Robin PottratzFrom "Halloween" to "Saw": 30 years of horror evolution
October 20th 2008 23:53
I will admit that I have a hidden vice when it comes to film. I love horror movies. I love all different types of horror films. I love intricate suspenseful ones as well as overly gory ones that aren't really scary at all. I love monsters, zombies, masked serial killers, and other things that go bump in the night. So i've been thinking that since it is Halloween, and my other posts have been way too serious lately, I thought that I would use this post to talk about a subject that is near and dear to my dorky heart...the evolution of horror movies. Not their complete evolution...that would simply take to long. I am talking about the last thirty years, starting with a true contemporary horror classic...John Carpenter's "Halloween."
"Halloween," is the story of an escaped mental patient named Michael Myers who returns to his hometown to stalk a bookworm high school student and her...shall we say more liberated friends. We learn that Michael was institutionalized as a child after he murdered his older sister after one of her own sexual endeavors. On his trail is his psychologist who describes his relationship with Myers with cryptic syntax:
"I spent seven years trying to reach him and then another eight years trying to keep him locked up because I knew that what was behind those eyes was purely and simply evil."
What made "Halloween" work was its ability to fuse many different variations on the horror genre to create something new. Throughout the film, the sense of impending violence created a feeling of suspense along with a feeling of impatience. So much so that when the gory acts finally occured on screen, the audience was left feeling horrified with what they had just seen, but the slow build up to the violence left the viewer satisfied and entertained with what they were viewing. Not only this, but it "Halloween" was a landmark film because along with combining gory violence with Hitchcock esque storytelling and pacing was that it was within the more mainstream backdrop of a teen horror film. Since "Halloween's" release, many films have tried to combine these different styles. While none have been as successful as "Halloween," their attempts at duplication have been very entertaining and fun in their own rights.
After "Halloween" set a new standard for teen slasher films, there was another...and even more iconic masked serial killer who made a mark within the lexicon of teen horror films...the hockey masked Jason Voorhees...better known as just "Jason." While Jason didn't make his debut until the 2nd "Friday the 13th" film (Jason's mother was the killer in the first one), his iconic mask didn't debut until the 3rd film. When the mask came on...an icon was born. He cut and slashed his way for 11 (thats right 11) "Friday" films. While these films are fun, they lacked imagination and were simply too relient on gore and extreme violence.
In 1984, an established horror filmmaker infused the horror genre with a new sense of disturbed imagination and a new disturbing character...Freddy Krueger. Director Wes Craven had established himself as a horror force with films like "Last House on the Left" and "The Hills Have Eyes," but with "A Nightmare on Elm Street" the horror genre was overcome with a new wave of imagination and imagery. Freddy Krueger was a character that literally came right out of hell...he was a pedophillic janitor who was burned alive by townspeople out for vengance. Freddy then exacts his own revenge by invading the dreams of teenagers and killing them in bizarrely inventive ways...such as using a bed as an oil rig, hanging with a bedsheet, and clawing a girl around a room...all in their sleep. This film spawned 6 sequels and eventually a horror battle with Jason Voorhees...with successful Box Office Results.
Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Kreuger are considered the three main pillers of the commercial horror genre. However, horror did not stop with them. In 1988 we were introduced to an idea that I do believe sounded ludicrous on paper...a killer children's doll named Chucky. Voiced by Brad Dourif, Chucky was introduced in "Child's Play" which depicted a single mother and her son having to endure torture as well as accusations of mental illness because no one would believe and protect them from a children's doll who has been inhabited with the soul of a murderer. This plot of this movie is just rediculous...but it is just so damn fun that I won't complain. This movie spawned four sequels...eventually giving Chucky a wife and a son...yeah I know I know.
As horror ventured into the 90's it made moves to become more artful. The best example of this would be "The Silence of the Lambs," which took home oscars for best picture, best actress for Jodie Foster, best actor for Anthony Hopkins and best director for Jonathon Demme. The film follows the pursuit by an FBI trainee named Clarice Starling of a serial killer who skins his victims. Assisting her is a captured, cannibalistic psychologist turned serial killer named Hannibal Lecter. Lecter is not interested in capturing the serial killer as much as he is about this FBI trainee who has come to him for help. He probes her with questions about her past, and her ambitions. This film marked the first real time since "Halloween" that a mainstream horror film was able to fuse Hitchcockean suspense with gory violence. In Hopkins' performance as Hannibal Lecter, he created what the American Film Institute deemed to be the greatest villian in film history. This film also created a new idea of "thinking man's horror," which influenced horror for years to come.
