Horror.

[bruce_pullen]

Is Horror respectable any longer? That is the question. From Frankenstein (1931) to Saw 5 (2008)? Is horror a viable genre? Is it nothing more than pornography? Does hack and slash equate itself as art?

[Crim122]

Is anything respectable that comes out of hollywood? I think 1/4 is and the rest is made solely to make money and entertain.

But still as with music, if you actually look for it you will find some good shit.

[mikejet]

Someone hasn't seen .rec or Inside....

[assydingo]

For me personally... being scared as always been secondary. Horror movies appeal to me based on the dark characters and stories.

Few recent horror movies have iconic characters or interesting stories. Saw had that but lost it, especially with V.

[Lacit170]

Originally Posted by assydingo

For me personally... being scared as always been secondary. Horror movies appeal to me based on the dark characters and stories.

Few recent horror movies have iconic characters or interesting stories. Saw had that but lost it, especially with V.

yea i agree with you on that... but as for Saw... i still like em... saw 5 is setting up for saw6 and tied all the movies together... but again, im a huge fan, so i can obviously see why people dont like it etc.

[MrFilmFanatic]

Last year had some really good horror movies:

[REC]/Quarantine
The Strangers
Teeth
Inside
Frontier(s)

[Tadji Malik]

Horror is and will always be viable. As our thoughts and fears change so will horror films.

Todays horror isn't respectable because it deals with with topics that arn't politically correct. It will take decades for us to overcome our current fears and modern horror to become classics the way the 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'Dracula' did. When they become respectable the horror films of the future will be called trashy and pornographic.


Three early examples:

'Frankenstien' worked because of society's fear of science and the removal of gods from our understanding of the universe. Both 'Dracula' and 'The Wolfman' dealt with ancient curses that hurt modern man like the Ameican Civil War and slavery.

'Dracula' continues to have a place in our minds because it deals with sexual predators. It's also a fight against male dominate sexual relations and calls for a sexual revolution.

'The Wolfman' comes back time to time to deal with dual personality/insanity issues, though modern shrinks have a better understanding of the mind's workings. As such I don't think there will be many werewolf horror films. Just action films.

Today people are disgusted by 'Hostel' and 'Saw', but they don't realize it stems from our fears from Abu Ghraib prison. That Americans could torture someone is so foreign to our beliefs that it weighed heavily on us. Heance soon afterwards grungy rooms with deadly instruments came on our horror screens.

The same could be said for zombie films, cannibal films, ghosts, exorcism films, space alien attack films, and atomic mutation films. All preyed on something subconsious at the time and were disdained, yet they have been retired to the classics section. And many are highly reguarded.

[Penitus]

I concur with the poser:
Most horror these days is porn. Except for the Descent.

[opterasis]

Originally Posted by Penitus

I concur with the poser:
Most horror these days is porn. Except for the Descent.

What do you mean by most horror is porn? That can be taken a few different ways.

And why are people acting like over the top torture and violence or something new? As much as the phrase disgusts me, because I find it offensive to the horror genre, "torture porn" type films have been around forever. Hell, take a look at half of everything Herschelll Gordon Lewis made from the early 60s to the early 70s.

[ckent22]

Originally Posted by Penitus

I concur with the poser:
Most horror these days is porn. Except for the Descent.

That's the furthest thing from truth. Seeing a girl getting brutally attacked by a villain does not evoke the same emotion as porn at least for most people.

[McKellars]

I hate horror films nowadays and I can't stand going to the theatre and seeing little 12 year olds talking about how great Saw IV was.

[cdot2four]

Originally Posted by McKellars

I hate horror films nowadays and I can't stand going to the theatre and seeing little 12 year olds talking about how great Saw IV was.

What does age have to do with anything? If a 12 year old said the dark knight was awesome would you not believe them?

[andyman1970]

Horror could be a respectable genre if Hollywood could come up with something at least a little fresh and somewhat original. It seems like all the horror movies coming now are just another remake of a classic horror film that has had so many sequels the remakes just seem like another sequel themselves.

[McKellars]

Originally Posted by cdot2four

What does age have to do with anything? If a 12 year old said the dark knight was awesome would you not believe them?

Alright age has nothing to do with it, but most kids nowadays have very poor judgement in movies. I mean Beverly Hills Chihuahua, c'mon, I mean what is that?

[opterasis]

Originally Posted by McKellars

Alright age has nothing to do with it, but most kids nowadays have very poor judgement in movies. I mean Beverly Hills Chihuahua, c'mon, I mean what is that?

Yeah, 6 year olds really should have better taste.

[McKellars]

Originally Posted by opterasis

Yeah, 6 year olds really should have better taste.

Well, I blame Hollywood for not offering anything good for the kids. The kids can't really help it.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by opterasis

What do you mean by most horror is porn? That can be taken a few different ways.

And why are people acting like over the top torture and violence or something new? As much as the phrase disgusts me, because I find it offensive to the horror genre, "torture porn" type films have been around forever. Hell, take a look at half of everything Herschelll Gordon Lewis made from the early 60s to the early 70s.

yes, but there was a difference-- the Lewis films were "underground" films
released to grindhouse theatres-- at the same time tons of "classier" films
were being released from Britains Hammer films to the AIP Edgar Allan Poe
flicks with Vincent Price--
today, SAW and the like are the main offerings from Hollywood with the
occasional "formula" horror flick (ie-- chills, atmosphere, not revolting!-- like THE ORPHANAGE) are the rarity...

[Blu Man]

I hate all horror films. Period.

[HKMOVIESAREBEST]

Originally Posted by mikejet

Someone hasn't seen Inside....

I heart you..

Inside blew my mind when I saw it. Amazing film, I really need it on blu.

[opterasis]

Originally Posted by HKMOVIESAREBEST

I heart you..

Inside blew my mind when I saw it. Amazing film, I really need it on blu.

A shame that the import bluray doesn't have english subs or dub.