Christopher Nolan has never directed a full-on horror movie, but fans have become very open to the idea after the director delivered some truly horrifying scenes in The Odyssey. Turns out, it’s something that Nolan has always been interested in, but there’s a reason he hasn’t pulled the trigger.
Christopher Nolan Has Always Been Interested in Directing a Horror Movie
“I’ve always been interested in doing a horror film,” Nolan told Empire. “But horror is most successful when the conceptual framework of whatever the story is is just so undeniable. I think there are very few really great horror movies.“
I’d love to know which horror movies Nolan considers to be truly great, but he didn’t give any examples.
As far as why Nolan hasn’t done a horror movie yet, he said, “I’ve never clicked with a particular idea or concept that worked for me. I love the genre. Of all genres, it’s the most visceral. Where the direct response to the audience is the most important. That is to say, you’re trying to make people literally feel something in their bones about what’s going on on-screen.“
He continued, “I go to see a lot of horror films with my kids and stuff these days, and you’ll see things in the first half an hour, 45 minutes of any horror film that you’d never see in another genre. Risks that are taken. Dangerous approaches to things and all the rest. Admittedly, a lot of movies can’t sustain that to the end. But in the horror genre, that kind of innovation is not just respected – it’s really demanded.“
I knew Polyphemus was likely going to be creepy in The Odyssey, and he was, but I was not prepared for the Circe sequence. Wow.
Taking A Break
No matter what type of film Nolan chooses as his next project, fans will likely have a bit of a wait ahead of them. The director typically leaves three years between projects, but The Odyssey was a monumental undertaking. When asked whether it would be another three years until his next release, Nolan replied, “Oh, at least,” implying the wait could be longer.
The Odyssey is now playing in theaters, so be sure to check out a review from our own Chris Bumbray right here.
Would you like to see Christopher Nolan do a full-on horror movie?
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed