I once was a big fan of horror movies, both the mainstream ones and the ones done in somebody's basement. I wasn't put off by gore or censorship and watched a lot of garbage that I enjoyed because it was supposed to be garbage.

These days I don't like most of the horror films I see and that's with hardly going to any because I won't waste my time once I hear the basic plot. Either my taste has changed, or horror movies have changed, or both things are true. Either way, I'd like to hear other people's opinions, particularly on the new Gen Z horror sleepers like Backrooms, It Ends and Obsession that seem to have a "You can make up your own ending because we don't have any answers" policy.

There is a lot of ground to cover on this broad ranging subject, and I hope that at least a few people care to comment with any opinions they have and maybe a few stories about recent horror films and shows they liked, or ones they have hated.

Here's one I just saw for the first time on Netflix. It's at least 10 years old and is the typical bad shark tale called "The Shallows". For me the movie was over in the first 5 minutes, but I did watch it all the way through because the beach photography was really pleasant. The reason I checked out emotionally was because the story should have ended before this intelligent, good-looking American medical student agrees to ride to a secluded Mexican beach with a complete stranger, all by herself. If you are that stupid you deserve to run into a slasher, but the guys in this film are fine, as this is a shark movie. And a very predictable one at that. The other thing was, at no time in the film did I hear the word shallows, so I don't even know why that was the title. At least there wasn't a sequel.

Sequels are a whole other problem with any successful horror movie now, because no villain ever really dies. Or with something like "Weapons" where she gets ripped to shreds, they will make a prequel that is even less interesting because you know the future link up.

Anyway, hope you drop some comments and maybe some recommendations of new and old good horror.

Question:
On estimate, how many of the films and TV shows that you watch regularly fall into the horror category?

Choices:
10% or less
25%
50%
75% or more

Question:
Of the various categories of horror films and TV series, which is your favorite grouping?

Choices:
Slasher (serial killer)
Monster (classic vampire, werewolf, mummy etc.)
Giant Monster (Dinosaurs, sharks, Godzilla etc.)
Sci-Fi (Alien, The Thing, Predator etc.)
Occult (Omen, Exorcist, Obsession etc.)
End of Days (Zombies, Plagues, Wars etc.)

Question:
Do you watch as many new horror films as you did in the past?

Choices:
Yes
No

 

I hardly ever watch horror movies. If we're counting Godzilla, I did watch the second to the last one. Oh yeah, I watch Predator and Predator 2 (Damned birds) if they are on. The Hidden was a good movie.

I saw the Omen movies and I remember a creepy one from the 70's, "Equinox," which was a low budget one on the local "Creature Features.

Of course, "Creature from the Black Lagoon" is great.

When I was a kid, I loved horror movies. As I got older and older I have no desire to see people get dismembered, tortured or killed in horrific fashion.

I'd probably be there, too, in terms of having seen enough bad stuff happen to enough people at the movies and in real life, but what keeps me watching them is that I'm trying to see the best movies in general, and the genre, year in and year out, always boasts at least of couple of gems. A few times, it has dominated.

My wife also likes watching them. It's a common interest we've always had.

Poll Answers were:
25%
Slashers, Occult, End of Days are pretty much 1a, 1b, and 1c
Watch about the same as I used to, which has always been a lot.

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
Either way, I'd like to hear other people's opinions, particularly on the new Gen Z horror sleepers like Backrooms, It Ends and Obsession that seem to have a "You can make up your own ending because we don't have any answers" policy.

Of the 3 films you named, I've only seen Obsession. But it had a pretty clear ending.

There are plenty of existing horror films with open endings, or at least a little tongue-in-cheek tease that tells you the horror isn't exactly over even though the film is. I don't think that's generational.

I watch horror films more than anything. I'm always willing to give even ones with bad reviews a chance. It's rare that a horror film leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but if I sit through a 2-hour action or drama and they don't stick the landing, I get angry that they wasted my time.

It's hard to come up with something new. Again, only because I've seen Obsession I can comment, but I don't get why it's such a phenomenon. There's nothing at all groundbreaking in it. They acting is good, it's a very competent movie. But why is it such a smash? It feels like a horror movie for people who don't watch horror movies, if that makes sense. I think people are realizing what a horror movie can be.

