Hoping someone here can help.

[Little Help]

curious2know's picture
curious2know on Monday, April 8, 2013 - 7:27am



I cover the box office for an entertainment site called TheWrap. I've noticed that fans of horror movies always seem to grade tougher than the general public when it comes to exit polls after movies. It seems no matter what the movie, it gets a "C" rating or worse. "Evil Dead" got a C+ this weekend.

Why do you think that's the case?



Thanks

[Kandarian Demon]

Hmm, I think maybe because we care about the genre itself. When I watch a new horror release, I admit I don't just judge the movie on it's own, I judge it on what it adds or takes away from my favourite genre - for example, if it seems to follow a current trend that I feel is ruining the horror genre as a whole, I will be really hard in my judgement of that movie. Does that make any sense?

[metternich1815]

I think it's because many of the general public is just going to be entertained, many horror movie fans take the genre more seriously.

[Sculpt]

Originally Posted by Little Help

curious2know's picture
curious2know on Monday, April 8, 2013 - 7:27am



I cover the box office for an entertainment site called TheWrap. I've noticed that fans of horror movies always seem to grade tougher than the general public when it comes to exit polls after movies. It seems no matter what the movie, it gets a "C" rating or worse. "Evil Dead" got a C+ this weekend.

Why do you think that's the case?



Thanks

Maybe you can help us answer your question. How are you determining who the 'horror fans' are? Is it a survey where they identify themselves as horror fans?

When you say, 'it seems no matter what the movie is', do you mean it doesn't matter what type/genre of movie it is (horror or other type)? Or do you mean, it seems all movies of every type are graded low by horror fans?

One thing to consider is, if you look at the ratings given at Rottentomatoes.com of the current box office movies, by in large they all have very poor ratings. At times in the industry, most movies really do suck. I think Horror fans remember the movies they've seen (all genres), and assess new movies in comparison based on traditional measures. That's another way of saying Horror fans may be more discriminating; every movie isn't going to be 'a good time'.

[MichaelMyers]

Fact is mainstream horror is not what it used to be. Those who are aware of that trend are reflected in your results.

[Little Help]

Thanks for your help folks. The two biggest reasons for the tough grading seem to be that "horror fans" -- in this case defined as those who go to horror movies -- might judge the films in terms of what they contribute to the genre, and that some feel that the overall quality of the films has fallen recently.

Appreciate your thoughts.

[knife_fight]

Most people who go to the cinema to see movies regularly are idiots, plain and simple. They have no taste and will go see anything, just to turn their brain off for two hours or so.

Horror fans, and genuine fans of films in general, only go when it's something that they know they will like.

Like someone else said, true film fans have higher standards, and there's a huge difference, to me, between someone who is a genuine film fan and someone who just sees a lot of movies.

[neverending]

Horror fans, and genuine fans of films in general, only go when it's something that they know they will like.

I disagree with this statement. You NEVER know if you're going to like a film or not. Even your favorite directors can let you down, and something you had little hopes for can blow you away. I would say "genuine" film fans are ready to be suprised, and are open to what each new experience brings.

[knife_fight]

Originally Posted by neverending

I disagree with this statement. You NEVER know if you're going to like a film or not. Even your favorite directors can let you down, and something you had little hopes for can blow you away. I would say "genuine" film fans are ready to be suprised, and are open to what each new experience brings.

I guess I should have said what I really meant. Which I guess would be something more along the lines of, "fans go see what they think they will like, whereas average moviegoer will go see, and like, nearly anything."


In my experience, anyway.

[Setimir92]

I think another reason is that horror fans have seen many more horror films than an average movie goes. In the end, a lot of the horror cinema relies on shock, on gore or on a powerful atmosphere. But the more of each you see, the harder it is to be impressed. So though from the trailers, Evil Dead looks like a really good, old school special effects horror film, I doubt there'll be anything in there that'll make me gag or squirm, because I have seen so many messed up things in many other horror films. By watching tons of films, we become immunised. I think that's also why we see the quality of films as dropping. If a film comes out that simply repeats everything good about the genre that we've seen in other films, it doesn't impress us the way the older films did when we've been newcomers to the genre.