In 1943, audiences flocked to see Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, the first Universal picture to feature two franchise monsters in a fight to the death. The fight didnt come until the closing moments, but audiences didnt care they were seeing the creatures onscreen together for the first time, and that was enough. Decades later, the bar for horror pictures had fallen so low that watching Tara Reid run away from a Sharknado not once, not twice, but three times constituted great entertainment. Or if that wasnt your cup of tea, you could watch Debbie Gibson run away from Mega Shark. Horror films arent what they used to be, and you have to wonder about the minds that dream up such concepts as David Hasselhoff Vs Killer Snakes (Anaconda 3), Alice Cooper Vs Rubbery Monsters (Monster Dog) and Gary Oldman Vs The Vengeful Spirit (The Unborn). Were they in it for the money, or just having a laugh? Judging from past experience, youd have to say the latter. No matter how ridiculous a films concept, theres a good chance it will earn back its budget at the box office as long as theres plenty of action and special effects. Its standard practice to blame Hollywood for the quality of its product, but consider this: they are not philanthropists, and didnt bankroll those films to win awards and wow critics. They knew there was an audience for them which, given the following films, makes you wonder about the modern viewer.
Ian Watson is the author of 'Midnight Movie Madness', a 600+ page guide to "bad" movies from 'Reefer Madness' to 'Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.'
