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What Matters Most to You Bidites in Horror Land?

HORROR: We live it, we love it...we need it.

We are horror fans. We've seen it all, and if you haven't, you should. There is the mainstream alley of darkness along with the independent fathom of filmmakers. From good to bad, from low budget mayhem to million dollar masterpieces. There is a world of people out there who love the horror genre.

In this day and age, things have changed so much. We have seen the trantion from VHS to DVD to Blu-Ray to who knows what's next. Re-makes seem to be dominating the market along with 3-D.

As horror fans we constantly wonder what's next, or sometimes expect it. Fresh material for filmmakers is harder to come by each day partly because the amount of films being produced is through the roof.

So what's this article all about...You. The audience who just wants to t down and watch a horror film. I'm with you. As a filmmaker, I want to improve my skills and make better ones. But as a viewer, I just want to t down and watch a dang movie. It seems that fting through the pile is a regular task. Which ones are bad? Good? Do we trust the reviews that flood YouTube and personal blogs, or do we take a chance by getting a copy and tting down for approximately 90 minutes? Is there an alternative that Indie filmmakers should explore to present their films in order to let people decide whether or not to buy a copy?

What draws you into a film? The story, the characters, the SPFX, the weapon of choice, whether the killer is masked or not, a combination of all? Do we rely on existing clascs to satisfy our needs?

Or...has horror reached it peak. Is there nothing left but remakes or existing stories re-written just enough to qualify as something new.

It's a diabolical debate, and I'm curious to see how you, the audience, feels about today's world of horror. Don't be shy, it's an open discuson...it's your discuson.



written by: Lee Vervoort aka: aceofspades70

Terrific article Lee and I can't wait to hear the response to this! I will be thinking of one of my long winded answers for latter today!

Its all about the plot/story. If a film has a shit plot, theres not much that can save it, it becomes eye candy. Thats how I feel about many films lately. LAID TO REST had GREAT fx and a ck ass killer, but the plot was dopey as all get out. Its one of those films that could have been so much better with a higher caliber story.

I always loved ANY horror movie that had a fairly decent plot/story with some sort of clever twist in the end. But sometimes shit plots can be fun too depending on the gore/characters/creativity. I am also a sucker for gore and SPFX. I hate, and I can't stress enough how badly I hate the way todays horror movies settle on ung CGI FX and blood. One of the reasons why I loved, and still do love watching horror movies from the 80's is b/c the movies didn't rely on computers to create the FX, they made everything by hand, and it looked real.

And while I'm on the subject of the 80s, I loved the look and the feel of the movies. For some reason nobody can duplicate that today minus a select few such as "The House of the Devil" or "Machete". I also loved the typical characters that were so often portrayed. You always had the jock who got all the chicks. The busty blonde-headed babe who everyone was after. the lovable fat guy, and the average Joe/Jane who always survived. I miss all of that. Don't get me wrong I still like todays horror movies (minus that fake ass CGI FX that I spoke about a few sentences ago), and I will stick up for them. Here is why,and feel free to disagree...but one thing that I can't help but notice is the way we slam Hollywood for not making original movies anymore, but can you blame them for taking a safer approach by remaking an already successful film.

I mean when they do make something original, we almost immediately slam it by saying it's a piece of shit. Just read the forums here,imdb or wherever and you'll see what I'm talking about.If only we could approach the movies like we did in the 70s and 80s without analyzing every ngle aspect of the movie, then we might be once again able to t back,enjoy and be scared out of our wits.

Great responses everyone. Thank you.

@bnizzle, I agree with the whole 80's approach. I wrote another article you may find interesting that's more specific towards that decade. You can read it here:

http://www.horrorbid.com/blog/blog1.php ... tch-horror

Great article Lee, I couldn't agree with you more about those gems produced in the 70s and 80s!! One of my all time favorite box art was from a movie released in 1983 called "MICROWAVE MASSACRE" starring Jackie Vernon ,(probably more famous for voicing Frosty the Snowman) featured a box that had a microwave on the cover. Whats so cool about that you ask?? Read carefully....the actually had real flashing lights on it. The movie itself, although really bad, was rather humorous. Party b/c of the dialog, and mostly b/c of the crappy props used. The severed limbs and feet looked like they used mannequin parts, totally fake but i still loved it!!

