Do you like scary movies??????
As a horror fan, could there be much more of a mouth-watering
catch phrase for a flick to have thrown at you? If so, there are not many to
choose from that can compete. When Scream hit theaters, the horror genre
was in a lull that it historically had not been through very often. Throughout the
history of film, horror while not critically praised, filled theater seats and
remained successful over the years. When Wes Craven gave viewers this film they
were starving for something well done and original, and that hunger was fed.
Did Scream save horror for the fans? I will leave that up to time (or
you) to decide.
What I find compelling about this franchise is the direct
relationship it holds with the world of horror fandom. It is one of the most
successful horror franchises in recent memory, yet it really does not have that
many true horror elements in it. If you take out the obsessions of the original
killers with cinema, it really is much more of a thriller. I do not think this
is a bad thing in the slightest. Actually, I think it was great because it
brought in viewers who would have not went to a traditional slasher film. I
have no quarrels with a lack of gore, sex, B-talent, or any of the tropes we
know within that world of films. No matter how lowbrow or how seminal the work is does not matter to me, just as long as it is entertaining. Scream is definitely just that, entertaining.
But I do wonder why it is so widely accepted by so many
different types of viewers. A person who loves Fulci films can share a fan
filled conversation with someone who typically watches J-Lo moves because they
both enjoy the Scream films. I feel as if that is a rare (and awesome)
occurrence with movies. Why would someone who loves intense gore, passionate
special effects, and superfluous sex enjoy a thriller with limited gore, almost
no special effects, and tastefully handled films? I guess at the end of the day
people just enjoy something well done. A laundry list of preconceived notions of who the target audience is not needing to be met here. When you make films that
you believe in and are excited to make, it falls of the screen and into the
viewers lap. So, thank you Scream for ending that awful drought in the nineties.
Sadly you could not prevent the CGI and endless remake generation soon to
follow, but you cannot save everyone.
Until next time,
Beware of the moon
The Professor
If you have seen the first Sleepaway Camp, you haven’t
forgotten it and more than likely you are not quite the same. It is one of the
most bizarre, bad but fun films available and when you ask people if they have
seen it, most outside the horror aficionados will not have even heard of it.
But not us, we the horror community praise and love this film (a large
percentage at least) for its lovable faults and unforgettable weirdness.
This will be one of my shorter posts. This franchise doesn’t
really have an icon or a long storied string of successful entries. Most of
what I can say has already been stated in the show and honestly, if you haven’t
seen these films then just watch them. My words cannot recreate what you will
experience good and bad. It is a one time deal with a strange blend of a
perfect storm in 80’s cinema. Most slashers were not this fun, most 80’s youth
films were not this weird, etc. It
