When the horror press writes about Twilight, many people get angry and complain that it is not horror, when we write about Friday The 13th many people read every word about it, yet later complain that it sucked. When we report on a “good” indie like Splinter or Repo, the community as a whole has not really been interested. Does this mean that horror fans only want remakes and sequels? From the feedback that we hear directly, the answer is a resounding NO. But numbers do not lie, and when the remakes take in 50 million bucks, who could argue that people DO want to see them.
What I have always wanted was “to better serve the fans”. So the big question is not “what do the horror fans want?”, but rather, “How can we better SERVE the horror fans?” We all want the next big thing to happen; will it be a resurgence of giallo films? Maybe 3-D? Will Hollywood just feed us more remakes and sequels until one of them becomes a box office smash? I don’t know the answer…yet.
What we DO need as horror fans is something that will raise the bar of quality and smart filmmaking. We need a horror film equivalent of Star Wars, a film that redefines the genre as we know it. Before Star Wars, the sci-fi genre was littered with sub quality fare that being pumped through the pipeline to make a buck. Yes, there were a few exceptions to that, but largely it was that ONE film that changed that way that the public viewed science fiction, and raised the level of quality to extraordinary heights. What are the last horror films to do that? The Exorcist, The Blair Witch Project, The Sixth Sense, Hostel, or Saw? We have seen ambitious films and some scary ones as well, but has any single film challenged the community to raise the bar? And with that does the mass public really want to be challenged, or are we content to sit back and accept whatever horror comes our way? Actually I don’t know if it is going to be one film that changes everything?
I believe that it will be a DEMAND from the horror community to completely CHANGE THE RULES.
I recall as a teenager getting the new Fangoria magazine and just falling in love with the pictures I saw. It didn’t matter if the film was good or bad, I was just happy to be getting a new horror film. The audience and the horror community has gotten to be more sophisticated than in the past, yet we still accept the garbage that litters the shelves at your local video store. We know what films are in production even before they are officially green-lit, and as a community, we happily tear it apart as soon as an actor is announced or picture is leaked.
So I challenge you the fans of the genre to really sit back for a moment and think about what YOU can do to “better SERVE the community”? Are YOU willing to get up and CREATE the next big thing in horror, by breaking the rules? Are YOU going to be the one to unify the horror community to a new level?
I love horror, I love it so much that I have devoted much of my life to it, and will continue to do so.
I will close with this. YOU, as a horror fan, has a voice, you have a window into the world through the internet, and with that window you can shout to anyone that is willing to listen that YOU LOVE HORROR, and you demand it to BETTER SERVE YOU!
8 Responses to “What do HORROR fans really want?”
It’s simple really. Horror fans by and large don’t put their money where their mouth is. For some strange reason we along with sci-fi fans are some of the most vocal proponents of our respective genres. But that is where it ends. At being vocal. On the internet.
Most of us say we want originality, but when something untried comes out where the fuck are we with our money? We are sitting at home doing EXACTLY what the studio execs said we would. As a fan you should be there for anyone trying something new even if it might suck. Because the message you want to send to Hollywood is “Yes untried ideas and original material does sell.”
Far too often we as fans write films of before even giving them a chance. If you didn’t go see Repo! because it was a musical or because it had Paris Hilton in it then you are to blame for the blight of originality. No one says you have to like it, but atleast throw your vote (and it is a vote) in the ring for something new and fresh. All you did by skipping out on movies like this is just reaffirm what Hollywood says about genre films. You did exactly what the people who pass on these kinds of movie said you would do. It doesn’t matter WHY you chose not to see these films, only that you DIDN’T.
The dollar rules all. And while we are quick to fire off our tirades on the internet few of us are willing to back it up with the one thing that would change the tide. Showing your support doesn’t mean you have to love the film or even like it, but that you atleast respect that they are trying to give you something new.
You have to take the bad with the good and support it all the same. Not every new idea is a break away hit and Im not here to infer otherwise. If all you do is get behind the one or two things you REALLY like and let everything else get fucked then all you are doing is proving Hollywood’s point. That we as fans are too fickle to bother catering to and they are better off making rehashes of tried material to make a sure return on profit.
Fans argue that Hollywood is fucking insane for thinking they can make money on just serving up the same old shit over and over. Well, wake the fuck up because they do. They make tons of it. Because people exactly like us have proven to them that making something other than the cookie cutter film may mean a bomb at the box office. Since we are only concerned with supporting the best of the best and not the genre as a whole we perpetuate the cycle. All this thinking does is prove to Hollywood that there is more money to be made by sticking to the safe shit.
