Is The Horror Genre Dying?

[MisoGenie]

Seeing how little conversation on this Forum really got me to thinking about the anticipation and quality discussions that once took place on these very Boards. (Hard to imagine, I know!) I was going to open a Thread about whatever upcoming splatter flick was topping headlines, but what is this? There doesn't seem to be any! This leads me to my question, and the title of this Thread. Do you Schmoes believe the Horror Genre as we know it to be dying?

Personally, I feel it is (fatally?) crippled and struggling to keep on its feet. I think that there are a few grand pictures to seep through the cracks of the latest WB remake, but the genre's really gonna have to step it up! I mean, I think that the fans' faith has died long ago - as in years ago - and we've got a lot of catching up to do if we plan as a genre (and community here on the Boards) to keep Horror up and running.

What says all of you!?

[XCoRyX]

It isn't dying...it is full of rehashes and reboots and can leave some room for desire...but it isn't going anywhere. As long as movies are made, the horror genre will be around. The horror forums here are definitely in a severe coma of sorts though, that much is for sure... I still can't believe i've been on this damn board for 10 years roughly! (and I'm only 24). Maybe i'm biased, but even if they do jump back up a bit, nothing will top how kickass these forums were back from 2002-2005. Literally nonstop posting, every 5 minutes you could log back in and find a handful of replies in every forum, creative and intelligent discussion always, almost feeling you were personal friends with some fellow board members etc.,

BUT... we all should try to out-do it! haha. Got to have faith. Not sure why exactly it happened, but I definitely don't remember this section ever being this slow.

[MisoGenie]

I definitely agree, XCoryX! I think both these forums and the genre aren't going anywhere (at least I hope not), but the quality of both are suffering and there's at least one that we can help! I guess it seems that the production of Horror films (even remakes) seems to have slowed down in the past year and I was wondering everyone's thoughts on this. Of course there will always be Horror films, but I guess I'm asking the Horror fans "Does it still interest you?" And in my case, there are times when I feel like saying "Not at all."

[XCoRyX]

You aren't alone on that one....there has been about 5 or 6 movies to really grab me and entertain the hell out of me in the genre, over the few years... Hatchet 1 & 2, The Feast trilogy, Laid to Rest and the Hostel films.... there may be some I am missing out on off the top of my head, but besides that I just can't find much build up for anticipation anymore. Sometimes I wonder if it is due to getting older? Being a 12 year old and 16 year old horror geek was a lot different, and I think the age/times played a role too. Funny as it may sound too, I think the age of cinema plays a factor too. Everybody just streaming and downloading movies have changed the aspects of things.

I've reached this area in my movie-going, where I generally have just been latching on to the older films I already know and love, and when I DO branch out to see some new stuff, they are still older...I still have some old school horror I've yet to ever see, so rather then build up interest in a new Saw or Scream 4, I go and check out Tombs of the Blind Dead or New York Ripper for instance.

The more I look into these boards though, it is more-so the whole entire forum, not JUST the horror in my opinion, but the horror section is more of a ghost then any. I think some of the big time top contributors have grown up and went off to battle reality more-so. I definitely faded from these boards up until a week or so ago I have begun posting more often. Who knows.

[countchocula]

The forums will never recover from this dry spell. The Internet has changed. Ten years ago, the web wasn't as saturated with these types of websites. Plus, the "regulars" from way back when have already talked about everything there is to talk about. These days, I mainly watch obscure stuff that I can't discuss with most fans because they haven't seen it.

Is the horror genre dying? No, but I can't stand most new releases. The older I get, the more I see the horror genre cannibalizing itself. There have always been remakes and cheap cash-ins (even dating as far back as the 20's), but the good/bad ratio is dangerously uneven right now.

[MisoGenie]

I agree with both you guys. I think that a lot of the regulars have left to "take on life," and the Horror genre truly is cannibalizing itself. It's sad, to say the truth. I've been venturing into the classic Era of the 80's and beyond ever since I was younger, but I find my interest in modern Horror diminishing by the year. There was a time when I would see a good dozen Horror films a year, and I've only seen one in 2011! (And that was Scream 4.)

And you've got some great taste, Cory! The Hatchet and Feast series are both favourites of mine! I've yet to see Laid To Rest, mainly because I've always considered it to be some churned out STD flick such as Midnight Movie, but the more I hear about it the more interest I have.

[shoe1985]

Originally Posted by countchocula

The forums will never recover from this dry spell. The Internet has changed. Ten years ago, the web wasn't as saturated with these types of websites. Plus, the "regulars" from way back when have already talked about everything there is to talk about. These days, I mainly watch obscure stuff that I can't discuss with most fans because they haven't seen it.

Is the horror genre dying? No, but I can't stand most new releases. The older I get, the more I see the horror genre cannibalizing itself. There have always been remakes and cheap cash-ins (even dating as far back as the 20's), but the good/bad ratio is dangerously uneven right now.

This is true. When I was younger, I was on here all the time discussing horror, mainly the Halloween films. Even the Halloween message board seems to have died down a lot. When you learn pretty much everything about the series, there is only so much to talk about.

