Quote:
Originally Posted by Elvis_Christ
Seems like the end of each decade produces some stinkers when it comes to horror. Everything seems to get derivative and the studios just seem to go on auto pilot producing the same movie all the time.
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well, i've said it before but it bears repeating ..
the 70's were a special time for horror. It was geared at adults. major adult stars, major adult directors. the genre was taken seriously. it wasn't tongue in cheek, it wasn't about fake tits and indestructable shambling masked killers.
it was satan, monsters, the unknown.
i blame home video for what happened to horror. The Home Video market made backyard slashers incredibly profitable. Kids could see 2 or 3 pairs of big fake tits, splashing blood, and crude jokes without their parents knowing. You could make any crap film you wanted - direct to video. as long as it had a suggestive name, a lurid cover, and at least one pic of a girl in ripped lingerie on the back - it would rent. I know there is a lot of nostalgic love for this era - many folks got their first exposure to horror with these films.
but for the most part they arent good. they are more often than not sad imitations of better films - starring kids (because kids want to watch kids) who cant act, directed by untalented first time directors.
The genre became a joke.
it wasnt until just recently - and i'll credit the japanese with this - that horror began to be taken seriously again. The japanese were making profitable influential films mixing their old cultural fears with the obsession for modern technology and it worked. Adults were once again featured in horror films. the genre became to be taken seriously and that eventually lead to the strongest boom of horror we've seen since my beloved 70's.
there's still a fair bit of crap but i can easily find 15 - 20 films that are modern classics to me made in the last 10 years. and tons of excellent films that fall just below the 'classic' benchmark.
i dont think horror has ever been stronger as a film genre.
we dont have the grit of the 70's anymore - or those classic actor/directors
but there are certainly a new breed of young clever directors working now who really do care about horror and are trying to do new things.