How To Save The Horror Movie Industry In Five Simple Steps

Many horror movie buffs rush out to the theater any time that a hot new movie comes out with baited breath. Truth is, not many horror movies end up being all that great. For every great horror movie, there are ten stinkers.

Given the current state of the horror movie industry, as well as the ridiculous ticket prices, people are learning to wait for the DVD to hit the stores. This trend is starting to take root in the movie theaters across the United States, and it could ultimately kill the horror industry.

Horror movie buffs are some of the most dedicated viewers in the movie industry. If the horror genre is to survive, then the quality must improve. No horror movie fan expects every movie be a hit, but they certainly have a right to expect a reasonably decent horror movie.

Here are some immediate band aids that the horror movie industry can utilize to improve their horror movies overnight.

1. Realize that the latest popular horror movie is not open for interpretation. When Saw hit the theaters and became hugely popular, virtually every unknown horror production company put out a movie with the same general premise. This spawned several horror movies that people wasted their money on at an overpriced movie theater. This is not good at eighteen dollars a pop for a ticket.

2. Make horror sequels a stand alone movie. Horror sequels can be great, but they need to be totally different from the original. Carry the story lines along, but do not just rehash the same old plot line again. This is what hurt the Halloween and Friday the 13th franchises. They began to just put out sequels that did nothing but change the victims around.

3. Do not make horror movies based exclusively on gore. This type of movie does have a fan base, but it is very small in relation to the horror movie fan base as a whole. Blood, guts, and entrails alone does not make a movie.

4. Bring back the horror movie genre of old. Remakes can be fantastic when they are modernized and the actors and actresses are established. A modern remake of some of the horror classics could be huge hits with the awesome special effects of today.

5. Spend the money for decent acting. If we see terrible acting on the screen, then you know that the producers notice. They do this for a living. If you know you have crappy acting, do not trick movie goers into paying you overinflated prices with a fancy poster and a great trailer. You will lose your viewers fast.

These are some basic ideas for the horror movie industry to improve upon the lackluster efforts of the last several years. More ideas are there for the taking, but these could at least put the industry back to the glory days when a great horror movie was always on at the movie theater.

Those days are sorely missed by horror fans everywhere.

By: Rodney Southern
Published: 07/27/08

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10 Posted Comments:

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@ 4:52 am 07/28/08 by princessjoy25

Your article is very well written. I am not a fan of horror movies (I'm a real scaredy cat) as I won't be able to sleep peacefully for days after seeing one. But the way you put it makes me think that horror movies are an art by themselves. But that doesn't mean that I'd go right to the moviehouse and purchase a ticket once the next one's on screen.

I have seen "Saw" and it bothered me a lot. I still remember the scenes clearly and I think that I was too stupid to go through watching it and then having nightmares after ;O)

You are right, though. There are a lot of people who pay good money to see a good horror movie. The better the movies are, the more money they'd (the producers, etc.) earn, didn't they know that?

It's good to see that you have published two articles already! It means that you found the site wonderful and useful. ;OD

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Preach it, brother!

@ 8:11 am 07/28/08 by AuntieSocial

You're obviously a horror fan who has sat through some of the same sludge I have in recent years.

I believe part of the problem is that horror fans are seen as an indiscriminate bunch, willing to watch anything involving bloodshed, their favorite goon or elements stolen from another movie that made a truckload of money. Sadly, we tend to reinforce that by going out and watching those very movies, then complaining about how awful they were. Even if these films aren't blockbusters, they make enough to spawn others just like them. It's a vicious circle.

Of course, bad is sometimes good. That's the catch. No one is going to argue that the Evil Dead series was a work of genius, but it captured a big enough fanbase not only to keep the series going, but to launch Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi out into the world at large. Who knew back when?

You're right, not every horror movie is great. But is it asking too much to want them to stop sucking outright?

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@ 4:31 pm 07/28/08 by Rodney Southern

Exactly AuntieSocial - Very well said indeed.

@ 9:33 pm 07/28/08 by valiantdude

Hi
your article is quite good and well written, I hope someone related to horror movies making will see this article and follow the given steps.
I personally love to watch horror movies but now a days there is no one making a good horror movie.

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@ 1:22 pm 08/01/08 by L Romano

Great article. Horror movies aren't made the way that they used to be. The horror movie industry now is quite disappointing.

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@ 11:29 pm 08/24/08 by Nax05

I'll admit, I like the classic B horror movies, like Dead Alive. The ones that are just so bad, that they end up being humorous classics. I do enjoy an actual 'good' horror movie though. The most recent I saw was Diary of the Dead, and it was very well done.

As much as I'd like to see what you say, I still would accept some new exploitation movies here and there.

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@ 10:23 pm 08/25/08 by R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen

Well said Rodney.

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@ 9:08 am 08/27/08 by K.F. Lynn

i've gotta agree. i've noticed quite a trend that no matter how "popular" a horror movie gets these days, you never have any idea who the actors are. never see them before the horror film, never see them afterward.

this is well said, and remakes CAN be great but everyone messes them up now! i mean the ORIGINAL "the fog" wasn't that great, but the remake... i actually felt embarassed that i paid money to see that. ]:

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@ 3:52 pm 09/02/08 by C.D. Crowder

Very well said! I've been disgusted with horror films in the past decade at least. There have been a few that have caught my eye. I know there have to be better ideas out there somewhere, besides, "Let's just make a sequel". Odds are, if the first one didn't go over well, neither will the second.

It's time for horror movies that are more than screaming teens, unrealistic gore, and horrendous story lines.

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@ 4:28 pm 09/06/08 by trentsketch

This is a very well constructed article, but I have to disagree with most of it.

The problem isn't just the quality of the film, but the stranglehold distribution companies have on these efforts. While you claim remakes would be great with modern technology, these are actually used to recycle old catalog and turn a quick profit on unsuspecting fans. This goes so far as to release DVDs of the remake before making copies of the original film available, or intentionally stocking only the remakes at chain rental stores.

Of course studios are going to stick to copying other successful films, as they feel it's a safer investment than trying something new. Radically different horror films (of excellent quality) like Teeth and Trick 'r Treat get jerked around by distribution, either doing one weekend in a handful of theaters and rushing to DVD or being shelved and eventually dropped with no one watching. Risks need to be taken, not safety nets tossed out. If films like Midnight Meat Train were given the same marketing budget as safe bets like another Saw sequel, they would undoubtedly do excellent business stateside.

No. The films and filmmakers aren't the problems. It's the studios who fear change and shoehorn original compelling ideas into vastly different categories (through forced revisions, recasting, and editing) to minimize their perceived risk. The Hollywood production and distribution system is the fault, not horror.

In fact, horror is perhaps more alive than any time before, especially on the independent and international fronts. Films can recoup their investment through DVD and digital distribution, allowing more ambitious projects a direct link to the audience.

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