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1/11/07
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Let's say the last ten years or so, because then we can include Scream. I mean, the modern teen slasher still holds its own at the box office, so you kind of have to include something from that genre...
Which suddenly brings me to the thought of general categories for horror movies. What would you add to these broad categories?
-Zombie
-Teen slasher
-Sadistic serial killer(s)
-Japanese remakes (there are enough now for their own category!! :) And, stylistically, they do have a different feel to them, I think...
-Sci-Fi horror, which I'd have to think more about. It straddles genres more so than the others but definitely deserves to be a separate category: Alien, Pitch Black, The Thing
-Supernatural (I'd have to think more about this as well. Though these last two are established sub-genres, I can't think offhand that anything innovative has been done in recent years as much as the first few. Definitely keep an eye on them, though, because they'll be next :))
OK, so here a few modern horror movies that I think have pushed traditional boundaries:
-Shaun of the Dead took zombies movies in a new, hilariously funny direction. One of the best zombie films ever!
-28 Days Later introduced quicker, more violent zombies, made you feel like it could really happen, and had an original European ending that was depressingly bleak.
-Cabin Fever and Hostel share billing more because of the emergence of stereotype-bending Eli Roth as a horror director than the films themselves -- which are well-done, but have weaknesses.
-Saw was among the first of the more twistedly violent serial killer horror films.
-Wolf Creek, while it follows Saw's lead ino the world of more gory horror, gets special mention because it was actually banned in some places- AND it crossed the reality boundary in a way the Saw didn't.
-The Ring- If it's not the first in the Japanese horror-remake explosion, it is certainly the most well-known. Ringu probably deserves mention for being its inspiration, but I've ony read the manga adaptation :).
-I wouldn't have thought of it before our conversation, but Scream was certainly among the first modern teen slashers. I've seen a bunch of these, but because it's a little older than the other proposed genres, I haven't seen many of the ones that came out before I really got into horror. I'll need your help in that area :).
-The Devil's Rejects- The bad guys are the good guys, but they're still so bad... although, are they really deep down? Yes, yes, of course they are- they've done horrible things... and yet, they're kind of funny, and they look our for each other, butstill... oh, dammit!! The sequel to Rob Zombie's acclaimed low-budget bloodfest was even better and took evil bad guy characterization to new, uncomfortable places.
-The Blair Witch Project spent too much time in the limelight, and now gets spoofed more than copied. But the truth is that it was creatively and effectively engaging and scary on a super low budget and encouraged aspiring horror directors worldwide.
I think Descent was among the best horror films that came out this year, but I not sure it added anything really new or innovative to horror as a genre. You know what I mean? The setting was certainly new, but a lot of the other elements were familiar. I would cite it as an example of classic horror excellently executed (no pun intended. heh.)
I think Descent was among the best horror films that came out this year, but I not sure it added anything really new or innovative to horror as a genre. You know what I mean? The setting was certainly new, but a lot of the other elements were familiar. I would cite it as an example of classic horror excellently executed (no pun intended. heh.)
Well, that's all I got for now. What do you think? I look forward to your response!! Thanks for including me :).
