What Happened to Horror?

Horror movies have gotten weird lately, huh?

It seems like they always either have some gimmick or they’re attached to existing franchises. We haven’t gotten a really solid, classic horror movie in a while.

Hear me out, because I know that opening will be taken to mean that horror movies nowadays are bad. They’re not bad! For the most part, they’ve been really good! Nobody in their right mind would call A Quiet Place or Hereditary bad movies!

What they’re not are films in the vein of Last House on the Left, The original Wicker Man, The Omen, or Rosemary’s Baby. Where those films are striking for their reliance on tapping into human nature and the fears inherent in all of us, horror films now are more…niche.

The best way to illustrate the point I’m trying to make is to take a few movies and break them down; analyzing what works, what might not, and why I think they will or will not stand the test of time. I won’t be going chronologically, or in order of my own preferences; however, I will start with some older films.

Last House on the Left is going first. This is a film which hasn’t quite reached mainstream notoriety the way other horror films have, but if you’re a fan of the genre, you know the premise. A young woman on vacation with her parents is abducted, assaulted, and left for dead by a gang of violent criminals. She survives the ordeal and makes it back home, only to discover that the criminals (who don’t realize she’s alive and that the house belongs to her family) have come seeking refuge from a storm. Through small details and critical thinking, everyone learns the identities of everyone else. The girl’s parents seek revenge for their daughter’s attack, and bloodshed ensues. While this is not a particularly complex film, at least in terms of twists or turns, it does pose a fascinating moral question: when does it become acceptable to take a life? Where is the line? Is there a line?

Last House stuck with me because it is a scenario anyone could find themselves in. There’s no supernatural element, no secret history between characters (aside from what transpired the day before,) no long-standing grudges…it’s just a family trying to survive while also seeking justice for their loved one. What would you do in that situation? If someone you cared about came back to you, bloodied and beaten, and you were faced with the party responsible, would you be able to control yourself? That’s not a dilemma which is relegated to any one time period. Whether you’re watching in 1972, when Last House was released, or nowadays, the circumstances don’t change that much.

Rosemary’s Baby hits a similar cord; albeit with an added supernatural element. A woman moves to an apartment with her husband; looking to start a new life and, eventually, a family. The couple is young and in love, and all seems fine…that is, except for their odd new neighbors; all of whom seem very invested in Rosemary’s life. Before she knows it, they’re controlling almost everything she does. She’s pushed into changing doctors, ignoring her friends, and she’s even harassed when she goes outside. Things don’t get any better when Rosemary becomes pregnant. Even her husband is absolutely no help. With no answers, no privacy, and no genuine support, Rosemary’s life begins spiraling out of control. It isn’t until the very end of the film that we learn exactly what’s been going on and how much of the insanity was actually meticulous planning.

At first glance, Rosemary’s Baby is simply pure fiction; nothing to discuss, nothing to relate to (unless you’ve led a very interesting life.) Look closer, though. Think about how much we as a society pressure pregnant women to do things “the right way” in order to ensure the “optimal” result. No formula! No breast feeding! Don’t hold the baby that way! Get rid of your pets! Is that food organic? You’re not vaccinating, are you?! We like to think that we’ve progressed since 1968, but have we? Or has the glut of advice and judgment simply moved from magazines to so-called “Mommy Blogs?”

Similarly, strip away the supernatural elements from the original Omen. What are you left with? A film about two parents trying to raise their adopted son, whose developing behavioral issues have come on without warning and are starting to get out of control. Nobody helps, everyone has an opinion, and the whole thing ends in disaster. The fact that The Omen was released in 1976 doesn’t matter! Society is still quick to judge first-time parents while offering no real assistance. We just sort of shrug and say “they need to get it together.”

Let’s step away from the topic of parenting. If you want to hear more in-depth discussions on so-called “creepy kids” in horror, I highly suggest the Dead Meat podcast from the channel Dead Meat. Go find them on YouTube; they’re wonderful. For my part, I’d like to shift to talking about one of my favorite films (and one of my favorite topics), the original Wicker Man and the way religion (specifically Catholicism) used to be threaded into the horror genre.

