You will find no group of fans more passionate than horror fans, and while passion is often a wonderful and beautiful thing, there’s always a dark side to an excess of it. Oddly enough, you will find nobody with more bad things to say about horror movies – particularly newer ones – than horror fans, and the negativity that has recently overtaken the landscape of the community is sad and troubling.
Of course, the internet has turned many fans of many different things into hate-filled trolls, but since I spend the majority of my time immersed in the horror community, it’s horror fan negativity that I’m most exposed to and aware of. There are a handful of key phrases in particular that I see on social media on an almost daily basis, and I wanted to address some of those here on Halloween Love tonight.
So here are five things horror fans often say, and the reasons why they should probably stop saying them – for their benefit and for everyone else’s.
1) “It wasn’t even scary!”
There’s nothing better than a horror movie that actually manages to impart fear, as it requires a whole lot of filmmaking skill to make jaded horror fans afraid to sleep in their own beds. Recent examples of movies that genuinely accomplished this task, for me at least, include Sinister, The Taking of Deborah Logan, and The Canal, and I endlessly praised them for forcing me to turn on all the lights in my house afterward.
But somewhere along the way, whether or not a horror movie is scary somehow became the barometer for whether or not a horror movie is good, and I completely disagree with this particular viewpoint. Unlike comedies, which absolutely need to be funny, horror movies need not be scary, and there seems to be this belief that a horror movie that’s not scary is a horror movie that has failed at its principal task.
The way I see it, it’s nothing but a bonus if a horror movie is able to scare me. If it isn’t, on the other hand, that’s not something I would ever hold against it or even note when expressing my opinion about that movie. Some of my favorite horror films of all time aren’t scary to me or likely anyone else that has ever watched them, so we need to squash this idea that not scary = not good. It’s just plain silly.
Besides, many of the movies people criticize for not being scary are movies that weren’t even trying to be, well, scary.
2) “It didn’t live up to the hype!”
In addition to compelling many fans to become angry and bitter trolls, the internet has also created a little thing we all like to call ‘hype.’ What does this word actually mean? In a nutshell, hype is created when a large number of people love and therefore praise a film that isn’t yet available for mass consumption, and it’s often film festivals and screener copies that lead to this sort of advanced praise.
By the time the movie actually comes out in theaters/on VOD, there is already all sorts of hype attached to it, and the problem is that many fans tend to hold that hype against the movie. Rather than forming their own opinions, completely independent of what anyone else has said or written, they judge a movie based on whether or not it lived up to that so-called hype – and those high standards tend to be quite unrealistic.
Recent movies like The Babadook and It Follows are perfect examples of hype being a damaging thing, as most felt that they just didn’t live up to all the praise – and therefore enjoyed them less than they would have if they had gone in expecting nothing in particular. And truth be told, if you’re going into movies with unrealistically high expectations, you really only have yourself to blame.
After all, ‘hype’ is merely a fancy word for ‘a lot of people enjoyed this movie.’ And your opinion should never be impacted by how closely it does or doesn’t resemble the opinions of others. So leave the hype at the door.
3) “Remakes suck!”
There’s of course nothing that horror fans hate more than remakes, and I always roll my eyes every time any given fan suggests that “ALL REMAKES SUCK!” The reason this is such a fallacy is because we’ve gotten a handful of truly exceptional horror remakes over the years, and the two that I immediately like to point out are John Carpenter’s The Thing and David Cronenberg’s The Fly.
Even if those two movies were the only remakes worth praising, and they’re certainly not, they alone instantly negate this notion that remakes are inherently a bad thing. True, many beloved classics have been upgraded for modern times in criminally terrible fashion, including A Nightmare on Elm Street, but that doesn’t change the fact that a few bad apples don’t spoil the whole bunch.
There are bad remakes just as there are bad original movies, and there are good remakes just as there are good original movies. In addition to The Thing and The Fly, other remakes like Dawn of the Dead, The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre prove that all remakes most definitely do not suck, so that’s a phrase that we simply must erase from the horror fan handbook.
