Horror Film Sub-Genres
Over 29 million tickets have been sold just this year on horror movies alone. “When we pay our four or five bucks and seat ourselves at tenth-row center in a theater showing a horror movie, we are daring the nightmare.” said Stephen King in his article “Why We Crave Horror Movies”. People like the excitement of being scared. This is the same reason people go to haunted houses in the fall or tell scary stories by a campfire. Whether it be Creature Features, Slashers, or Paranormal events, everyone is afraid of something and has been exposed to these fears through horror films.
In Creature features, there is a constant doubt in everyone’s mind about the monsters that may lurk in closets, under beds, or beneath the sea. …show more content…
With monsters and ghost, people can choose not to believe. But no one can deny a stalking man with a knife. Movies like Scream, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Friday the 13th, all follow a similar but different outline. The killers in those movies are willing to kill anyone, but only if they are disturbed, or seeking revenge. Usually, they are bothered by curious, sex deprived teenagers who deserved the outcome. Slasher Horror movies have made over 2 billion dollars in theaters and continue to be successful today. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a great example of a slasher movie with a slight twist. The movie is loosely based off a man named Ed Gein. Gein, who was a serial killer and psychopath that experimented with taxidermy and necrophilia. Texas Chainsaw Massacre consist of a cannibalistic family who preys on anyone who dares to come near their house. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise has earned more than 199 million dollars over a total of eight movies. Like all great serial killer films, this includes a large amount of blood, gore, and dead teenagers. Another popular slasher film is Prom Night. A movie about a teenage girl who’s family is slaughtered by an obsessive teacher. “Three years ago… a high school teacher got obsessed with a female student… he went psycho! He’s been in a maximum security prison until three days ago.” Though she survives, her stalker escapes prison. Her prom night starts pleasant with …show more content…
The advances in technology and special effects have made these films easier to make, and more prominent. Paranormal Activity One made over 19 million dollars opening weekend. Could the reason paranormal movies are so popular be because people can relate to these movies more than serial killers or monsters? Most people have stories about situations in which something they cannot explain happened. A successful ghost or demonic spirit movie usually contains a big house, some mysterious noises, and you guessed it, teenagers. Ouija, a film about a group of teenagers desperate to talk to their recently deceased friend, is an excellent paranormal movie. A Ouija board is supposedly a game board used to talk to the dead. While using this board, the group of friends does not realize that any spirit can talk to them, not just their friend. After they stop playing, they each get a message saying "Hi friend." In different ways. When they receive this message, they are alone. Assuming it is their late friend one of them suggest they play with the Ouija board again, which only makes things worse. This movie has suspense, death, and a whole lot of evil. This could be the reason the film made over 50 million dollars in
Over 29 million tickets have been sold just this year on horror movies alone. “When we pay our four or five bucks and seat ourselves at tenth-row center in a theater showing a horror movie, we are daring the nightmare.” said Stephen King in his article “Why We Crave Horror Movies”. People like the excitement of being scared. This is the same reason people go to haunted houses in the fall or tell scary stories by a campfire. Whether it be Creature Features, Slashers, or Paranormal events, everyone is afraid of something and has been exposed to these fears through horror films.
In Creature features, there is a constant doubt in everyone’s mind about the monsters that may lurk in closets, under beds, or beneath the sea. …show more content…
With monsters and ghost, people can choose not to believe. But no one can deny a stalking man with a knife. Movies like Scream, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Friday the 13th, all follow a similar but different outline. The killers in those movies are willing to kill anyone, but only if they are disturbed, or seeking revenge. Usually, they are bothered by curious, sex deprived teenagers who deserved the outcome. Slasher Horror movies have made over 2 billion dollars in theaters and continue to be successful today. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a great example of a slasher movie with a slight twist. The movie is loosely based off a man named Ed Gein. Gein, who was a serial killer and psychopath that experimented with taxidermy and necrophilia. Texas Chainsaw Massacre consist of a cannibalistic family who preys on anyone who dares to come near their house. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise has earned more than 199 million dollars over a total of eight movies. Like all great serial killer films, this includes a large amount of blood, gore, and dead teenagers. Another popular slasher film is Prom Night. A movie about a teenage girl who’s family is slaughtered by an obsessive teacher. “Three years ago… a high school teacher got obsessed with a female student… he went psycho! He’s been in a maximum security prison until three days ago.” Though she survives, her stalker escapes prison. Her prom night starts pleasant with …show more content…
The advances in technology and special effects have made these films easier to make, and more prominent. Paranormal Activity One made over 19 million dollars opening weekend. Could the reason paranormal movies are so popular be because people can relate to these movies more than serial killers or monsters? Most people have stories about situations in which something they cannot explain happened. A successful ghost or demonic spirit movie usually contains a big house, some mysterious noises, and you guessed it, teenagers. Ouija, a film about a group of teenagers desperate to talk to their recently deceased friend, is an excellent paranormal movie. A Ouija board is supposedly a game board used to talk to the dead. While using this board, the group of friends does not realize that any spirit can talk to them, not just their friend. After they stop playing, they each get a message saying "Hi friend." In different ways. When they receive this message, they are alone. Assuming it is their late friend one of them suggest they play with the Ouija board again, which only makes things worse. This movie has suspense, death, and a whole lot of evil. This could be the reason the film made over 50 million dollars in