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Horror's Most Important Figure of 2011?

2011 has been an insanely intriguing year for the horror genre.

We’ve seen loads of inconstencies; letdowns abounded, some gnificant surprises emerged, and new names and faces have taken a comfortable seat in the spotlight. Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman proved to the mass market that Catfish was no fluke, as they kept the supernatural intrigue of the Paranormal Activity franchise alive and thriving; Glee creator, Ryan Murphy’s presence reverberated throughout the genre, as he displayed an ability to make viewers squirm as much as dance with the chilling new televion series, and sleeper gem of the year, American Horror Story.



Joost, Schulman and Murphy weren’t the only three to stake a claim as the year’s most influential horror contributor. James Wan and Leigh Whannell again shocked audiences, and this time, there were no Saw’s required: Indious was not only one of the year’s biggest financial success stories, it was genuinely creepy, and it’s got the replay value of many clasc horror efforts of the past. Wes Craven rebounded from the unfathomably terrible, My Soul to Take with the well received, and enjoyable Scream 4; the effort arrived in the nick of time, as even dedicated fans had begun to question Craven’s motives after films like Cursed and the aforementioned My Soul to Take slunk into theaters and left consumers shaking their heads in disbelief.



Robert Kirkman’s, The Walking Dead travelled a rocky path early in the second season, but reeled fans right back in with a spectacular mid-season finale; according to numerous cast and crew, the intenty is expected to continue forth as the show resumes in February. Jason Eisener made an explove debut, stunning viewers with the tremendously entertaining exploitation/horror shocker, Hobo with a Shotgun, and Kevin Smith showcased a de we’ve yet to see from him with his disturbing psychological thriller, Red State.



While I praise so many different scribes and filmmakers, it’s also important to note that some great on screen performances really resonated in 2011. Neve Campbell reminded genre fans why we love Scream’s dney Prescott so much; relative newcomer Sarah Butler carried a big burden with surpring effectiveness in Steven R. Monroe’s I Spit on Your Grave remake. Dexter’s Michael C. Hall continued his captivation of the morbid mind with his portrayal of the uber popular forencs expert who moonlights as a serial killer, and Norman Reedus emerged as a true front runner for breakthrough performer of the year, despite an already extenve résumé.



So, who is the year’s most important figure in regards to the horror genre in specific? That’s obviously a tough one to answer, and opinions will unquestionably vary depending upon your preference of feature films versus televion projects, if you indeed happen to have a preference (I thought I did, until Grimm, American Horror Story, Dexter and The Walking Dead reminded me it’s not mandatory to shell out $20 at my local cinema to experience quality horror). The truth of the matter is, anyway you opt to slice it, there were a handful of pivotal characters to dip their hands in the proverbial horror cookie jar in 2011, and many of them are certainly worthy of a “most influential” title.

I can't think of anyone who stands out ahead of the pack. Other than the insurgence of horror based TV series' (all of which i'd categorize as mediocre) i just don't see this as being a great year for horror. The best horror(ish) movie i saw was Red State.

Just to clarify, i haven't seen Grimm, but i despise Walking Dead, have grown tired of Dexter, and watching American Horror Story feels to me a little bit like picking a scab. None of these shows have anything on The X-files, Twin Peaks, or Twilight Zone, and i find most of them to be unwatchable.

I can't think of anyone who stands out ahead of the pack. Other than the insurgence of horror based TV series' (all of which i'd categorize as mediocre) i just don't see this as being a great year for horror. The best horror(ish) movie i saw was Red State.

Just to clarify, i haven't seen Grimm, but i despise Walking Dead, have grown tired of Dexter, and watching American Horror Story feels to me a little bit like picking a scab. None of these shows have anything on The X-files, Twin Peaks, or Twilight Zone, and i find most of them to be unwatchable.

very interesting. I'd conder today's crop of horror shows vastly superior to all those you listed, with the exception of Twilight Zone (original only, not a fan of any of the later renditions). American Horror is so complex its profound, and I love that theres a legit story to The Walking Dead (and I'm actually starting to like how different the show is when compared to the comic; initially I was disappointed, until I started thinking "I don't want this show to be the same as the comic, I'll know every fucking thing that happens!"). I can see how people may be growing tired of Dexter, though i think it's still a really well assembled body of work.

I think NEXT year will be an amazing year for horror. Eli Roth, Brad Anderson, Ti West, Alexandre Bustillo, Pascal Laugier, and Alexander Aja are all due to have projects dropping within' the next 365.

very interesting. I'd conder today's crop of horror shows vastly superior to all those you listed, with the exception of Twilight Zone (original only, not a fan of any of the later renditions). American Horror is so complex is profound, and I love that theres a legit story to The Walking Dead (and I'm actually starting to like how different the show is when compared to the comic; initially I was disappointed, until I started thinking "I don't want this show to be the same as the comic, I'll know every fucking this that happens!"). I can see how people may be growing tired of Dexter, though i think it's still a really well assembled body of work. Yeah, i used to love Dexter but sometime during the 5th season i just got bored with it.

