Sometimes horror movies for an avid fan of the genre, are
just simply meh. We watch copious amounts year-round and are left flat with
much of it. They cannot all be seminal, engaging, or terrifying. It doesn’t
mean a large portion of them are bad films, not even close to that. However, our
experience each time the credits role is watered down a little because of the
frequency of our experiences. Sometimes I question that if I didn’t find myself enthralled
with a particular film, was it because I've watched so many of them? Possibly, but
that really is not the viewer's problem. We consume these films often and our
own experiences blend with the creators vision to form these end results. So it
is not solely on the viewer to get excited, but rather equally on the creator to create
the spark. 
The three films we watched for this episode (Howl, Deadly
Blessing, and Deathgasm) are all perfect examples of this experience for me. If
I have not watched many horror films, maybe these affect me differently and
more profoundly. Maybe the ideas seem fresh and scary but I cannot rewind time
to verify this. Only speculation.
All three films are just somewhere in the middle for me.
Enough reason to watch and not enough reason to return to except for themed viewings. Sure Deadly Blessing has some nice moments in it, as well as some
interesting trademarks of Wes Craven. But if Craven had not directed this,
would people be as forgiving? I like the movie but I watch it more for the theme of Craven's work, not the individual film.
Howl has some nice suspense and decent atmosphere. If this is a young person’s first werewolf movie, they are probably having a good time with it. However, the werewolves look kind of goofy at times and again bring it somewhere to the middle. Deathgasm, achieves the beloved tropes of buddy comedies but goes into some fairly hateful actions between the characters. Immediately brings the fun down for me. If I am a metalhead with not many movies under my belt, I am probably in love with this movie.
These movies are not worth dismissing by any means, nor
recommending to everyone. They have their merits and faults almost equally for me.
The “meh” lands in all of us when we watch a lot.
Until next time…
Beware the moon
The Professor
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