The first display of "thinking man's horror" was Bernard Rose's "Candyman." This film was about a woman named Helen Lyle who, while researching urban legends comes across the story of Candyman, who was a plantation slave that was murdered by a racist town for the crime of falling in love and impregnating a white woman. Candyman then wreaks his vengance on all humanity, with Helen becoming a primary target. What made "Candyman" such a successful film, both artistically and commercially was its subject matter. It was the first time that a horror villian was black, and it also skewed the idea of who the villian was. Is it Candyman, or the legacy of racism that made him. This film has spawned two sequels, but none as artistically creative or thought provoking as the first one.
By 1996, the genre of commercial horror films became so successful that "Nightmare on Elm Street" creator Wes Craven decided to create his own parody of the genre that he helped pioneer "Scream." The film is famous for its use of past horror films within the dialogue and its use of a marketing macguffin...the appearance of A-list star Drew Barrymore in all of the advertisments despite the fact that her character is murdered about 10 minutes into the film. The film's self aware take on the horror film made the film a huge hit, both commercially and artistically. The film even spawned two sequels, both of which were also considered commercial and critical successes.
In 1999, horror went back to a more artistic approach with a bold new filmmaker named M. Night Shyamalan. His film "The Sixth Sense," which was about a boy who sees dead people and the psychologist that is trying to help him, was a rare horror film that emphasized suspense over gore. There is very little violence in the film...only the aftermath. The film also used a plot twist which slowly built throughout the film. This film was viewed as not just a horror film, but a great narrative film. The academy certainly agreed...nominating the film for best picture, best director, best supporting actor, and best supporting actress. Director M. Night Shyamalan has tried to duplicate the success of "The Sixth Sense," but even though he has used the same plot techniques in his other films...none has been able to work in quite the way that "The Sixth Sense" did.
In the 2000's horror films in the U.S. sought to revitalize themselves by borrowing from other countries...most notably Japan. The first film to do this with great success was 2002's "The Ring." This film, about a video tape that kills its viewers 7 days after watching it, was based on "Ringu" its Japanese counterpart. Following in the trend was 2004's "The Grudge," which was about a curse that occurs when one dies in the grip of a rage or sorrow. The curse results in people having supernatural experiences and eventual death. The film was a remake of "Ju-on: The Grudge," another highly successful Japanese horror film. Both of these films have spawned sequels and horror filmmakers have continuously looked overseas for new horror film ideas.
2003 and 2004 saw the re-introduction of the zombie movie with two highly successful launches. Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later" and Zack Snyder's remake of "Dawn of the Dead." When these films were released in 2003 and 2004 respectively zombie movies had been considered passe...audienced simply didn't find them scary anymore. These two films revitalized the zombie film with one trick...allowing zombies to run. For some strange reason zombies are really scary when they can run. Both films were considered commercial and critical successes, "28 Days" spawned a less successful sequel while "Dawn" remained without a sequel...which in the world of commercial horror is quite refreshing.
This brings me to today. A new form of horror has been created..."torture porn." A film can be classified as "torture porn" with use of excessive violence with an emphasis on torture, mutilation, nudity and sadism. Over the past few years, many films have had this label...the first one to actually be called "Torture Porn" was Eli Roth's "Hostel." The film, which is about tourists that are abducted in Europe and are tortured and killed by people who pay for the rights to has been criticized for its overly grewsome nature and spawned a sequel which was a box office bomb. I have never been a fan of the "Hostel" movies and I feel that there is no thought process that goes into these films and that director Eli Roth is little more than a sick freak.
This brings me full circle to the most successful horror series of today...the Saw films. The films tell the story of a cancer victim who goes by the moniker of "Jigsaw," who feels that some people are not grateful to be alive. In response he forces his victims to play demented and self mutilating games in order to stay alive and in turn be grateful for their lives. There is typically a central storyline which revolves around a large game...but the character of Jigsaw always has a much larger plan that he only reveals at the very end. These films have also been branded as "torture porn" which is justifiable. What makes "Saw" different from other films of that genre is that there is always the feeling that there is a larger thought process going on with the story. It may be little more than a plot twist, but it is still a fun ride.
Horror has come a long way over the last 30 years, as evidenced by the length of this post. It has even gotten to the point that some of the films mentioned are even being remade. Rob Zombie has already remade "Halloween," and "Friday the 13th" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" already have remakes in production. No matter where horror will go in the next 30 years, one thing will be for certain...I will be there every terrifying step of the way.
Happy Halloween!!!
