Hank Brown
Period 1
The Downfall of American Horror Movies (FINAL VERSION)
This year on Halloween, I was staying over night at a friend’s house and we decided to watch “Saw 3” on TV. After watching it, I was disappointed. Not to say that I had high expectations, but this movie gave me a whole new insight on how ridiculously uncreative and dumbed-down horror movies have become. Excessive gore, excessive violence, excessive nudity; “Saw 3” was overflowing with unnecessary muck. This being a torture movie, I wasn’t surprised, but this was ridiculous. I feel as though there wasn’t any brainpower put into this movie or any other torture movie such as “Hostel.” I’m just hoping smart American-made horror movies will make a comeback, because it’s starting to look bleak for the American horror genre.
In my opinion, the 1970’s were the pinnacle of the horror genre. This decade produced classics like “The Exorcist,” “Alien,” and “Carrie,” not to mention George Romero’s classic “Dawn of the Dead.” This was a time period when horror films oozed creativity. Directors weren’t trying to out-gore each other; they were trying to out-smart each other. Many horror films of the 1970’s had all the right ingredients: scare factor, aesthetic appeal, and an underlying message or moral. Simple brilliance like the scene in “Dawn of the Dead” when the zombies are walking through the shopping mall like nothing has changed since their transformation is hilarious and smart and the same time.
The 1980’s through the 1990’s were decent, the 90’s being weaker as far as originality. The 80’s were more gore-oriented, but produced some stylish gems like “Manhunter” and “Videodrome,” and the 90’s were grittier with the classic “The Silence of the Lambs” and the slasher film parody, “Scream.” A lot of the horror films of the 90’s were terrible remakes and sequels of popular films of the 70’s and 80’s, for instance “Bride of Chucky”…*shudder*.
Finally, we arrive at the present. This is the point in time when the mainstream American horror film takes a nose-dive into the pavement. Torture porn: a perfect term for what American horror has turned into. We have become inured to violence because of movies like “Saw” and “Hostel.” Horror directors have thrown their creativity in the trash and are now just trying to make their films more gory then the last. Not to mention the negative effects CGI has put on the American horror genre. Directors are starting to use more and more special effects; turning horror movies into “Mission Impossible,” rather than something more home-made like George Romero’s films. The disappointing part is that we’re just driving the knife deeper by paying money to see these movies. I may just be a purist, but I am definitely not the only person who is bored of excessive torture and slimy little girls.
Fear not horror aficionados there is still hope for the genre. The Asian horror film industry is still pumping out some really solid films that have have been overlooked in the states. Japanese and Korean films are still some of the best, most creative, and scariest ones out there. Some highlights are “A Tale of Two Sisters,” “Oldboy,” and “Audition.” Without Asian horror, fans would be stuck with the trash that the American horror industry has been dishing out for almost ten years now.
Period 1
The Downfall of American Horror Movies (FINAL VERSION)
This year on Halloween, I was staying over night at a friend’s house and we decided to watch “Saw 3” on TV. After watching it, I was disappointed. Not to say that I had high expectations, but this movie gave me a whole new insight on how ridiculously uncreative and dumbed-down horror movies have become. Excessive gore, excessive violence, excessive nudity; “Saw 3” was overflowing with unnecessary muck. This being a torture movie, I wasn’t surprised, but this was ridiculous. I feel as though there wasn’t any brainpower put into this movie or any other torture movie such as “Hostel.” I’m just hoping smart American-made horror movies will make a comeback, because it’s starting to look bleak for the American horror genre.
In my opinion, the 1970’s were the pinnacle of the horror genre. This decade produced classics like “The Exorcist,” “Alien,” and “Carrie,” not to mention George Romero’s classic “Dawn of the Dead.” This was a time period when horror films oozed creativity. Directors weren’t trying to out-gore each other; they were trying to out-smart each other. Many horror films of the 1970’s had all the right ingredients: scare factor, aesthetic appeal, and an underlying message or moral. Simple brilliance like the scene in “Dawn of the Dead” when the zombies are walking through the shopping mall like nothing has changed since their transformation is hilarious and smart and the same time.
The 1980’s through the 1990’s were decent, the 90’s being weaker as far as originality. The 80’s were more gore-oriented, but produced some stylish gems like “Manhunter” and “Videodrome,” and the 90’s were grittier with the classic “The Silence of the Lambs” and the slasher film parody, “Scream.” A lot of the horror films of the 90’s were terrible remakes and sequels of popular films of the 70’s and 80’s, for instance “Bride of Chucky”…*shudder*.
Finally, we arrive at the present. This is the point in time when the mainstream American horror film takes a nose-dive into the pavement. Torture porn: a perfect term for what American horror has turned into. We have become inured to violence because of movies like “Saw” and “Hostel.” Horror directors have thrown their creativity in the trash and are now just trying to make their films more gory then the last. Not to mention the negative effects CGI has put on the American horror genre. Directors are starting to use more and more special effects; turning horror movies into “Mission Impossible,” rather than something more home-made like George Romero’s films. The disappointing part is that we’re just driving the knife deeper by paying money to see these movies. I may just be a purist, but I am definitely not the only person who is bored of excessive torture and slimy little girls.
Fear not horror aficionados there is still hope for the genre. The Asian horror film industry is still pumping out some really solid films that have have been overlooked in the states. Japanese and Korean films are still some of the best, most creative, and scariest ones out there. Some highlights are “A Tale of Two Sisters,” “Oldboy,” and “Audition.” Without Asian horror, fans would be stuck with the trash that the American horror industry has been dishing out for almost ten years now.
