Those old horror films ain't what they used to be
By: Amy Robertson
Issue date: 6/21/07 Section: Entertainment
Web sites all over the Internet preach and proclaim their opinion on almost any subject imaginable from politics to Paris. Surprisingly, nestled among these pulpits and blogs, Web browsers may actually stumble upon valid viewpoints.
Being the avid horror movie fan and curious human being that I am, I decided to search for other peoples' opinions of what some "classic horror films" might be. Several Web sites unanimously agreed that such a category should include "The Shining," "Halloween," "Nightmare on Elm Street," "Friday the 13th" and "The Exorcist" - all of which were made between the years 1973 and 1980.
In other words, most classic horror films are from 20 or more years ago.
It is understandable for films from the'70s and '80s to be classic in the sense that they came about first, but to be classic is to also be great and it is for this reason that thrillers today have no excuse for not being of equal status to films from decades ago.
All the Wes Cravens out there still have a responsibility to their audiences and to themselves to make films that are of the highest quality. I hate to be the one to say it, but unfortunately horror films today are not living up to that standard. Scary movies just aren't scary anymore.
Horror films, by nature, are designed to disgust, frighten and disturb audiences. This is achieved by tapping into the fears and nightmares that are inherit in us as humans, such as death, abandonment, torture, the supernatural - the list goes on.
However, when horror films first came about in the 1930s the fears that overtook the screens were images of monsters, vampires and other creatures such as "Frankenstein."
It wasn't until Alfred Hitchcock came along in the 1960s that horror films started to form some of the characteristics that can be seen being imitated in movies today.
However, similar characteristics are not the only reason audiences may be feeling deja vu while watching thrillers.
Being the avid horror movie fan and curious human being that I am, I decided to search for other peoples' opinions of what some "classic horror films" might be. Several Web sites unanimously agreed that such a category should include "The Shining," "Halloween," "Nightmare on Elm Street," "Friday the 13th" and "The Exorcist" - all of which were made between the years 1973 and 1980.
In other words, most classic horror films are from 20 or more years ago.
It is understandable for films from the'70s and '80s to be classic in the sense that they came about first, but to be classic is to also be great and it is for this reason that thrillers today have no excuse for not being of equal status to films from decades ago.
All the Wes Cravens out there still have a responsibility to their audiences and to themselves to make films that are of the highest quality. I hate to be the one to say it, but unfortunately horror films today are not living up to that standard. Scary movies just aren't scary anymore.
Horror films, by nature, are designed to disgust, frighten and disturb audiences. This is achieved by tapping into the fears and nightmares that are inherit in us as humans, such as death, abandonment, torture, the supernatural - the list goes on.
However, when horror films first came about in the 1930s the fears that overtook the screens were images of monsters, vampires and other creatures such as "Frankenstein."
It wasn't until Alfred Hitchcock came along in the 1960s that horror films started to form some of the characteristics that can be seen being imitated in movies today.
However, similar characteristics are not the only reason audiences may be feeling deja vu while watching thrillers.
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