Does Carpenter’s The Thing suck? No? Then sorry buddy, but remakes don’t suck.
4) “Death to PG-13 horror!”
Another big misconception about the genre is that horror movies need to be rated R, which suggests that horror movies simply aren’t horror movies unless they’re full of blood, guts, curse words and gratuitous nudity. Sure, all of those things have become a big time part of the genre over the years, but we must keep in mind that a movie’s MPAA rating has absolutely nothing to do with a movie’s quality.
While I wouldn’t necessarily care to see a PG-13 slasher, as gory mayhem is the name of the game in such movies, I fail to see why any other sort of horror movie needs to come equipped with an R rating. Some of the best horror films of all time aren’t rated R, including Jaws and Poltergeist, and though those two perhaps would be if they came out today, there are also many recent examples that illustrate this point.
The assumption is that PG-13 horror movies are tailored to younger audiences and therefore simply cannot be scary or even well made, though a film like Insidious completely shatters that particular belief. Insidious was not only a really good movie but also one of the scariest to haunt the big screen in quite some time, and it mattered very little that there was no foul language, nudity or gruesome carnage.
Contrary to popular belief, MPAA ratings do not dictate quality.
5) “Horror isn’t what it used to be, eh?”
And finally, fans have for years been bemoaning the current state of the genre, constantly pointing out how shitty movies from the present are and how much better the ones from the past were. We tend to glorify films from the 70s and 80s while trashing pretty much anything and everything that doesn’t come with that nostalgia attached to it, and fans are often remarking that the genre is dying or just plain dead.
Of course, that couldn’t actually be further from the truth. One need only look at the past six months of releases to realize that horror isn’t dead but rather alive and well, as this year has been loaded with treasures including Spring (above), Clown, It Follows, Maggie, We Are Still Here, and Creep. As I always like to point out, horror is booming on VOD right now, even if theatrical releases have recently been terrible.
So stop spending so much time glorifying the past, and start spending a bit more of it embracing the present.
Things aren’t so bad right now. In fact, they’re pretty damn good. Sit back, shut up, and enjoy.
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60 Comments
Interesting list, and no TCM and DOTD remakes were not good. That’s something horror fans need to stop lying to themselves about.
I absolutely loved both of those remakes, and I’m fairly certain I’m not lying to myself about that.
I prefer them to their originals. I know this because I’m aware of my own personal tastes
Blech! I disagree. But to each their own.
I now agree with Flix, especially re: TCM. I like the remake, but the original is staggering, lightning in a bottle.
It’s ok. The sequel though… Hell yes
I know, I’m just teasing. Seriously, good list. I agree with most of it.
Spoiler alert: Different people are into different shit. Just because you didn’t care for a movie doesn’t make that movie bad, nor does it mean that anyone else is incapable of enjoying it.
I know, I know, I’m just kidding around.
Oops. Well, disregard my previous post.
That’s it, right there.
Ok. We will all start disliking them now. We didn’t enjoy them like we originally thought.
Horror fans are awesome.
Lol!
Great points. I admit that I’m guilty of number 1. Sometimes my preconceived expectations are too high for my own good. It doesn’t happen often, but I’ve said it when I’ve been let down.
I hate insidious and the whole damn sub genre of movies like it. Complete swill! but sometimes it’s done well as in Babadook and It Follows. Really enjoyed them both. I agree with everything said for the most part. Can’t go with everything. I think many modern theatrically released horror films aren’t very entertaining. I absolutely boycott many but they aren’t all bad. If Blumhouse is on it there’s no way I’m seeing it unless dragged by friends. Because I’m not that much of a dick. But doors slamming and loud noises does not an entertaining movie make. All opinions though right, I thought innkeepers was fantastic and that Insidious was shit. A lot of people think the opposite. Different strokes for different folks. Drivel in theatre is usually out to please the masses. I’m not terribly interested in what the masses are interested in….
just because the Babadook was good doesnt make it a horror movie.
the Babadook is as much a horror movie as Requiem for a Dream or Secret Window… do people refer to those are horror? no
I have heard both Requiem For a Dream and The Terminator referred to as horror films, and those don’t even have a scary book, jump scares, a monster, a possessed Mom killing a dog, etc. Calm down, brother.
