UNITED STATES—I consider this one of the funniest times of the year. Yes, I love the month of October and all things spooky and Halloween. I get an amazing adrenaline rush from watching a good horror film. I know I’m not the only person who indulges. However, my rules for horror might be vastly different than others. I’m not looking for a bloody, overtop slasher film, I’m not a fan of the body horror or gross out flicks, for me horror is all about suspense.
That is not something that is easy to do and it seems more filmmakers have trouble distinguishing horror from suspense. It seems like in the 80s it was a turn for the worst for the genre as the slasher fest became potent thanks to the success of “Friday the 13th.” That ushered in a bevy of movies that wanted to mimic that films success and it killed the genre in my opinion. I don’t care what anyone says the 80s did kill the genre and it has struggled to find its voice since then.
Yes, “John Carpenter’s Halloween” is a classic. It did something in 1978 that not many horror since has done. It relied on suspense and simplicity to tell its story. There was no massive body count, there was minimal blood and the music was unlike anything captured in cinema. It knew how to set the mood and scare the hell out of the audience at the same time. Yes, it’s a staple film for Halloween and you’re probably seeing the classic all over Cable TV right now.
With that said, you have “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” from 1974, “Carrie” from 1976, “Alien” from 1979, “Friday the 13th” from 1980, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” from 1984, there is the classic “The Exorcist” from 1974, and who can forget Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic “Psycho” from 1960. Do you see a pattern here America? Many of these classics predate the mayhem that was unleashed in the 1980s. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some classics from the 80s like “Child’s Play” or “Hellraiser” which gave us the Cenobites and ushered what I would argue was body horror.
I have found the 2017 flick “It” to be one of the best remakes of horror in the modern era. I mean a clown attacking kids and shapeshifting in the process and it delivered not just with the thrills the intense suspense. One of the best times I’ve had at a movie theater in quite some time to say the least.
I will not forget about Wes Craven’s iconic 1996 classic “Scream” that changed the genre for the better with its meta formula that poked fun at the genre, while also being scary at the same time. Yes, the first flick is the best of the entire franchise, while its 1997 sequel delivered one of the best reveals when it comes to unmasking the killer. The 2002 film “The Ring” was quintessential horror that relied on narrative and subtle scares to unnerve the audience. The 00s saw the ushering in of remake mania in my opinion that hasn’t done much success. When you literally do a copy and paste of a classic there is nothing that makes it unique or scary. You know what to expect and there is nothing interesting happening when you watch a modernized version of a classic with new people, but the same story.
The remakes for “Halloween (2007)” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)” were not great, and I’ve been forced to acknowledge some of the flicks have been downright terrible even if it’s something I don’t want to admit to. You truly cannot get into the spooky mood unless you’re watching a spooky flick in a dark room all alone. You know you’re scared when you’re turning on the lights or flinching when you hear strange sounds.
I would argue that means the movie might be doing its job, or horror is doing what it is supposed to do, giving us an adrenaline rush and forcing us to question what we would do if we were placed in such a situation where you’re at the mercy of a psychopath or sociopath. No, it is not likely to happen, but you can be placed in a life or death situations and the ability to not panic, to think quick on your feet and remain calm is key to survival.