For me it's a package deal. I need a good killer, great weapon of choice, plot has to be good and the FX need to look convincing. Don't get me wrong I still love lower budget or even Indy films but I realy enjoy something that stands out as true quality.

The cool thing about horror movies is that there is no set formula that works. And as fans we all have different tastes. The horror fan is akin to a miner having to dig through tons of junk just to find something of value. That being said one mans trash is another mans treasure. Great post

I've written a couple of screenplays and am so protective of them I'm very reluctant to share any of my ideas. You can copyright stories, but you can never truly own the idea, no matter how original. That sucks because how else am I going to take a chance if I won't show off the goods?

But one theme I enjoy in a good "story", one special indgredient I find more than useful is irony. Imagine the ck and twisted grin framing my lips as I watched the final moments of Stephen King's The Mist. But irony is nothing without a good story and better characters to move it. I love different types of movies. I can t down for some Friday the 13th or Evil Dead 2 expecting mindless self- indulgence, or pop in Stake Land for a little more "depth". Personally, I'm ecclectic and random, and would like to see a little mindless self-indulgence with a little depth. But what always makes a good movie are great characters, sometimes even if the plot is a little too cookie-cutter...

I don't believe the cinematic well has quite run dry, but it seems the bucket has to go deeper and deeper to get to the pool of ideas.

Horror is more of a lifestyle today than it was twenty, thirty years ago. Back then they were popcorn movies you took a date to see. Sure, there were budding horror hounds back then, but the horror icons

had not quite reached the diety-like status they enjoy today. I have x different Jason Voorhees action figures on my shelf for cryin' out loud.

I don't hate on horror like some jaded fanboys and girls, I'm up for damn near anything: a good killer, iconic weapon/mask, creative kills, and loads of nubile flesh to cut, stab, maim, torture, beat, bludgeon, incinerate, eviscerate...um, sorry.

I want it all.

I must say it's been a while nce I've felt the impact of a character's death, so make each and every one real and believeable.

Oh, and a little dash of originality couldn't hurt.

But one theme I enjoy in a good "story", one special indgredient I find more than useful is irony. Imagine the ck and twisted grin framing my lips as I watched the final moments of Stephen King's The Mist. But irony is nothing without a good story and better characters to move it.

i agree with you on the fact that a bit of sadistic irony is great in horror, when done with taste and not just sloppily thrown together. also, i personally love horror films where the main characters all end up dead at the end or are more or less certainly dead as the credits role, which can play a bit into the irony you mentioned. going that route in a movie provides the most concrete sense of resolution for the characters and the story (obviously not in a happy way). and to me, it seems more realistic that everyone is offed as opposed to a character or two miraculously escaping the tuation.

one thing that this route can lead to which i absolutely hate is when a sequel pops up to a movie where the character is assumed beyond reason to be dead, and somehow is alive in the sequel. if the filmmaker can rationally explain how the character made it to the sequel, cheers. but more often than not the explanations fall short and are lame and ridiculous.

obviously this can't be done for every horror movie, but when it is done right ( such as in carpenter's the thing), it is a delight to watch!

But one theme I enjoy in a good "story", one special indgredient I find more than useful is irony. Imagine the ck and twisted grin framing my lips as I watched the final moments of Stephen King's The Mist. But irony is nothing without a good story and better characters to move it.

i agree with you on the fact that a bit of sadistic irony is great in horror, when done with taste and not just sloppily thrown together. also, i personally love horror films where the main characters all end up dead at the end or are more or less certainly dead as the credits role, which can play a bit into the irony you mentioned. going that route in a movie provides the most concrete sense of resolution for the characters and the story (obviously not in a happy way). and to me, it seems more realistic that everyone is offed as opposed to a character or two miraculously escaping the tuation.

one thing that this route can lead to which i absolutely hate is when a sequel pops up to a movie where the character is assumed beyond reason to be dead, and somehow is alive in the sequel. if the filmmaker can rationally explain how the character made it to the sequel, cheers. but more often than not the explanations fall short and are lame and ridiculous.

obviously this can't be done for every horror movie, but when it is done right ( such as in carpenter's the thing), it is a delight to watch!Definitely agreed. If the main character can die, then no one is safe. I hate movies that play it safe. How can you feel for the hero if you're dead certain (pun intended) he/she is going to come out on top? Don't get me wrong, I like movies with triumphant heroes and all, but I liked the ending of the first Jeepers Creepers for precisely the reason most people (I talked to anyway) hated it.