I’d argue that Requiem, Secret Window and Terminator all are horror films. “Horror” doesn’t just mean “there’s a killer stalking people in the woods.” There are so many different types of horror movies, and they don’t all fit neatly inside the horror box. And though The Babadook is a dark family drama, at the end of the day, it’s absolutely also a horror movie.
What bothers me is the effect babadook will have on the horror genre
Look at how many copycats paranormal activity has with the found footage
Babadook is a horror film, you’ll find it under horror everywhere you look. A demonic entity tormenting a single mother and her only child. Can’t understand why my comments get shot back with “that’s not even horror” what the hell is then? Some dude pulled the same thing while I was praising the human centipede movies. Doesn’t make sense.
there was no demonic entity what the HELL are you talking about? she was just mentally sick lol
are you telling me you saw this movie and actually thought the creature was real? WTF are you Serious???????
Let’s be fair now. That’s only one interpretation of the movie. Like most things, it’s completely open to many interpretations and there is no definitively right answer. When it comes to The Babadook, possible interpretations include that it was entirely in her head, that there really was some kind of monster, or maybe she was both mentally ill AND there really was a monster. Perhaps one that is attracted to such human suffering? And that just scratches the surface of different ideas I’m sure.
As far as the label “Horror” in terms of film genre, I’ve tried to address this here:
https://halloweenlove.com/horror-the-film-genre-explained/
there have been a lot of debates about this on imdb, reddit, bloody disgusting
the conclusion after all the discussions is that she is just mentally sick, take a look at the IMBD page for this movie.
you will be laughed out of the room and mocked if you even try to bring up the fact that the creature was real. it doesn’t matter how much you reason it, There was no monster. the proof always go back to mental illness.
Agreed, there is quite a good case for it being mental illness, or a metaphor for mental illness. Personally, I don’t actually have a strong opinion on the “genre” or “is the monster real” debates. Objectively and unbiased, I just enjoy the movie and find it terrifying regardless.
But, just to add a balance to this discussion:
1. On the IMDb page ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2321549/ ) the film is listed as both a Horror AND Thriller. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.
2. The writer and director of the film, Jennifer Kent, herself, refers to the film as horror in this interview:
https://web.archive.org/web/20150726024529/https://thedissolve.com/features/emerging/834-the-babadook-director-jennifer-kent-talks-about-dr/
But, my opinion has always been that everything, especially art, is always open to interpretation even regardless of the intention laid out by the creator. So please understand Josh, I fully respect your opinion and interpretation and have no desire to change it. I just hope you can try and return the favor to others when you disagree with them… the whole point of the actual article we’re having this discussion on.
While I personally don’t enjoy you or Vyle firing back at one another (feel free to fire away at me if you like) just because you disagree with one another and wish you’d consider a different approach, I respect your free speech, so fire away. Feel free to continue this line of discussion, but I have nothing left to add on the subject.
Thanks
I dont even hate the movie, I dont even care that people like it.
It just really bothers me that a lot of people are saying “This is how Horror movies should be” which makes me wonder, so people just want Thrillers now, people want movies that are not horror at all now?
Studios will pay attention to that, why do you think there are so many found footage movies made now. Paranormal was huge and everyone followed.
I really really, really dont want the horror community to follow in the footsteps of a Thriller movie. a movie that barely counts as horror
You’re annoying
not as annoying as everyone calling the movie horror……
It was a psychological thriller about a woman with head problems.
