So... Is horror a dying breed?
We have It Follows, The Babadook and The Witch. Three new movies released over the course of two or three years that hold their own among some of the greatest horror films of all time.
The Babadook: A heartfelt exploration into the love a mother has for her son in even the worst of times all against the backdrop of a monster symbolizing her own anxiety and unconscious resentment for her child. It brilliantly tackles the themes of grief, love, family and loss. And is genuinely terrifying without resorting to a single jump scare. There isn't even any gore and the violence is minimal and extremely tame. Rotten Tomatoes rating: 98% IMDb: A mere 6.8/10.
It Follows: A glorious callback to the John Carpenter days. Down to the still cinematography and electronic soundtrack. All while creating an original story concerning morality, fitting in, social norms and paranoia. It covers sex without resorting to gratuity and objectification. And even manages to make the whole act rather scary in its own way. Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 97% IMDb: An unremarkable 6.9/10.
The Witch: An original and atmospheric period piece that builds tension and suspense by the use of subtle filmmaking tactics. The final product here is one of the most unnerving, hellish films ever to exist. All without resorting to any of the modern cliches we've implemented time and time again. It almost seems to not belong of this world, really. Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91% IMDb: A mediocre 6.7/10.
I'm not one to criticize someone for not liking a movie I love. I believe that every opinion on these matters should be heard. I even have a list on this website that I created a long time ago concerning movies that I believe to be overrated. I truly do respect an individual's view of film. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't be disenchanted by aggregate viewpoints that lists these films as nothing special when they really are. Even if you don't like them, you should at least appreciate how different they try to be. They spark imagination and genuine terror at the things we don't see, instead of pandering to us like children. Since so many people hate these films, does that mean that we actually enjoy being talked down to? How long before horror movies cease to be anything other than manipulative and unoriginal? It's already happening, we just still have a few diamonds in the rough being produced.
This year The Wailing was made, and being a foreign language film, it scared off enough casual viewers to actually garner a good rating on this site. But Hush and The Autopsy of Jane Doe fall right back into the category of "Meh" according to this site.
Sorry for the long post, but I love horror, and it's depressing to see it being treated like this. I could go on and on, but I doubt most of you even made it this far without getting pissed off or bored.