Cash Cows? Horror movies?

[Kylara]

Well, I have a teeny article to write about whether or not Halloween is increasingly becoming a place for cash cow "horror" movies of varying degrees of awfulness, and while I do watch horror movies, I tend to avoid the Halloween releases (and all those annoying sequels), so does anyone have any favourites/hated/meh Halloween films that may or may not be cash cow level that were released around Halloween in any particular year...I'm not being lazy (I already have a few down) but thought you ardent horror movie fans might have a few excellent examples I hadn't even thought of :wink:

Also, I thought it was quite an interesting premise, so I put it to you: Do you think that Halloween is becoming more a breeding ground for poor quality "horror" films that do little else but claim the Halloween horror fans?

 

[Moonbat]

Halloween being synonymous with horror (what an interesting cultural phenomenom) means that it an obvious time to release a horror movie, it avoids the two massive release periods (Summer & Winter) and sort of stands alone as its own release period for horror movies. We get a similar thing on Valentines day for romantic films.

There does seem to be a glut of horrors released around this time, I think I remember H20 (that's a halloween 20yr remake/reboot thing) that came out around halloween, also a final destination, not sure which one.

I think the Saw films were all released in October, Paranormal activity (1/2/3)

 

[Kylara]

Oh I'd forgotten about H20...mmm it does seem to be sequels galore doesn't it...the irony of multiple Scream films...hah...never really thought about Valentine's, I don't really watch romcoms!

 

[steve12553]

Unfortunately, at my age there will never be a truely scarey Horror movie again. I can be startled, but I've seen all the believable special effects and the newer effects have a tendency to just be silly. On the other hand, I do have a soft spot in my heart for the old classics. The Universal films from the 30s and 40s, the Hammer films and the cheaply made AIPs. TMC and others tend to replay these in the month or so approaching Halloween. To be honest, if I've got a decent sized flat screen TV with a crisp classic black and white film in HD in my recliner, why would I want to go to a theater to see the Jason and Freddie's Final Destination part 32. When the gore exceeds a certain point it no longer impresses. Much beyond a couple of pints of fake blood, who cares?

 

[j d worthington]

I wouldn't count the possibility of a truly scary film out yet, Steve. Unlikely as they are, with a good script, acting, and direction, such can still be made. Reliance on special effects to do the job, however, is unlikely to have such a result.....

 

[kshRox]

I wouldn't count the possibility of a truly scary film out yet, Steve.

How about Sinister?
Ethan Hawke is in it.
That may be a good one.

 

[Action Avenue]

Unfortunately, at my age there will never be a truely scarey Horror movie again. I can be startled, but I've seen all the believable special effects and the newer effects have a tendency to just be silly. On the other hand, I do have a soft spot in my heart for the old classics. The Universal films from the 30s and 40s, the Hammer films and the cheaply made AIPs. TMC and others tend to replay these in the month or so approaching Halloween. To be honest, if I've got a decent sized flat screen TV with a crisp classic black and white film in HD in my recliner, why would I want to go to a theater to see the Jason and Freddie's Final Destination part 32. When the gore exceeds a certain point it no longer impresses. Much beyond a couple of pints of fake blood, who cares?

We who watch horror movies have become rather jaded. I believe this to be the case because everytime we turn around, there seems to be a trailer for a new horror movie about to be released (and quite frankly, a lot of the new horror movies are usually not very good). All that being said, every once in a while a good horror movie comes along, and while it may not scare me, I still get the chance to be entertained on some level. Plus, there are always the classic horror movies. Not necessarily speaking of the Universal classics like Dracula, Frankenstein, etc, although they certainly have their place in horror movie history. I consider a lot of horror movies from the 80s to be classics (such as John Carpenter's The Thing, Fright Night and Return of the Living Dead, for example). My enjoyment of horror movies, mostly relies on re-watching quality horror movies, rather than taking a chance on some piece of junk movie being made today for a QUICK buck! So, yes, horror movies are cash cows. I just wish producers, writers, actors, directors and fx specialists would put more creative thought & energy into these modern day turds that they get people to spend their hard earned money to see.

 

[Warren_Paul]

I've very rarely found a horror movie I didn't think was poorly made. That just seems to go with the territory.

I do have a preference for supernatural horror over axe-wielding murderers chasing kids around but, to date, the horror movies I've truly enjoyed would be:

Silent Hill
Shutter
The Grudge 1 (sequels were horrible)
Event Horizon
The Ring
Final Destination 1 (sequels were extra-rubbishy)


Everything else I've seen has been either low-budget or extremely tacky. And I can't stand the ghost-hunter trend that's become popular with the likes of Paranormal Activity and Rec. Not scary, and the camera-work makes me nauseous. Overly-dramatic to the point it just feels fake. The whole thing feels fake to me - which is the opposite of what they are trying to achieve. So as far as I'm concerned, those movies don't work.

I would agree that most of them are rushed out the door for our quick-fix thrill seeking. So yes, cash cows.