Some "recent" ones I've watched and enjoyed:

Speed Demon
Saw X
Ready or Not 2 (the first one is GREAT!)
28 Years Later & The Bone Temple
The Conjuring Last Rites

Growing up that was practically all I watched...horror movies. The days of VHS and a tv in my bedroom at 13 allowed me to watch a lot of them. I used to buy bootleg tapes from a guy in California named Chas Balun (he was a horror movie aficionado) as well as his books. Big time into it. The 90s started to really pump out garbage and I gave up around the end of that decade. I still love the favorites, and once in a great while I see a horror movie that isn't junk, but mostly I can't get into them now.

The first Conjuring was pretty good though. I havent seen any Jordan Peele horror, though it gets praise.

quote:

Originally posted by pcetodd:
Growing up that was practically all I watched...horror movies.

Good horror movies from the not-too-distant past:

2001 Jeepers Creepers (Just the first)
2007 I Am Legend
2009 Zombieland (Funny)
2011 Contagion (Covid-19 Prequel)
2013 Mama
2013 World War Z (Not so much scary as good)
2016 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Better than I expected)
2018 Bird Box (Excellent story)

My horror movie watching is from a totally different era to those already mentioned. As a youngster I saw many of the Hammer films at my local cinemas, there were four within a 2 mile radius and for most of them I was under age, occasionally my school friend and I would get pulled up for being under age but most of the time we were either able to sneak in via a fire door the same night or get in on another day. Seeing these films is the main reason I started collecting the Hammer cards that became available in the last thirty years or so. I am not so bothered about the horror films of later years.

quote:

Originally posted by Ted Dastick Jr.

Some "recent" ones I've watched and enjoyed:

Speed Demon
Saw X
Ready or Not 2 (the first one is GREAT!)
28 Years Later & The Bone Temple
The Conjuring Last Rites

Nice list, and the Bone Temple remains on the short list of the best movies of the year so far, which is what I was talking about in my post. If I didn't watch horror films, I'd be missing out on one of the top pictures of the year, and one of Ralph Fiennes' greatest performances. While he is being unfortunately overlooked (as most standout horror performances are) by the Academy Awards, Inde Navarrette from Obsession has a solid chance of being nominated for Best Actress. In the case of that movie, with a derivative story that has been told hundreds of times before, it was specifically her performance that elevated it to higher fare.

With both Obsession and especially Backrooms, the young directors of them had cultivated online followings in the lead up to the films' releases, which really juiced their box office numbers. The audiences for both skewed very young, much younger than usual for films that do well. Lots of young viewers for Spidey, too. Maybe the industry has turned a corner and ensured the theatrical experience will continue to exist for a least a few more generations.

That's about all I need, haha.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by chesspieceface:
With both Obsession and especially Backrooms, the young directors of them had cultivated online followings in the lead up to the films' releases, which really juiced their box office numbers. The audiences for both skewed very young, much younger than usual for films that do well. Lots of young viewers for Spidey, too. Maybe the industry has turned a corner and ensured the theatrical experience will continue to exist for a least a few more generations./QUOTE]

Generations may be pushing it. I'm not sure the 18 - 30-year-olds I see walking around my neighborhood know what they are going to do from week to week. Now my area has gone through a really significant change since people have crawled out from under Covid. That may be common to some degree in all areas, because I think the young people who went into serious isolation during that period have been seriously affected in the long term. I used to be able to connect with a smart 22-year-old. Now the more intelligent and educated they are, the more ignorant they are, and it's like talking to the wall. They have a different "normal" way of thinking, and they will rule the world someday.

To your point of the "theatrical experience", they are living theatrically. Everything must have a show or a soundtrack attached to it. Everything is over the top drama and it must be exclusive. Small bistros with open mic nights. Blended drinks with finger sandwiches instead of dinners. Weird cheap horror movies that get cell phone word of mouth before any regular release. What these young people find entertaining is anything they can claim as their own, but it doesn't last. They have so many options, they just keep moving to the next place, and the next thing, and they have no loyalty to the last thing. Just my own assessment on what I see of course.

The successful horror film has changed because this is the new target audience and it is at odds with the old buying audience. The best horror movies always had a balance of scares and laughs for me. Even the early "Scream" movies followed that formula. Now I find these new horror films to be utterly serious, and that many put forth ideas as a so-called "phycological thriller" that are dangerous to malleable minds. They don't even care that the plots make no sense and the movies may end without explaining anything they saw.

Any good horror movie has to make sense within the logic of the story. If you get to make up your own ending, it's because the scriptwriter wrote himself into a corner, not because it is a profound thought. Anyway, "It Ends" is a great example of what I'm saying and if you haven't heard of it, look it up. It's getting online raves, but I wouldn't suggest you go. Like "Obsession", it's not really much different from an old Twilight Zone episode without a Rod Serling epilog.