Oh I agree Psychological horror for sure
You make some good points, but I can only give a limited amount of credit to anyone who thinks the TCM remake wasn’t a criminal assault on the entire genre. All of the remakes, sequels and rip-offs have fallen ridiculously short of the perfection of the original film.
The difference is the premise and expectations you’re creating for yourself. I love the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre AND the remake. But, I enjoy them separately, not comparatively. If I compared all the TCM sequels and remakes or any horror movie for that matter to the original TCM they’d all fall short every time.
I think the key is to compartmentalize when you’re viewing a new creative work. You’ve got to turn off your brain and try to immerse yourself in that experience, whether it’s a movie, a book, or whatever. You also have to try and suspend your disbelief (I realize some movies make it hard to).
If we’re going to talk about credibility, you now have two professionals in the horror industry that live and breathe this stuff every single day telling you that they enjoyed the TCM remake. Does that make us right? No, because credibility only goes so far in the scope of subjectivity.
You can hate the TCM remake and you can dismiss our intelligence or credibility (note: I’m generalizing to make a broader point) or taste in movies merely because we like something you do not like, but that’s a disappointing reaction. We’re not trying to convince you to like anything you don’t like, we’re just hoping that as a community, we get better at disagreeing with one another, less negativity, less complaining. These are exactly the same kind of issues I’m calling out in another HL article I just published:
https://halloweenlove.com/the-deconstruction-of-the-imdb-boards/
John and I are talking about something bigger than just the specific examples we might use.
Kudos on your thoughtful response to my juvenile ribbing. I wish that even half of the online discourse I see could be on this level. I did agree with most of your points in the article and really just thought I’d pick on you for the one point I would strongly argue with. While you’re absolutely right that whether any film is good or bad is purely in the eyes of the person viewing it, I would also argue that the TCM remake is guilty of every great sin I’ve ever witnessed in a remake. I’ll spare you a list, mostly to spare myself the obligation of revisiting the movie. In short, I’d just say that with this film I feel that they took the original, found what was most unique about it, cut that out, and jammed the biggest cliche’ they could find into the hole. They turned Leatherface into Jason. Anyway, that’s just me bitching. My main point is that I appreciate your discourse.
In your response, I think the one thing I would say, by way of disagreement, is that I refuse to turn my brain off for a movie that is, through associating itself with prior works (re: any sequel, prequel, remake, reboot or “re-imagining”) begging for comparisons. If the criteria for me to enjoy a given director’s version of a previous movie, book, video game or comic, is that I have to forget the work he’s drawing from, well then either it’s a bad adaptation, or it’s so far removed from the original work that it has no business recycling the title of the original work. I’d point out the upcoming C.U.J.O. as a film that appears to be in clear violation of the above.
And please don’t think I’m pissing on all remakes. There are plenty of instances where I enjoy a good remake, and many instances where I like both the original and the newer version. The Fly, The Blob and The Hills Have Eyes are all examples of this.
One example, that I love like no other, would be the television series Hannibal. Here is a television work that is loosely based on a series of popular novels which have enjoyed a long, uneven history of film adaptations, with at least one iconic character and beloved classic film in the franchise. In addition to the obvious comparisons the TV show had to contend with to these films and books, it also finds itself swimming in a sea of other television series that are clear antecedents to the The Silence of the Lambs (All of your various police procedural CSI’s, Law & Orders, Criminal Minds and NCIS). Hannibal USES these comparisons that it knows we will be making. It is full of sly winks to these other works; remixed bits of dialogue, visual cues (in one Season 2 episode that features both a starling and a cutaway shot of Hannibal petting a lamb), or by toying with our expectations by setting up circumstances similar to a movie scene but pulling it in a different direction (See Eddie Izzard’s first Hannibal appearance as the imprisoned murderer and Chesapeake Ripper suspect, Abel Gideon, doing the exact kind of Anthony Hopkins take-off that Mads Mikkelsen absolutely avoids, literally putting Mads’ Hannibal up against the poser version). If I were to “turn off my brain” and not think of the other works, I would miss out on a great deal of the playfulness and humor of this show. It would be a disservice to this type of artistry to lower the bar of my expectations to allow for the Michael Bay’s of the world to enjoy the same level of my praise and fandom as I would give to artists who display actual talent and care for the product they are producing.