Fuck, my comment is almost as long as the post itself.
Condit
You speak the truth!
Within Bloody-Disgusting and Dread Central we have had a place to voice our opinions and thoughts. We have spoke in the past about new and exciting ideas, and NOW its up fans like us to get off of our asses and do something original!
Clearly there is something happening in horror that is unsettling, the constant barrage of content that is given to horror fans has been catering to that $$$ you spoke of, and largely missing the real point of ENTERTAINING. In recent years, many of the horror films that actually get distribution have great moments, or great special FX, or great music, but then leave us with an overall bland feeling toward the film. One of the solutions is to cut the running length down. Hollywood is so set in its ways of that almighty 90 minute mark to assure quality and sale-ability yet, many of these films could be extraordinary if they were cut down in length to SERVE THE STORY, and not the running length minimum requirements.
But its not just features, it seems that even some shorts go too long, and some episodic films for TV (Fear Itself and Masters of Horror) pad out what should be a short film into an hour. As we speak I am trying to do something about this, in my own way. Will it succeed? Will it fail? Who knows until I try, and I encourage you and anyone that is reading this to try something new.
Regardless of the current trends in horror, NOW more than ever is the time to try something out of the box, something unsafe and something original!
The problem is it’s a catch 22 if no one goes to the theater then the studios think horror movies aren’t profitable, if people go to every horror film in droves we get a lot of crap. At the end of the day the core can be selective as they want it’s the general audience that inflate the numbers for crap like Prom Night while gems like Repo go unnoticed. Part of it is selling substance to idiots, you have to package it to be palitable to dolts who don’t want to think. What we need is core horror fans getting together and creating new horror together, why rely on Hollywood, let’s make some real art how we want and when we want!
I think your comments about film length are very interesting! I always feel like when I see a horror film that is 90 minutes or two hours long that half of the content or kills/scares are just way too much extra filler, and usually are highly predictable.
I LOVE short stories (and short films). I watch a lot of older series on Chiller like Night Visions and Tales from the Crypt. With commercials, most of those episodes and stories are only 20-25 minutes long. But even in such a short running time I find them really entertaining (some of them pretty scary). I think it is very impressive given that there has to be an introduction, rising action, climax, and denoument all within that time period. But maybe that format only works on television. I think most normal movie goers would be wary to spend 10-15 dollars to go see a series of 20 minutes films. And the studios probably wouldn’t market them well.
It kind of makes me sad when I see short stories turned into full length movies. I’m embarassed to say I haven’t seen Midnight Meat Train yet (not that it actually played in a theatre anywhere near me), but the Books of Blood are some of my favorite stories. When I heard that one in particular was being made into a full length movie I assumed it wouldn’t be good for the mere fact that they would take an amazing story and add a bunch of stuff that never existed and would ruin the plot. And in the end, it was just a another movie being made from a story that already existed, a story I already knew.
Spooky, I really enjoyed the post. I don’t know how to compete with the last to comments from you and Condit, both great horror writers from the world of horror. Well as a horror fan myself I like to watch everything in horror in moderation, Ill watch the remakes, the classic’s to the foreign horror and to the extreme low budget as five across the eyes. I love it all! granted there are films here and there that I don’t like but for the most part I enjoy most of them. I think where its at now in horror is from europe. There was been some masterpieces coming out of those countries, films like Martyrs, Inside, Ils a.k.a Them, Let The Right One In, [rec] to name a few, I think more american’s who label themselves as horror fans are only fans of the horror that hollywood is putting infront of them, they have to see what the In crowed is seeing and not taking the time to research beyond the hollywood remakes. I know its for the all mighty dollar and we can’t change that fact but as a horror fan, Im glad to have seen the movies that I’ve seen and will continue to do so. I thank both Bloody-disgusting and Dread for their hard work for letting the fans like myself know about whats going on in the world of horror.
“So I challenge you the fans of the genre to really sit back for a moment and think about what YOU can do to “better SERVE the community”? Are YOU willing to get up and CREATE the next big thing in horror, by breaking the rules? Are YOU going to be the one to unify the horror community to a new level?”
Short answer yes. Long answer I sent an email to you at MacabreSociety.com discussing this very thing just over a week ago. Never heard back, maybe I don’t have the reputation. Would love to hear your thoughts but, honestly, I have no idea my email was received.
Maybe this will get a response.
i cant find that email
can you resend it to dan@spookydan.com?
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