1. The End of Horror
This is what it all comes down to. Horror is a modern phenomenon. Earlier humans were in constant fearof God, the Devil, wild animals, plagues, nature, invasionsbut they saw this as normal, the way of the world. As we developed economically and socially, we believed progress could replace these fears with security but soon realized there are some evils civilization cannot erase. Horror writers and filmmakers showcased the dark side of modernity or lurking pre-modern fears. Early twentieth-century writers like H.P. Lovecraft highlighted the horrors that emerge as a result of development, which brings humanity in contact with previously unexplored areas of the earth or previously unknown knowledge. And with the rise of film, horror first repeated these earlier fears and then developed new reflections on Cold War-era society. Now, this is a piece on horror films, not a lecture in your media studies course. But I think these developments matter, and feed into my other critiques of contemporary horror. Anxieties and fears havent disappeared, of course. What we are missing are relevant ways to express them. Early horror writers transformed pre-modern tales into horror by applying them to contemporary society. Mid-to-late twentieth century films translated these earlier stories for the screen or updated their general atmosphere, such as with the slasher films. Contemporary horror, instead, just rehashes earlier stories with bigger budgets and more gore. Another zombie movie. Another haunted house. Another creepy guy in the woods. The more original elements have either become tired gimmicksfound footageor lose the horror in favor of unnecessary gore (captivity and torture films). Whats more, I fear this is the best horror can do. How can it seem fresh besides adding more gore or finding new technological gimmicks? The one exception I can think of is 28 Days Later, which was a unique and terrifying reinterpretation of zombie films. As weve seen, though, its difficult to replicate that success. So not to end on a depressing note, but there you have it, the ten reasons I hate contemporary horror. What do you think? Am I being too intellectual, should I just enjoy a good scare? Am I not being intellectual enough, is there some artistic value in Hostel?