"Halloween," is the story of an escaped mental patient named Michael Myers who returns to his hometown to stalk a bookworm high school student and her...shall we say more liberated friends. We learn that Michael was institutionalized as a child after he murdered his older sister after one of her own sexual endeavors. On his trail is his psychologist who describes his relationship with Myers with cryptic syntax:
"I spent seven years trying to reach him and then another eight years trying to keep him locked up because I knew that what was behind those eyes was purely and simply evil."
What made "Halloween" work was its ability to fuse many different variations on the horror genre to create something new. Throughout the film, the sense of impending violence created a feeling of suspense along with a feeling of impatience. So much so that when the gory acts finally occured on screen, the audience was left feeling horrified with what they had just seen, but the slow build up to the violence left the viewer satisfied and entertained with what they were viewing. Not only this, but it "Halloween" was a landmark film because along with combining gory violence with Hitchcock esque storytelling and pacing was that it was within the more mainstream backdrop of a teen horror film. Since "Halloween's" release, many films have tried to combine these different styles. While none have been as successful as "Halloween," their attempts at duplication have been very entertaining and fun in their own rights.
After "Halloween" set a new standard for teen slasher films, there was another...and even more iconic masked serial killer who made a mark within the lexicon of teen horror films...the hockey masked Jason Voorhees...better known as just "Jason." While Jason didn't make his debut until the 2nd "Friday the 13th" film (Jason's mother was the killer in the first one), his iconic mask didn't debut until the 3rd film. When the mask came on...an icon was born. He cut and slashed his way for 11 (thats right 11) "Friday" films. While these films are fun, they lacked imagination and were simply too relient on gore and extreme violence.
In 1984, an established horror filmmaker infused the horror genre with a new sense of disturbed imagination and a new disturbing character...Freddy Krueger. Director Wes Craven had established himself as a horror force with films like "Last House on the Left" and "The Hills Have Eyes," but with "A Nightmare on Elm Street" the horror genre was overcome with a new wave of imagination and imagery. Freddy Krueger was a character that literally came right out of hell...he was a pedophillic janitor who was burned alive by townspeople out for vengance. Freddy then exacts his own revenge by invading the dreams of teenagers and killing them in bizarrely inventive ways...such as using a bed as an oil rig, hanging with a bedsheet, and clawing a girl around a room...all in their sleep. This film spawned 6 sequels and eventually a horror battle with Jason Voorhees...with successful Box Office Results.
Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Kreuger are considered the three main pillers of the commercial horror genre. However, horror did not stop with them. In 1988 we were introduced to an idea that I do believe sounded ludicrous on paper...a killer children's doll named Chucky. Voiced by Brad Dourif, Chucky was introduced in "Child's Play" which depicted a single mother and her son having to endure torture as well as accusations of mental illness because no one would believe and protect them from a children's doll who has been inhabited with the soul of a murderer. This plot of this movie is just rediculous...but it is just so damn fun that I won't complain. This movie spawned four sequels...eventually giving Chucky a wife and a son...yeah I know I know.
As horror ventured into the 90's it made moves to become more artful. The best example of this would be "The Silence of the Lambs," which took home oscars for best picture, best actress for Jodie Foster, best actor for Anthony Hopkins and best director for Jonathon Demme. The film follows the pursuit by an FBI trainee named Clarice Starling of a serial killer who skins his victims. Assisting her is a captured, cannibalistic psychologist turned serial killer named Hannibal Lecter. Lecter is not interested in capturing the serial killer as much as he is about this FBI trainee who has come to him for help. He probes her with questions about her past, and her ambitions. This film marked the first real time since "Halloween" that a mainstream horror film was able to fuse Hitchcockean suspense with gory violence. In Hopkins' performance as Hannibal Lecter, he created what the American Film Institute deemed to be the greatest villian in film history. This film also created a new idea of "thinking man's horror," which influenced horror for years to come.
The first display of "thinking man's horror" was Bernard Rose's "Candyman." This film was about a woman named Helen Lyle who, while researching urban legends comes across the story of Candyman, who was a plantation slave that was murdered by a racist town for the crime of falling in love and impregnating a white woman. Candyman then wreaks his vengance on all humanity, with Helen becoming a primary target. What made "Candyman" such a successful film, both artistically and commercially was its subject matter. It was the first time that a horror villian was black, and it also skewed the idea of who the villian was. Is it Candyman, or the legacy of racism that made him. This film has spawned two sequels, but none as artistically creative or thought provoking as the first one.
