The
Rage In The Kage VI: The Horror of It All
Written by: Kage
Alan
Hey, with a title like that, someone is bound to
think I'm talking about
President Bush's politics! Well, I'm not, though I do tend to
agree that it
borders on horrific. Politics and I tend to be like Betty
Crocker and Cyndi
Lauper, we don't mix. Rather, I was hoping to take a look at a
film genre
that has its strongest appeal in the month of October for obvious
reasons;
Halloween. Yes, folks, the horror film. Some despise it,
some love it and
some could care less one way or the other about it, sort of like
Madonna's
new movie, "Swept Away".
Why do people dislike horror films? Well, they're violent and
sometimes for
the mere sake of it, some claim that they desensitize people to
violence,
they're gory (or perceived to be), the plots are frequently recycled
with
very little originality, there's lots of foul language, the characters
often
lack a brain and gratuitous nudity can walk hand in hand with them.
Did I
cover everything? Oh, I did forget one. Some people just
don't like to be
scared (I mean, have they seen the acting job in "Super
Troopers"???). So,
with all that going against the genre, why do these things exist and
do
parents really want their children watching them?
I happen to enjoy horror films and always have. This probably
started when I
was growing up in Detroit watching Creature Features on Channel 50 or
Sir
Graves Ghastly on Channel 2 (I think he was on Channel 2). I
always loved
the big reveal at the end of those movies when you could see the
monster just
before it was killed. Yes, the creatures always got it in the
end and they
paid for their dastardly deeds with their lives. That's what I
remember from
that time. As I got older, I started seeing some of the recent
pictures of
the day and really got into those. Hey, they were cooler looking
monsters
and not nearly as cheesy as what I used to watch.
Horror used to be about giving the audience a thrill, a chill and a
good
old-fashioned scare once in a while (much like watching Elvira in
"Elvira's
Haunted Hills" and Pamela Anderson in "Barb Wire" cuz
those things could poke somebody's eye out!), but much of that changed
during the 80's slasher phase. John Carpenter's
"Halloween" took suspense to a whole new level and
introduced us to a monster that wouldn't die (like a studio
franchise), yet
there was very little blood in it and no slashing.
Unfortunately, the same
cannot be said for the 7 sequels. Once "Halloween"
made the genre appear
profitable, everybody jumped on the bandwagon and tried to outdo the
others
with either a gimmick or giving the audiences what they were perceived
to
want; gore. "Friday the 13th" became another
successful story and made a
huge amount of money as did "A Nightmare On Elm Street".
Directors wanted to break into the film business, the studios wanted
to make money and a horror
film was a quick and easy shot at succeeding in both aspects.
What did these films do for audiences that others genres didn't?
They were
scary as hell, that's what. As with "The Exorcist" and
"The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre", they offered up something original and struck a chord
of terror
with their what-if-this-could-be-real scenarios with audiences.
The thing is
that they weren't real (though "Texas Chainsaw" was based on
actual events)
and we know that, yet sometimes we can't help ourselves and we have to
watch them. Why? The suspense of wondering if something
was waiting for you just around the corner, the scare, the payoff of
seeing what the monster really looked like and seeing it die.
Unfortunately, the longevity of many of these series suggests that the
monsters rarely die, though the originality
certainly does.
Do I like the gore? Sometimes. I have a degree in film and
I enjoy seeing
whether the effects people have succeeded or failed. Do I feel
that there is
violence for the sake of it? Sure, but that's often a sign of
weak writing
or studio interference to try and wring as much money out of the
public as
they can. "Halloween: Resurrection" anybody?
Then too, I've seen more
violence in "Fargo" and "Out For Justice" than I
have in some horror films.
Has watching it on the screen desensitized me to violence? Yes,
but only in
watching it on the big screen, not on broadcast news shows and
certainly not
seeing it in real life. I'm still squeamish at the sight of
blood and I have
a very difficult time watching a tragedy on the news.
Is there foul language and nudity in horror films? Absolutely,
only perhaps
not as much language as in "Panic Room" or nudity in "Flashdance".
As for
ratings, the majority of horror films along with the two previously
mentioned
non-horror titles are rated "R" for a reason. People
under the age of what
the rating system specifies have absolutely no business watching them
and
nothing bothers me more than listening to parents complaining about
the
horror genre because of how much damage it does or has done to
children.
Parents should either be well versed in what their kids are watching
and
preventing them from seeing such films or watching them with their
teenage
children (if they are mature enough) to explain that it's not real
life and
it's meant only as entertainment.
You see, in the end it is all about entertainment. I enjoy
comedies, dramas,
science fiction and action movies, but I'm not particular to war films
like
"Enemy At The Gates", "Glory" or "Pearl
Harbor" and I don't care for gangster
movies. Consequently, I thought "Glory" was an
absolutely outstanding piece
of cinema, but it depressed me to watch and I'm not going to go out of
my way
to see something that depresses me. By the same token, I'm not
going to go
looking for all the bad aspects of that genre just because I don't
care for
it nor am I going to talk badly about it. If someone doesn't
like horror
films, that's fine. I like the scare, but if it's not someone's
cup of tea,
don't watch them. However, they need to understand that
just because they
don't like it doesn't mean it's not a valid form of entertainment and
one
that is embraced worldwide.
So, I'll step off my soapbox and wish everybody a safe and Happy
Halloween! Be sure to check out an interview with horror genre
director Tommy Lee Wallace that will be posted soon as well as all the
horror DVD titles that Tempe Video has been sending my way for your
viewing pleasure. And, for the heck of it, I'll include a short
list of some of my favorite Halloween films this year at the bottom
here. It's not comprehensive, so don't think I'm
holding myself to just these.
Next edition: A review of the DVD subscription service called NetFlix
and
lots of other deep insightful…things!
Favorite Halloween Films As Of This Writing (in no specific order)
1) Elvira's Haunted Hills (She comes with her own airbags and lots of
campy
fun.)
2) Halloween (The original still scares the daylights out of me!)
3) Friday The 13th (Gory, but scary and features a very young Kevin
Bacon.)
4) The Thing (John Carpenter's version that revolts and scares all in
one.)
5) Jaws (Not technically a Halloween film, but scared the hell out of
me
anyway.)
6) Frailty (Very suspenseful!)
7) Phantasm (You can't improve on perfection.)
8) Madman (A little tame by production values of today, but still
packs a
punch.)
9) Ring (The Japanese version, NOT the US remake.)
10) Near Dark (One of the best vampire films ever!)
Previous installments:
Vol. 1 -
Critic Kage Alan rants about dvds and Warner Bros.
Vol. 2 - Railing
on Region Coding
Vol. 3
- Widescreen Vs. Pan And Scan
Vol. 4 - Artisan,
PFE and Conventions...Oh, My!
Vol. 5 - DVD Special Features
Kage holds degrees in Creative Writing, as well as Film & Video. He has been
featured in a Life Journey Tele-Course, published poems in several national anthologies,
been a contributor to The Third Coast Magazine and written several
novels. kage@modamag.com
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