The Disappointments in Horror

Where did the scares go? What happened to the movies that keep you up at night? Or the movies that make you jump and hold on to the person next to you, also embarking on the cinematic adventure. Growing up on horror movies like Aliens, Candyman, and Puppet Masters may have desensitized horror fans from getting the new thrills and jumps for modern movies. I recall a time where I was afraid to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night with the thought of Candyman being there. Now, three horror movies can be watched back to back with no cartoons in between and sleep peacefully. There is one Director that is becoming more and more elevated with his storytelling type movies: James Waan.

The man who brought us Saw, the Insidious movies, and even the Conjuring universe, is, in my opinion, the best storyteller and twist giver since M. Night Shyamalan! To me, a good storyline, realistic responses, with unpredictable scares make the best horror films. The types that give you chills and make you feel like someone is watching you as you fold your laundry. Those types of movies are hard to come by nowadays due to the lack of imagination in Hollywood. When A24 Productions came out with The Witch, it was hailed as one of the scariest movies of its time with a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes with the "Tomatometer" and with an audience score of 57%. Truth be told, there are mixed reviews about this movie. It is in its own right something new in the horror genre. It could have used (in my opinion) some more jumps and bumps throughout the screenplay, however. The time we live in thrives on the thrill of horror, we like, no, love to be scared. The slasher movies are becoming more and more predictable from the Halloween series to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies. A horror fanatic is able to see and know how the movie is going to play out with seeing the movie for the first time. Now there are some movies that have been underrated and overlooked. For example, Happy Death Day was refreshing and something unexpectedly fun! Even Netflix's Apostle and Bird Box were surprising! No spoilers here, check it out on your own!

Where did the thrills, chills, and originality go? I hope Netflix and Hulu are not the only ones with the originality and creativity brewing! With shows like The Haunting of Hill House...people are almost on the verge of giving up the cinematic adventures. Where are the thrills? Now there are reboots, remakes, AND grade C-movies that aren't even worthy to be on the big screen. Where are the amazing story writers? Why can't James Waan meet with Dean Koontz and make an amazing horror movie? Phantoms came out in 1998 and with today's technology and brilliant minds, I think a reboot or remake would be awesome. The fact that Pet Cemetery is on the way is exhilarating! The original was creepy and eye covering awesome on its own. Hopefully, this version delivers the chills and thrills we have been hoping for. The true horror fans deserve the scare we seek! There are horror films in the making right now that stirs excitement like Annabelle Chapter 3 ( which is in post-production), Us (release date March 14, 2019), It: Chapter 2, and The Curse of La Llorona are just to name a few! With hope, curiosity, and creativity we may get the horror this age deserves. We may get the excitement of thrills we have never seen before. Maybe. Hopefully.