I’m all for people giving more of a chance to new works in the genre. There is still quite a bit of good stuff out there, and while it’s easy now to look back and see the greatness of a decade like the 70’s with it’s classics, (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Exorcist, Jaws, Alien, Halloween, et cetera) it bears consideration that the decade also brought us Trog, Night of the Lepus and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. As Stephen King said long ago, being a horror fan is like panning for gold. You have to sift through a lot of crap to get to the good stuff.
While we should all reserve our judgements, be more accepting of differing opinions and generally give films (and each other) a chance before we reject them, I think we should never give up our critical eye or give up the right to give credit to our own opinions about what makes an artistic work great, or criminally reprehensible. I say, let us all BE critical, let us BE argumentative, but let us also be respectful about it, as you have been, and as I hope you find I have been.
I’ll try to keep this short since I think we’ve both laid out enough detail of our thoughts already and just hit some quick bullet points:
– Quick note to mention that I’m not the author of this article. Just joining the conversation.
– I don’t think your original comment was juvenile at all. The bar is pretty low for not falling inline with typical internet nastiness and hyperbole which I think you steered clear of just fine.
– As far as “turning your brain off”, I didn’t mean to the level of stupidity. I meant to put the notepad away and dial down the OCD a few notches (something I struggle with myself). However, in the case of Hannibal I 100% agree. You want your brain on full alert for this transcending and visceral experience or you’re going to miss some of the intense and esoteric feelings and nuances and clever nods and queues.
– The cliché and originality debate in an important one, but I think we’ll save this for another day and another article.
– I think we’re on the same page with this, but to clarify just in case, John and I’s goal certainly isn’t to get people to stop criticizing (things don’t move forward without it) which would basically be aligned with someone trying to stop free speech, yikes. Essentially, we’re criticizing the way in which most people criticize which we find annoying, and that’s fair game. And then of course someone can from there criticize the way we criticize and it could go on forever and it’s all fair game in this arena.
Trust me, John and I have learned to take our “Fuck you.” and “You suck!” comments (which we won’t censor) fairly well, we’re just sharing our thoughts on our annoyance and disappointment of this level and style of critical thought. I think we’re even more annoyed by popular copy and paste arguments though which is what this article is touching on. If we could take a magic wand and stop them from occurring, we wouldn’t. As freethinkers we want to engage with freethinkers, in whatever form it may come.
The truth is that we need the nasty comments just as much as we need the thoughtful ones. Although, I’m not sure that nasty commenters are aware of the burden they’re taking on for the rest of us.
(so much for keeping this short — that’s enough for this thinking machine for now)
I pretty fully agree with all of that. Thanks for your thoughts.
The only one I am personally guilty of is #5… has nothing to do with nostalgia or intensity. I am a film fan of many genres but most particularly horror. But I for one am shit sick of found footage and generic zombie flicks. I will say that about 75% of modern horror blows… so that’s not saying it all sucks, but most does. I dig Freddy in space for his writting… I almost live vicariously through him in the way that I can’t get out much and see movies in the theater. Some of his suggestions of modern horror were great. Like “Late Phases” great modern horror movie. However I hated movies like “insidious” and “it follows”… but hey.. just like numbers 1 and 3 in this thread… we all have opinions but we should have our own… long live horror!!!
the babadook doesnt even count as a horror movie, i am so freaking tired of people calling that movie horror…
it has nothing to do with being scary or not.
do people call movies like REQUIEM FOR A DREAM or FIGHT CLUB horror movies? do people refer to SECRET WINDOW as horror?
