Sophie Parkin discusses the decline of the traditional horror film.
Image credit: The Guardian
As the dark nights set in, it’s the perfect time of year to watch a scary movie, hide behind the sofa and inadvertently throw your popcorn in the air as your housemate walks into the room. But this year the number of horror films gracing our screens seems somewhat limited.
Gone are the days of classic British horror epitomised by the likes of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. But therein lies the problem; the audience of 2013 would merely sit and laugh at the now comical ‘bat on a string’ that, in its day, terrified a generation.
It seems that the current call is for gore, blood, flesh, and lots of it.
The more gruesome the film, the more it seems to fit the needs of the modern horror audience. Yet I would argue that the true essence of a horror film lies in a slow moving plot line that is able to build a sense of unease and discomfort amongst its viewers.
Take the 1978 John Carpenter classic Halloween, a slow moving thriller teamed with a chilling score and very little gore. Nevertheless, the story, centred on Michael, an escaped psychiatric patient, managed to frighten cinema goers and had babysitters locking doors and windows for years to come.
In a modern world where this villain would be deterred simply by double glazing and a house alarm, people seem disengaged with the thought of fear of the real-life, masked killer.
Image credit: Total Film.
Instead, we turn to the sudden abundance of ‘found footage’ films. With the likes of Paranormal Activity and The Fourth Kind focusing on ‘real people’ being terrorised and tormented by paranormal entities, there has been a major shift in the focus of the genre.
However, the seemingly random footage of furniture bouncing around rooms lacks any real fear factor. Fear of the unknown is paramount to the makings of a successful horror movie and the endless remakes of classic horror films and the repetitive nature of the ‘found footage’ films seems to beg the question; has the industry simply run out of ideas for a good horror movie?
Hopefully the answer is no, but what film makers seem to have forgotten is that the formation of a villain that can truly terrify is vital. The faceless spirit entities in the likes of Paranormal Activity are not the sort of villains that keep you awake at night and grasping for the bedside lamp.
The notorious characters of horror – Michael, Jason, and Freddy – are so because they had the ability to unsettle an audience and make them fear that the terrifying acts they saw on screen could happen in their own homes.
It’s safe to say that, despite the lack of innocence in the modern generation, there is still a call for a gritty horror film in the 21st century. What Hollywood needs to grasp onto is what truly terrifies people – the fear that their own lives could portray the horror story that they see on the big screen.
Sophie Parkin
Is Horror a worn out genre? Do you get your kicks from old-school ghouls? Tell us on Facebook, Twitter or by commenting below.
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