County (????, 1975)

Redneck Zombies (Lewnes, 1987)

Rituals (Carter, 1977)

Savage Weekend (Paulsen, 1976)

Southern Comfort (Hill, 1981)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The (Hooper, 1974)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The (Nispel, 2003)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre II, The (Hooper, 1983)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, The (Liebesman, 2006)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (Henkel, 1994)

Turistas (Stockwell, 2006)

Two Thousand Maniacs (Lewis, 1964)

Wolf Creek (McLean, 2005)

Wrong Turn (Schmidt, 2003)

Wrong Turn II: Dead End (Lynch, 2007)



Not Enough Information:

Incident On and Off A Mountain Road (Director?, Year?)



Questionable:

Evil Dead (Raimi, 1982)

Frailty (Paxton, 2002)

Hillbilies in a Haunted House (Yarbrough, 1967)

Lake Placid (Miner, 1999)

Larva (Cox, 2005)

Night of the Hunter (Laughton, 1955)

Pumpkinhead (sequels)

Rawhead Rex (Pavlou, 1986)

Reaping, The (Hopkins, 2007)

White Zombie (Martinelli, 1932)

[KrugStillo]

Another item that I'll include next time around:

Cabin Fever (Roth, 2002)

Also, with regard to the "origin" debate surrounding "Urbanoia" films, I can understand the apprehension surrounding Deliverance, but would also be inclined to point out that Deliverance seems like an influential precursor to Texas Chainsaw Massacre - the prototypical example of the Urbanoia genre. Also, Carol Clover in her book Men, Women, and Chainsaws points to Deliverance as the "grandfather" of the Urbanoia film. Finally, the film is often referenced in modern examples of Urbanoia (e.g. In Wrong Turn, Scott says to his girlfriend Carly, "Well, I need to remind you of a little movie called Deliverance?" just before they enter the mutant's home.

I do think there are earlier examples of Urbanoia (e.g. Lewis' Two Thousand Maniacs), but I still believe the relative importance of Deliverance (a popular and critical success) needs to be taken into account.

[zwoti]

Originally Posted by KrugStillo

Lets look at the list again and use this definition for "Urbanoia" horror films: Films which depict urban or suburban characters traveling into rural areas and running afowl of the local inhabitants.

straw dogs