As you mentioned, there are many websites that are similar to Joblo now. I remember creating a website on Geocities, long time ago, and everyone thought it was great because the web was still new to people.

People have gotten older, and expect different things. The younger crowd is so entrenched in technology that they have different expectations than we do.

The horror genre has always had dry spells. Every genre does, then a movie comes out to push the genre again. There was a time there when comedy was doing poorly, and then Judd Apatow films started making money, and comedy is in. Horror will rebound.

I am surprised that a film like Scream 4 did not perform better. But, it has been a while since the last one, and it really did not bring anything new to the table. I enjoyed the film, but can point out issues. I remember when the first one came out, horror was in a drought with very few hits then, and next thing you know, horror films were coming out left and right.

Horror remakes hit big a few years ago, and everything we loved was being remade for today's audience. Now, remakes have slowed down.

[SteeleDude]

Originally Posted by MisoGenie

Seeing how little conversation on this Forum really got me to thinking about the anticipation and quality discussions that once took place on these very Boards. (Hard to imagine, I know!) I was going to open a Thread about whatever upcoming splatter flick was topping headlines, but what is this? There doesn't seem to be any! This leads me to my question, and the title of this Thread. Do you Schmoes believe the Horror Genre as we know it to be dying?

Personally, I feel it is (fatally?) crippled and struggling to keep on its feet. I think that there are a few grand pictures to seep through the cracks of the latest WB remake, but the genre's really gonna have to step it up! I mean, I think that the fans' faith has died long ago - as in years ago - and we've got a lot of catching up to do if we plan as a genre (and community here on the Boards) to keep Horror up and running.

What says all of you!?

I think we've got some quality movies upcoming. Yeah, Romero is "dead", he's lost his touch, but there is plenty to be excited about. Just...not this year I guess.

I mean there is going to be a sequel to Friday the 13th at some point, no way around it, it was too successful to spin its wheels in limbo forever. That'll be huge around here.

28 Months Later ought to pop up one of these days, and World War Z should be pretty huge.

I think the horror genre goes through these dips where PG13 "horror" such as Twilight is big, and no one wants to take a chance with the R rated stuff. Then something like Scream comes along and makes R movies sound cool again.

I have faith we'll see horror rebound, we're just stuck in a plateau right now. Saw 12 and crap like that has soured the public, which it really is their own fault for going to Saw 1-11.

And Rob Zombie. I honestly think he ruined a lot of people's expectations of quality horror with his Halloween abominations. That fact he was allowed to shit those out with major studio backing kind of felt like a betrayal to movie goers. I mean no matter how bad a movie is in a theater, it is rarely so bad as the crap Zombie makes.

And I think he had the last great discussion on this forum--the vitriol between us Halloween haters and the three people in the world who liked it.

[A.J. Hakari]

As someone who's seen/written a lot about horror but never necessarily been a fan, I have to say that the genre has rarely been as exciting as it is now. The remakes and sequels don't make it seem that way, but that today's horror filmmakers are people who grew up watching the genre films of yesteryear and are, in part at least, delivering unique spins on old stories makes things interesting. I don't think we could have had a Fido back in the '80s, and if we did, I'm not sure it would have been as great of a success.

[MisoGenie]

That's an interesting - and surprisingly optimistic view on the state of Horror, A.J. It's good to see some hope for the genre from a fan, something that I personally can no longer claim to have in abundance.

Speaking of which, and in order to give this rather general discussion a (more?) interesting turn, on top of your thoughts of the genre as a whole, what have been some greats as of the last five years or so that have really pleased all of you as Horror fans? Here are some of mine:

INSIDE,
Martyrs,
Hatchet/Spiral/Feast films (as listed above),
The Mist,
Antichrist,
Drag Me To Hell,
Scream 4 was okay,
umm...that may be it off the top of my head!

[Evil Ed]

No. This genre will never die. That's like saying comedy will die. Horror will never die, not as long as horror books are being written, horrible things keep happening in the world, and Halloween is still a holiday. Horror is too deep in the roots of humanity, it will never die.

[Bourne101]

I don't think it's dying, but it's in a bit of a strange place. There has been some terrific foreign horror and smaller films over the past handful of years, but unless you are a horror fan who comes on boards like these or goes to festivals and finds out about movies like these, you're not going to be seeing them.

What I am noticing is that some of these directors that are making these fantastic horror films are starting to get opportunities in America. Directors like Park Chan-wook, Kim Jee-woon and Pascal Laugier are currently in the process of making American horror and/or action films. Hopefully this migration will continue.

In terms of other American horror, there really isn't a whole lot coming out. There is the yearly Final Destination entry, your typical remakes (like Straw Dogs) and only a few bright spots to be seen.

Here is what is upcoming that looks promising:

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Contagion
Take Shelter
Red State
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The Cabin in the Woods
Dark Shadows
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
World War Z

And half of those aren't even what I would consider full-on horror films. And with the exception of a couple of those, I don't see any of them spawning some new horror craze.

So at this point, all you can do is seek out some smaller stuff (watch out for reactions from Midnight Madness films at the Toronto Film Festival) and hope that one day a movie hits that starts a horror trend other than a slew of sequels.