Horror is Endangered
by Jordan Griffiths
(Tasmania, Australia)
One of horrors most iconic antagonists - Preacher Harry Powell
Horror is endangered. What does that mean? Simple, when a movie such as 'Shaun of the Dead' is labeled a horror, it's obvious that the real horror of old is in trouble...
Horror movies used to shock people, they used to make you cower with fear and sleep with your light on, now as years go by and directors are constantly filling their pockets rather than wracking their brain for originality, horror movies are full of cheesy cliches, laughable scrips and shoddy acting. it has become the B-Grade genre, much to my sadness and disarray.
The main reason for this I believe is a lack of creativity. Have all the creative ideas been used already? I don't think so, I just think people in the film industry are too lazy to think.
Horror is my favorite genre without a doubt, and I am constantly searching for new titles to add to my collection, but when I go out to buy a DVD now I always check the year it was made. The 1980's, 1970's and earlier are generally your best bet for a good quality horror movie, back in the days when John Carpenter, Sam Raimi, Wes Craven and George Romero were at the top of their game.
To put it simply; when it comes to a superior horror flick, big stars aren't important, realism isn't important and corny twists aren't important. What really matters is; a good story, lots of clever scares (not just loud noises that make you jump) and iconic characters, preferably antagonists. Don't even get me started on the recent trend of people believing a horror movie is only good when it has 10 horrible sequels...
However, hope does lie in recent geniuses such as Neil Marshall and Danny Boyle. Let's all hope that they keep coming up with new, invigorating ideas that will keep horror ALIVE.