NO
people DONT, because that would be stupid. babadook might be great and everything but why do people call it the wrong genre? i dont get it… Everyone was talking about how the Babadook was the best horror movie of the last 10 years and the movie is NOT EVEN HORROR….
for crying out loud, WTF
The Babadook is a dramatic, psychological thriller. But as there may (or may not be) a monster in it, it definitely falls into the horror category as well. You do realize that the Horror genre can actually be mixed with other film genres right?
it might have horror elements just like Jurassic Park has horror elements… so because of the raptors hunting people, Do we just call Jurassic Park a HORROR movie now??????????
Do we call the Terminator a Horror movie as well? Arnold is basically a robot Michael Myers, is Terminator now HORROR too???
This is fking ridiculous
LMBO. Why are you so pissed about it?!
Well I’ll be damned. In all my years on the web, I’ve never come across a “Genre Nazi” before.
No Jurassic Park is not Horror. It’s a Sci-Fi / Fantasy / Adventure. The Terminator is first and foremost a Sci-Fi Actioner, BUT you could argue a case that it falls into the horror category as well. Really don’t see why this is getting your dander up.
Because the industry pays attention, when every single horror site calls this “the best horror movie ever made” then things will shift. Just like how found footage took over the genre
I don’t want any babadook clones
This is something that I am in total agreement with you on. While I have seen a few cool found footage flicks, typically they aren’t all that great.
An yes, NO BABADOOK CLONES!
Babadook is a horror film. It may have psychological themes but it is still a horror film
“Death to PG-13 Horror” is the only one that I fully agree with,otherwise it’s always right to wisely take a stand against anything that is overhyped and overrated(as long as you don’t go too far with it).
This is my favorite thing you’ve written. Of course because it echoes my every thought regarding horror discussion… heh. ♡
1.)
I agree that all horror films need not be scary. Some of my faves
include the Evil Dead flicks, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, House (1 &
2), etc. The horror genre is hugely diverse, and can blend with any
other film genre; even numerous genres at one time. However, if a film
is being touted as SCARIEST FILM OF THE YEAR and it doesn’t live up to
that, then yeah, it’s totally OK to say “It wasn’t even scary.” It’s not even a
new thing to say a movie wasn’t scary at all. I mean, how many shitty
horror flicks did you guys and gals rent based on the VHS cover art and
cool taglines (and even positive review quotes on the back cover) and got the shaft? Our taste in films is all subjective, and so are our fears. What isn’t scary to you might be terrifying to me. And if a film doesn’t frighten me, I see no harm in saying that it failed to elicit the desired effect.
2.)
“It didn’t live up to it’s hype” – I can’t recall how many new horror
films I actively sought out after getting caught up in the hype, only to
be disappointed. And it’s just not praise from fans, but it’s the
praise from critics and the smart marketing decisions of the
distributors as well. IT FOLLOWS and THE BABADOOK were interesting, and
each had some truly horrific moments that sent chills up my spine, but
ultimately, they did not live up to the hooplah generated by all of my
peers that saw them before I did. When a lot of people like a film, even
the most wary of us start to think “Well, if so many people are loving
it, then I probably will too!” It’s a weird sort of mob mentality that takes over. All part of the human condition I
suppose.
3.)
Remakes suck? No, MOST remakes suck. Sometimes filmmakers/producers
don’t quite understand what made the original so great and beloved,
and they just screw it all up in an attempt to modernize the story for
today’s audiences. And many times, its a lazy attempt to make money off
an already-familiar brand. I covered this topic on my site (cheap plug) a
while ago: https://bmoviefilmvault.com/vault-master-rants-remakes/
4.)
I can agree with this to an extent. Some of the greatest horror films
of all time were Rated PG (or even G if you count he classic Universal
Monster flicks). The rating doesn’t really matter. However, since so
many awful remakes, reboots, prequels, and such are PG-13, this
complaint has some merit. Instead of complaining about the rating,
complain about the quality of the film itself. Again, the rating itself does not matter. In fact, indie horror
productions in the past decade have really taken a turn for the better,
so focus on those and ignore the crap coming out from the bigger
studios.
