RIANNA SEELIG
Staff Writer
Looking for a peaceful, comforting activity to partake in while you’re holed up in your house, hiding from the cold? How about something soothing that compliments your cuddling and cocoa? Perfect! A gory horror movie should hit the spot.
Most people are familiar with horror classics: “Friday the 13th,” “Alien,” “Poltergeist,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Children of the Corn,” “Jaws,” “Halloween” and the crowd favorite, “The Exorcist.” Contemporary films such as “The Blair Witch Project,” “Paranormal Activity,” “Creep,” “The Silence of the Lambs” and “The Strangers” have been added to the classics list as well.
Hits such as “Dracula,” “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and “The Shining” were adapted from novels (where some of the best plots are born). Others are based off of true events, such as “A Haunting in Connecticut,” “The Amityville Horror,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and any film starring the great Vincent Price.
Tom Weimer, a senior marketing major, applauds the horror genre for its unique approach to storylines and plot development.
“I like horror for its ingenuity,” he said. “It’s the only genre where boundaries are continually pushed and limits are purposefully exceeded.”
Since the late 90s, Found Footage horror has become an extremely popular genre. The films are all shot in a way that leads the audience to believe they are watching real footage from a videocamera. “Blair Witch Project” started the trend, and since then films like “Cloverfield” and “Gallows” have continued the trend.
There is a horror movie sub-genre for everyone: Monsters (“The Blob,” “An American Werewolf in London,” “Predator”), Zombies (“Evil Dead,” “28 Days Later,” “Dawn of the Dead”), Psychological (“Psycho”), Slasher (“You’re Next”), Possession (“The Vatican Tapes”), and the ever-popular Ghost or Haunted House film.
In the past decade or so, horror film franchises and solo-films have been some of the top-grossing films at the box office. Notable titles include “World War Z” ($202M), “The Conjuring” ($137M), “The Ring” ($129M) and “The Grudge” ($110M). The “Saw” franchise, “Sinister,” the “Insidious” franchise and the “The Purge” franchise follow close behind.
Big-name directors continue to churn out favorites. Names like James Wan (“Saw”), Sam Raimi (“Evil Dead” remake), Wes Craven (“The Hills Have Eyes,” “The Last House on the Left,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street”), George Romero (“Night of the Living Dead”), Eli Roth (“Hostel”) and Guillermo del Torro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) dominate the industry.
Every modern horror director undoubtedly takes inspiration from directors like John Carpenter (“Halloween”), Dario Argento (“Suspiria”), David Cronenberg (“The Fly”), Tobe Hooper (“Poltergeist”), Roman Polanski (“Rosemary’s Baby”), Tod Browning (“Freaks”), James Whale (“The Bride of Frankenstein”) and, of course, Hitchcock (“The Birds,”,“Psycho” and many more).
Nate Guarnere, a senior music education major, loves the feelings of suspense that accompany sitting and watching a horror film.
“You know when you’re walking around a haunted house and you’re constantly on edge, wondering what will jump out next?” he asked. “I really enjoy that feeling.”
Horror is now slipping into television as well, with shows such as “American Horror Story,” “Hemlock Grove,” “Supernatural” and “The Walking Dead” gaining astounding reviews and countless fans everyday. “American Horror Story” has been one of the most popular shows on TV since 2011, winning multiple Golden Globes, Emmy Awards, Critic’s Choice Awards, and countless others.
Nicole Krauth, a senior communication studies major, has been a fan of “American Horror Story” since the first season, “American Horror Story: Murder House.”
“It’s a unique concept, having a TV series in the horror genre that so many people have latched onto. Ryan Murphy has done a great job covering horror in many different aspects — ghosts, witches, freaks. I’m really glad a show like this has become so popular,” she said.
2016 is proving to be a successful year for horror, with titles such as “The Forest,” “The Boy,” “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” “The Witch,” “The Conjuring 2,” “The Purge 3” and “The Strangers 2” being some of the most anticipated films of the year.
Clearly, there is a horror film for everyone. Whether it be zombies, ghosts, demons or the classic cat and mouse plot, the genre offers a vast array of experiences appealing to any viewer. Snow days never have known a better companion.