What is Wrong with Modern Horror

What is wrong with modern horror films? This has always been a hot button topic with horror fans the world over and personally, I believe it is up to personal opinion. My own thoughts and opinions are just that, Mine, I am not asking people to agree with me nor am I discounting other people's opinions. This article will be what my own thoughts are about the current state of the horror genre.

First off, I love my genre and though I might not love EVERY film out there I try to give each a fair shot. Some films I can make it all the way through, others I try to at least give 30 minutes, though there have been a few that at about 10 minutes in, I just can't do anymore and have to turn in off. Usually, when that happens, it is not the story but the cast that has turned me off from the film. I cannot get into a horror movie when I want to strangle the cast. There is nothing that will chase me off from a film faster than the harpy screech of an actress that can't act her way out of a paper bag, her over the top screeching and “I think I'm sexy and that should be enough” attitude. Or the “super jock” that has about as much personality as a dead flower. I honestly feel that you should feel something for the cast and yes, there can be one or two characters that you don't care for, but, if it is really WHOLE cast, that is a problem. I have found this to happen a great deal with a lot of the lower budget companies that, at times, look like they did their casting at the local porn studio. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with something good to look at, but they should have more talent than looking hot and sex scenes. And I know that there are people who will disagree with me on this point. But really, your cast should have, at least, a couple people that could actually, maybe, be able to survive the plot of the film. Now, there are some films that there is the rarity of none of the characters are meant to survive, and those I could see not having likable characters, BUT, you have to at least be able to tolerate the characters long enough for them to die.

Another issue with modern horror is the overuse of the jump scare. Now a well placed and executed jump scare can set the tone for an entire scene or put you on edge for an entire film. The problem with using multiple jump scares in the same film or the same kind of jump scare is that the audience comes to expect it and it takes away from the film. It is usually acceptable to have between 2-4 jump scares in a film before it gets stale and draws away from the plot. Now there is a difference between jump scares and the ever-popular “Did I just see that scare”. It is a subtle difference, but, it is there. The main difference between the two is that the jump scare is to make you do just that, jump and the “did I just see that scare is to make you question your own eyes and to unnerve you. Personally, I have always been partial to the second one as opposed to the first. That is because the first scare can draw your attention away from what is happening in the film, where the second is usually used to enhance a later scare or drive the plot further on.

The third thing is “gore”. Now don't get me wrong, I love blood, guts, and gore as much as the next person, however, there comes a point where the gore and blood completely overshadow the story and actually takes away from what is happening. Now in some cases, this is used to hide poor writing or acting. Now some films are very effective with excessive gore, but, they are usually done in a manner where the sheer amount of gore actually drives the story along. The flip side of this is when the film has little to no gore and no story either. While it is always interesting to have a film that leaves things up to your imagination, it can also cause boredom with your audience. It can be difficult to find that balance with a gore level. The gore should drive the story or enhance the atmosphere. The original Nightmare on Elm Street, while at first glance, goes over the top on the gore charts, each one of the “gore kills” is offset by a kill that is nowhere near that gory. Now the age of the film will also have a direct correlation on the amount of gore, You are not going to find much gore in movies from the 20’s-mid 60’s as you will in later films.

The next issue that I see in modern horror films is the originality of the story. That being said, sometimes it is a great idea to do a “remake” or “retelling” of a film because advances in CGI and effects makes it a better film. To me, this was done with the remake of “!3 Ghosts” as well as “House on Haunted Hill”. However, you can do an amazing retelling of a story, and miscasting an actor or actress will kill that. To explain this I will use the remake of “Psycho”. Psycho, originally was an amazing story, wonderfully cast, and had great atmosphere, however, while the remake did the original justice in many ways, the one big downfall was casting. Now, don’t get me wrong, Vince Vaughn is a great actor, he is generally considered a comedic actor and this took away from his portrayal as Norman Bates. Now I know, as I have stated before, some people will disagree with me, this is only my opinion. That being said, this is about the originality of the story. What I mean by this is the premise being original. Found footage films have been all the rage since the advent of the Go-Pro and other handheld devices. While this allows more people to break into the genre with a limited budget, it gets to be the same old thing, it is always an asylum, hospital, or something along those lines. If you have the opportunity to go anywhere and make a horror movie, be creative, a theme park, elementary school, something that hasn’t been done and can give you the chance to leave your mark. Slashers are always popular as well, with the most popular being Freddy, Jason, Michael, and Pinhead. Each slasher should have a gimmick, it would be refreshing to see a slasher that doesn’t play to being another of the Holy Trinity of Evil. A couple of slashers that I have found refreshing as Chucky but also the films “Stay Alive” and “Dead Silence”.

My last complaint is the atmosphere. The atmosphere can make or break a film, a great one will engage you and make you feel engaged in the film, while a bad one will pull you from the plot and detract from the story. Many things play into the atmosphere of a film, lighting, sound, location, the soundtrack as well as using camera angles and varying other tricks. “The Woman in Black” is an excellent case study of how a good atmosphere can make a film. The dark lighting, use of ambient sound, and “did I see that” camera tricks pull you deeper into the story. The sense of dread that fills the main character resonates and engages the viewer until they too are feeling things right along with him. Now what I mean by bad atmosphere is a soundtrack that is too loud or lighting that does not fit the scene, it would not seem that it would do too much to take away from the story but it actually will, because your eyes and brain start to question what you are actually seeing and hearing as opposed to focusing on the story. I know there are a few good movies out there that use popular music or songs to help with the story, but there are just as many if not more that the use of the popular music that causes people to focus on the song they are hearing instead of the film they are watching. I have always been a fan of lyricless soundtracks or no soundtrack at all. Lighting can be tricky as you want to be able to see the people you are watching, but don’t want it to be too bright that your “nighttime” scene looks more like the middle of the afternoon. Camera tricks can also be tricky, move the camera too much, you can detract from the story because people are trying to focus on whatever it is that you are trying to shoot. Odd camera angles can take away from the story because viewers may not be comfortable with what they are seeing as it is hard on the eyes.

In closing, there are issues with the modern horror genre, but that is with the same with all genres and it is for us who are fans of the genre to overlook these flaws when we can. There will always be some films that we can’t stand and others that become guilty pleasure because they are so terrible they are actually good. Here is to hoping that the genre continues to grow and evolve and I look forward to seeing where we are in the next 10 years.