American Horror Story - i mean, its OK. It borrows plenty of elements from old school horror we know and love, but i just don't believe any of it. (if you know what i mean) I find the characters to be mostly one dimenonal, with the exception of Jesca Lange's character who i do find to be intriguing. I just don't see where they can go with this story and these characters. The whole home invaon thing has already been incredibly played out in the show. It seems like every episode its the same shenanigans. IDK man, i'll continue watching it through the rest of this season, but like it said, for me its milar to picking a scab. I've already made it this far.

Walking Dead - i'll admit that i stopped watching this season after the 1st episode. The thing i remember most about it were the glaring plot holes and horrible acting. So this guy is supposed to be on guard, posting on top of a vehicle, yet a horde of zombies come out of nowhere without any warning?! Zombies are attracted to sounds, yet when they ring the church bell nothing happens? C'mon now. With that said, i didn't like the first season either, so i just gave up on it. (Especially because Boardwalk Empire is on at the same time)

Horror is my favorite genre, but its just hard for me to respect these shows while i'm coming off an excellent season of Breaking Bad and in the midst of Boardwalk Empire.

P.S. i'm a little surprised by your lack of love for Vince Gilligan and David Lynch.

very interesting. I'd conder today's crop of horror shows vastly superior to all those you listed, with the exception of Twilight Zone (original only, not a fan of any of the later renditions). American Horror is so complex is profound, and I love that theres a legit story to The Walking Dead (and I'm actually starting to like how different the show is when compared to the comic; initially I was disappointed, until I started thinking "I don't want this show to be the same as the comic, I'll know every fucking this that happens!"). I can see how people may be growing tired of Dexter, though i think it's still a really well assembled body of work. Yeah, i used to love Dexter but sometime during the 5th season i just got bored with it.

American Horror Story - i mean, its OK. It borrows plenty of elements from old school horror we know and love, but i just don't believe any of it. (if you know what i mean) I find the characters to be mostly one dimenonal, with the exception of Jesca Lange's character who i do find to be intriguing. I just don't see where they can go with this story and these characters. The whole home invaon thing has already been incredibly played out in the show. It seems like every episode its the same shenanigans. IDK man, i'll continue watching it through the rest of this season, but like it said, for me its milar to picking a scab. I've already made it this far.

Walking Dead - i'll admit that i stopped watching this season after the 1st episode. The thing i remember most about it were the glaring plot holes and horrible acting. So this guy is supposed to be on guard, posting on top of a vehicle, yet a horde of zombies come out of nowhere without any warning?! Zombies are attracted to sounds, yet when they ring the church bell nothing happens? C'mon now. With that said, i didn't like the first season either, so i just gave up on it. (Especially because Boardwalk Empire is on at the same time)

Horror is my favorite genre, but its just hard for me to respect these shows while i'm coming off an excellent season of Breaking Bad and in the midst of Boardwalk Empire.

P.S. i'm a little surprised by your lack of love for Vince Gilligan and David Lynch.

I've got MAJOR love and respect for both Gilligan and Lynch, but for me, X-Files ran out of steam after 2 seasons, and I was always blown away by how long it was able to march on: that's a show that had some plot holes for you. As for Lynch, he's amazing, but he's also so abstract that his work really feels like it works for a VERY, VERY specific niche alone. Both guys have had their hands in some remarkable projects, but I'll probably always view Twin Peaks as overrated, though solid, and X-Files...I think I feel the same way you feel about American Horror when it comes to the X-Files.

BTW, I think there's some CRAZY depth to American Horror, and I don't fully understand your "home invaon" standpoint; we're talking about ghosts of those attached to a building, which for me, is a whole lot different than your typical HI flick. I also love the fact that for the first handful of episodes, you're not really sure who the fuck is alive, who's dead, who's real, who's a strange hallucination; I love being made to wonder, while not having to analyze every every episode with a microscope, which is kind of how I felt with Twin Peaks.

Regardless, I DEF enjoy Gilligan and Lynch's work, they just have that style of storytelling where I really have to be in a certain mindset to THOROUGHLY enjoy it. There are actually elements of American Horror that remind me of a dummied down veron of Twin Peaks at times, without being too dumbed down.

I've got MAJOR love and respect for both Gilligan and Lynch, but for me, X-Files ran out of steam after 2 seasons, and I was always blown away by how long it was able to march on: that's a show that had some plot holes for you. As for Lynch, he's amazing, but he's also so abstract that his work really feels like it works for a VERY, VERY specific niche alone. Both guys have had their hands in some remarkable projects, but I'll probably always view Twin Peaks as overrated, though solid, and X-Files...I think I feel the same way you feel about American Horror when it comes to the X-Files.

BTW, I think there's some CRAZY depth to American Horror, and I don't fully understand your "home invaon" standpoint; we're talking about ghosts of those attached to a building, which for me, is a whole lot different than your typical HI flick. I also love the fact that for the first handful of episodes, you're not really sure who the fuck is alive, who's dead, who's real, who's a strange hallucination; I love being made to wonder, while not having to analyze every every episode with a microscope, which is kind of how I felt with Twin Peaks.