The Wicker Man (not the Nicholas Cage movie, get that out of your head) is the story of a police officer who’s summoned to a mysterious island to investigate the disappearance of a little girl. The officer is shown to be deeply religious, which causes him to clash with the sexually-liberated pagans he encounters on the island. Throughout the film, we’re shown just how appalled he is at their strange rituals and their lascivious way of life. They seem almost animalistic to him…and yet, he engages in his own rituals in the name of his God. What makes him better than them?

Aside from the ritualistic sacrifices they engage in.

But then…what is transubstantiation if not a ritual sacrifice?

Once again, you don’t need to have seen The Wicker Man when it came out for its subtext to be relevant! The hidden message of all religions having rituals outsiders wouldn’t understand, the dangers of being so blinded by that lack of understanding that you miss genuine danger, and the warning about the destructive nature of blind zealotry are all messages which hold as much meaning today as they did in 1973! Nothing is stale or outdated!

That’s where I feel that most horror movies now fall short. Let’s start with A Quiet Place, released in 2018. The story is solid: a family is doing their best to survive in a world ravaged by alien creatures with a heightened sensitivity to sound. The slightest noise will get the monsters’ attention, as demonstrated by a devastating tragedy in act one, so the family must live as silently as possible. This is especially hard when we learn that the wife is pregnant and about to give birth.

If you know anything about childbirth, you know there’s no way of doing that without making noise.

I remember when the film came out, audiences went nuts! There were reports of theaters so quiet you could hear a pin drop the whole time. Everyone was caught up in the gimmick! Don’t make noise! It’s all fictional, but it feels so real!

A Quiet Place was a blockbuster hit, and there’s a sequel coming out….but, where’s the message?

Where is the sense that this could happen to anyone at any time? Where is the dread that this is a situation all families should be prepared for? Where is the parallel to a real-life issue? I don’t see A Quiet Place joining the ranks of the classics; and if it does, it’ll be right alongside The Blob, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and Alien. It’ll be a creature feature!

There’s nothing wrong with creature features! They simply occupy their own space in the realm of “classics.” No existential dread, no larger commentary. Nobody will be driving home looking in their rearview mirrors or sleeping with the lights on.

Hereditary, and its atmospheric twin The Witch, will also occupy niche categories in the realm of “classics.” They’ll be remembered for their set design, acting, production values, and the atmospheres they created…but they won’t be remembered as fondly as The Exorcist, The Omen, or Rosemary’s Baby.

Hereditary has working against it the Chosen One element; that trope I hate more than scream queens that run upstairs and villains who monologue too long. This is a family which has been targeted by a demon; not out of chance, but because of “destiny.” Cool, the rest of us have nothing to worry about then! We weren’t destined to be tormented by a demon until one of us is inhabited by said-demon (again, unless you’ve led an incredibly interesting life, in which case, please seek me out so I can write about you!)

In The Exorcist, Reagan became possessed simply because she played around with a ouija board; something we’ve all probably done as kids. It was demon roulette and she lost! That could happen to anyone!

In Hereditary, as long as you’re not part of this one unfortunate family, you’re fine. Don’t go over for cookouts, and you should live a long and happy life.

The Witch is a product of the time period it’s set in: puritan-age America; when witches were for burning and church was as much a part of life as eating and breathing. While we are still susceptible to bouts of moral panic, we’ve evolved past banishments and stake-burning. We understand science, we have a better hold on child care…what I’m saying is I don’t think things would break down nowadays as quickly as they do in The Witch. We live in a different cultural climate than the puritans did. With the exception of a few individuals, I highly doubt anyone walked out of the theater worrying if a forest witch was going to snatch away their baby or if a goat possessed by Satan would kill their whole family first. There’s no sense that the events of the film could actually happen!

“But the Bell Witch!!” Is a legend which happened decades ago! If The Witch renews your fears that the Bell Witch is going to come for you…why are you reading this article? I can do nothing for you!

In conclusion, while today’s crop of horror movies are excellent, and absolutely worthy of the praise they’ve received, they lack that feeling of realness which the true classics embody. They probably won’t fade into complete obscurity; however, they’ll never soar to the heights of their predecessors. Nowadays, it’s all about the momentary scare. Get the audience into seats, freak them out, then send them home.

I, for one, miss the days of lasting damage. I want a movie to give me nightmares again! Is that so much to ask?!