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 Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2000 5:49 am Post subject: |
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There has been some debate of what exactly qualifies as horror. Hollywood is somewhat hesitant to label movies as "horror"(they have black comedies, thrillers, and dark fantasies), some movies are not scary enough to be considered horror, and some movies mix genres thus increasing the confusion. Anyway, after reading many horror books, watching the movies, and listening to what the directors, writers, and stars had to say, I think I found the perfect definition. A horror movie is any movie which deals with the horrors the human soul can contain, the way the human soul can be corrupted or used in a dark, twisted, macabre way, or the horrors the human mind/soul can create, and presents that material in a (A) Frightening way or (B) a dark, twisted, macabre way.
The difference? Horror movies don't have to be designed to scare. They can be funny, thought-provoking and many other things. As lond as it deals with the way the human can be "horrific" and is macabre, dark, and twisted, its horror.
This means Dead Alive is horror because, while it is not meant to scare, it deals with horrible humans (zombies) and is macabre and dark. Alien (and its sequels) are partialy horror since it deals with the way the human body can be corrupted and used in a disturbing way. Films about mad scientists creating monsters CAN be horror since that theme deals with the evils a human mind can create. Many movies about mad scientists creating monsters are not horror, though (i.e. many of the monster flicks from the 50's) since the material isn't presented in a (all together now) dark, disturbing, macabre way. Many of the old 50's sci-fi flicks are designed to thrill and excite the way action films are meant to thrill and excite.
Why do the horrors have to come out of people? Because it has to. People are the ones who make the evils that no other creature on earth can. Horror is the genre that showcases peoples' fascination with that. Oh, and movies with inteligent aliens, monsters, and demons can be considered horror since the minds of aliens/demons/monsters/whatever can be reflections of our own minds and souls.
This definition pretty much covers all of the horror genre with the exception of the "nature runs amock" sub-genre. You know, movies like Frogs, Squirm, and Cujo. Movies where man plays little or no part in the havoc. These movies are still horror since they deal with the idea of the evils that come out of a man...only this time, they surface in animals. For example, the movie squirm was about man-eating earthworms. Man-eating earthworms do not exist since earthworms can not be "evil" or "insane" like humans can. Movies like squirm pose the question "what if they could?" Therefor, Jaws can not be considered horror since the actions of the shark were "natural." It may be scary, but it does not have the same feel or impact of horror. Cujo is still open for debate.
There are also a few thrillers that are open for debate. Not so much movies like Se7en or Silence of the Lambs (which I think are definitely horror) but the Tarentino-esque kind of thrillers. For example, Resovoire Dogs deals with the evil side of humans and can be dark and twisted but its obviously not horror. Horror has a more intangable dark quality that I have not quite been able to put my finger on.
As I write this, I realize that a lot of it is kinda obvious. I don't know if I am ending some confusion, restating the obvious, or just babbling to myself. In any case, do you guys agree/disagree?
Submitted By: milkman |
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| Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2000 9:33 am Post subject: |
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Basically, yeah. There are certain movies in my collection that aren't horror but, for whatever reason, I lump in with the horror genre anyway (e.g. Gremlins, Darkman, Predator, Scanners, Starship Troopers, Robocop, The Fear Inside, Escape From New York, They Live, etc.). Then there are those films that straddle the fence, but are so wacky that some people actually get offended when I refer to them as horror (e.g. The Toxic Avenger, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-A-Rama, Monster High, Bad Taste, etc.).
I don't really care if a film meets all of the neccessary criteria of a horror film, so long as I enjoy watching it. Jaws, Army of Darkness, Darkman, and so forth may not be horror, but enough of the key ingredients are there for the films to have the same appeal to horror fans as horror films. If the films offer the same sense of satisfaction as a horror film, I don't worry about what they are. I just enjoy them. You have brought up a good discussion topic though. I've seen it debated many times. Everyone does seem to have their own opinion as to whast does and doesn't constitute a horror film.
Submitted By: Spectre |
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