Regardless, I DEF enjoy Gilligan and Lynch's work, they just have that style of storytelling where I really have to be in a certain mindset to THOROUGHLY enjoy it. There are actually elements of American Horror that remind me of a dummied down veron of Twin Peaks at times, without being too dumbed down.

I get where your coming from with the Xfiles. I too feel it lost steam somewhere along the line, but it was always kind of hit or miss for me. Some episodes are downright creepy, even into the later seasons. One episode that left a lasting impreson involved voodoo dolls.

And for me, i was hoping American Horror would be Lynch-esque, and at times it certainly is. Dude, i don't dislike the show by any means, i'm just not that into it compared to other great shows on T.V (Which isn't truly a knock on AHS given the epic shows on T.V these days)

We'll see how it shakes out and cashes in on its potential. I just truly don't get where they could go with it. They're living in the "murder house", the wife is going crazy, people are dying, they're seeing ghosts left and right, and their house gets broken into on the reg. LEAVE THE HOUSE - ITS THAT MPLE. lol i don't know man it just irks me.

I've got MAJOR love and respect for both Gilligan and Lynch, but for me, X-Files ran out of steam after 2 seasons, and I was always blown away by how long it was able to march on: that's a show that had some plot holes for you. As for Lynch, he's amazing, but he's also so abstract that his work really feels like it works for a VERY, VERY specific niche alone. Both guys have had their hands in some remarkable projects, but I'll probably always view Twin Peaks as overrated, though solid, and X-Files...I think I feel the same way you feel about American Horror when it comes to the X-Files.

BTW, I think there's some CRAZY depth to American Horror, and I don't fully understand your "home invaon" standpoint; we're talking about ghosts of those attached to a building, which for me, is a whole lot different than your typical HI flick. I also love the fact that for the first handful of episodes, you're not really sure who the fuck is alive, who's dead, who's real, who's a strange hallucination; I love being made to wonder, while not having to analyze every every episode with a microscope, which is kind of how I felt with Twin Peaks.

Regardless, I DEF enjoy Gilligan and Lynch's work, they just have that style of storytelling where I really have to be in a certain mindset to THOROUGHLY enjoy it. There are actually elements of American Horror that remind me of a dummied down veron of Twin Peaks at times, without being too dumbed down.

I get where your coming from with the Xfiles. I too feel it lost steam somewhere along the line, but it was always kind of hit or miss for me. Some episodes are downright creepy, even into the later seasons. One episode that left a lasting impreson involved voodoo dolls.

And for me, i was hoping American Horror would be Lynch-esque, and at times it certainly is. Dude, i don't dislike the show by any means, i'm just not that into it compared to other great shows on T.V (Which isn't truly a knock on AHS given the epic shows on T.V these days)

We'll see how it shakes out and cashes in on its potential. I just truly don't get where they could go with it. They're living in the "murder house", the wife is going crazy, people are dying, they're seeing ghosts left and right, and their house gets broken into on the reg. LEAVE THE HOUSE - ITS THAT MPLE. lol i don't know man it just irks me.

It's true that some suspenon of disbelief must be applied when watching AHS, though I think Murphy and company have done a decent job of creating reasons for the family not escaping the house yet (IE antagonists offing potential buyers, the issues that come with walking away from a major purchase while a baby's on the way, the rebellion and instence to stay on the part of the daughter etc).

It's very true there are some great shows on tv right now, but I think the thing one must ask themselves is, in terms of horror, what is superior to stuff like TWD, AHS, Dexter, Grimm etc?

There's better programming on TV, but comparing say, a drama to a horror isn't really a very level comparison; kind of apples to oranges.

It's true that some suspenon of disbelief must be applied when watching AHS, though I think Murphy and company have done a decent job of creating reasons for the family not escaping the house yet (IE antagonists offing potential buyers, the issues that come with walking away from a major purchase while a baby's on the way, the rebellion and instence to stay on the part of the daughter etc).

I see that they are trying but thats just not enough. You're a family man, what would you do? In any case, you are right. Suspenon of disbelief is key to enjoying this show, and i'm willing to do that.

It's very true there are some great shows on tv right now, but I think the thing one must ask themselves is, in terms of horror, what is superior to stuff like TWD, AHS, Dexter, Grimm etc?

There's better programming on TV, but comparing say, a drama to a horror isn't really a very level comparison; kind of apples to oranges. True enough. I'm just overlooking the genre in lieu of plot, characters, and entertainment value. Must we hold the horror genre to a lower standard?

I wouldn't conder it a lower standard, I'd just conder it a completely different standard (If we were on a pure film te I think you've got a great point, but this is a specific niche/genre te). It's kind of like saying, baseball is a cool sport, but it's not even close to as good as football. Of course we're dealing with subjectivity, but to make a comparison like that fair, we'd really need to... how should I say it... well, compare the Dallas game to the Greenbay game, or the Yankees game to the Cubs game.