5.)
Horror isn’t what it used to be? No it isn’t. The times have changed.
The way films are made have changed. The horror films we all wax
nostalgic over, that we all grew up with and compare to today’s less
stellar efforts, are, in many cases, better. I chalk it up to the
filmmakers having to work around their limitations (whether it was
budget, f/x issues, what have you), and seeing how they could seemingly
pull off the impossible. To push the envelope. To show us something we
had never seen before. That creative spirit has dwindled as of late in
my eyes. We just keep getting more of the same from the larger production houses, and the only ones that
are taking the risks are the little guys that are still shooting movies
in their hometowns, or out in the woods, or in a homemade garage studio
covered in green paint/sheets.
So I suppose what I’m mostly saying is…. support Indie Horror!
Thanks for taking the time to type out exactly what I would have posted.
Did you crawl in my brain and rob my standings on these things? Just kidding. 100% agree with you here and I actually have 5 more for you. I will share in my post when I share this on my Facebook wall. Good piece John.
Love this article! The truth shall set you free!!!
The remake/prequel of the thing was quite good in it’s own right but it was just another horror movie, and absolutely did not hold a candle to the original. Can you remember any lines of dialogue from the remake?
John Carpenters was not the original, his is the remake he is referring too on his post.
Oh yes, of course I forgot about the Black and white original. I stand corrected.
I’m working with the “Iron Lung” team – and literally had the PG-13 argument with some on the team! You can make terrifying PG-13 movies and its easier to talk investors into financing the movie. I soooo love this article.
BEST ARTICLE EVER!
I get tired of people telling me that haunted house films aren’t “real” horror, as if ghosts and horror have nothing to do with one another. Somehow horror and gore have become conflated to the degree that if you don’t have gore you can’t have horror. Sorry but the idea that an invisible entity I can’t see can drag me up a wall and across my ceiling gets under my skin way more than a guy dressed as one of Slipknot going “peek-a-boo!” I have no problem with the latter as I do think a lot of things can be considered horror (do they horrify you? Yes? then they’re horror) but it seems a lot of people have a very narrow definition.
I love remakes!! it creates a new hype tor the old films from new horrofans. Some good exampels is My Bloody Valentine, The Crazies and Maniac. Keep them coming!!
Agree with the article save for one point. Insidious *is* actually the best example of what the current generation of horror is doing wrong. Beyond the PG-13 argument, (which is a huge sticking point for many), Insidious has the strong setup that is undermined with every following minute of film by over-explaining everything and subsequently removing the audience’s “What was that? What did that mean? What the holy **** was that all about? That was crazy, right?” moments where our minds had to fill in the gaps. Instead we get our hands held throughout.
Insidious (as well as Sinister) goes to the ‘We just happened to have an expert on hand for a subject matter than does not have experts’ trope, and shifts into exposition mode. It’s crazy how the local Community College just happens to have a Demonology course…
My point is that an otherwise good or great idea is destroyed by over-explaining and ruining the moments where we should be leaning on imagination and forming our own interpretations. Letting your mind consider horrific ideas and filling in your own gaps about the unknown is the essence of horror.
@GrimbyBECK
I knew this was going to be a good read when I read that you enjoyed Sinister XD I’m tired of people telling me that it’s not scary and boring. >>
My job requires me to live out of a suitcase and horror movies is my first choice. Many good request on this site have been spot on. Won’t give a BAD review/opinion cause everyone has different taste. Keep up the good work that
you are doing. Love this site.
I have no complaints cause I love those movies even the babadook it was a great movie even the fly
I agree with everything here. The modern age has given everyone the technical ability to be a critic, but it seems like all anyone wants to do is hate on everything all the time. I love the horror genre and I can typically find something to like about most movies. And if it sucks, I try to shrug it off and put it out of my head. Life is too short to dwell on the negatives. Thanks for the article!