By 1996, the genre of commercial horror films became so successful that "Nightmare on Elm Street" creator Wes Craven decided to create his own parody of the genre that he helped pioneer "Scream." The film is famous for its use of past horror films within the dialogue and its use of a marketing macguffin...the appearance of A-list star Drew Barrymore in all of the advertisments despite the fact that her character is murdered about 10 minutes into the film. The film's self aware take on the horror film made the film a huge hit, both commercially and artistically. The film even spawned two sequels, both of which were also considered commercial and critical successes.
In 1999, horror went back to a more artistic approach with a bold new filmmaker named M. Night Shyamalan. His film "The Sixth Sense," which was about a boy who sees dead people and the psychologist that is trying to help him, was a rare horror film that emphasized suspense over gore. There is very little violence in the film...only the aftermath. The film also used a plot twist which slowly built throughout the film. This film was viewed as not just a horror film, but a great narrative film. The academy certainly agreed...nominating the film for best picture, best director, best supporting actor, and best supporting actress. Director M. Night Shyamalan has tried to duplicate the success of "The Sixth Sense," but even though he has used the same plot techniques in his other films...none has been able to work in quite the way that "The Sixth Sense" did.
In the 2000's horror films in the U.S. sought to revitalize themselves by borrowing from other countries...most notably Japan. The first film to do this with great success was 2002's "The Ring." This film, about a video tape that kills its viewers 7 days after watching it, was based on "Ringu" its Japanese counterpart. Following in the trend was 2004's "The Grudge," which was about a curse that occurs when one dies in the grip of a rage or sorrow. The curse results in people having supernatural experiences and eventual death. The film was a remake of "Ju-on: The Grudge," another highly successful Japanese horror film. Both of these films have spawned sequels and horror filmmakers have continuously looked overseas for new horror film ideas.
2003 and 2004 saw the re-introduction of the zombie movie with two highly successful launches. Danny Boyle's "28 Days Later" and Zack Snyder's remake of "Dawn of the Dead." When these films were released in 2003 and 2004 respectively zombie movies had been considered passe...audienced simply didn't find them scary anymore. These two films revitalized the zombie film with one trick...allowing zombies to run. For some strange reason zombies are really scary when they can run. Both films were considered commercial and critical successes, "28 Days" spawned a less successful sequel while "Dawn" remained without a sequel...which in the world of commercial horror is quite refreshing.
This brings me to today. A new form of horror has been created..."torture porn." A film can be classified as "torture porn" with use of excessive violence with an emphasis on torture, mutilation, nudity and sadism. Over the past few years, many films have had this label...the first one to actually be called "Torture Porn" was Eli Roth's "Hostel." The film, which is about tourists that are abducted in Europe and are tortured and killed by people who pay for the rights to has been criticized for its overly grewsome nature and spawned a sequel which was a box office bomb. I have never been a fan of the "Hostel" movies and I feel that there is no thought process that goes into these films and that director Eli Roth is little more than a sick freak.
This brings me full circle to the most successful horror series of today...the Saw films. The films tell the story of a cancer victim who goes by the moniker of "Jigsaw," who feels that some people are not grateful to be alive. In response he forces his victims to play demented and self mutilating games in order to stay alive and in turn be grateful for their lives. There is typically a central storyline which revolves around a large game...but the character of Jigsaw always has a much larger plan that he only reveals at the very end. These films have also been branded as "torture porn" which is justifiable. What makes "Saw" different from other films of that genre is that there is always the feeling that there is a larger thought process going on with the story. It may be little more than a plot twist, but it is still a fun ride.
Horror has come a long way over the last 30 years, as evidenced by the length of this post. It has even gotten to the point that some of the films mentioned are even being remade. Rob Zombie has already remade "Halloween," and "Friday the 13th" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" already have remakes in production. No matter where horror will go in the next 30 years, one thing will be for certain...I will be there every terrifying step of the way.
Happy Halloween!!!
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Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Was "Candyman" really that good? I only saw part of it as a very young kid, and I was terrified.
I'm not a fan of the Saw movies... the first one was intriguing, but failed in its execution... the launching of the franchise has been rather dull, I thought.
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
I actually quite enjoyed Hostel Part II, but not the first one. The second was more Euro-style. I thought the first Saw was okay, but the sequels suck.
Halloween is a masterpiece in modern horror technique. Rob Zombie's version was a travesty.
I'm pretty old school at the end of the day. Very few horror movies of the past fifteen or so years have genuinely impressed me.
For my top twenty all-time faves check our the list on my profile page.
cheers!
Comment by NoaIzumi
Fine Politics
Anime Bottle
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile