All in Event
Some of the simplest sources for a horror film are different or twisted perspectives on common occurrences. Gremlins is ultimately a film about bringing home a pet as a gift for a loved one. The Conjuring is about the fear of the monster hiding in the closet. The Shining is about anxiety from staying in a hotel far away from home. Little things we take for granted can be terrifying with the right perspective.
The Cleanse is a horror comedy about cleanses.
Venom, as a film, is a lot to process. It’s sensory overload even by the loud and special effects heavy standards of the superhero genre. It shares more with the horror genre, specifically the old fashioned Universal-style monster movie, than it does with the modern superhero film, yet it’s clearly an attempt to stand out an in over-saturated superhero market with a new antihero in the Deadpool vein. The film is screaming for its own identity so badly that you wish the studios would just cooperate with each other for mutual financial gain and just let a film in one character’s universe—Spider-Man—actually exist in that universe.
Tis the season. Aside from running my own yard haunt going on 16 years now, I love going to haunted attractions. They are staffed and fun by my people. I may not always agree with design choices or how they’re run, but the goal is ultimately the same. We all want people to have a good time being scared.
The Midnight Man is a horror film inspired by a creepypasta. I went into that idea a little bit yesterday, but it’s essentially urban legends created online. Some might be inspired by real events, or preexisting urban legends/myths, but they gain their popularity online. There’s a fascinating discussion to be had about fair use and Internet phenomena, but this is not the time; I wish it was, but it’s not.
We’re at an interesting time in horror. The genre has always been a profitable mainstay for studios. The films do not have to cost much money or even be particularly good to turn a strong profit at the box office. Now, it seems easier than ever to launch a horror franchise. From Insidious pounding out haunted house/object sequel after haunted house/object sequel to The Purge spinning off into a television series after four films, films made on a shoestring budget are quickly turning into the new horror mainstays.
