So many thrillers are being marketed as horror movies these days and it is actually starting to give me the shits. Just because a film has a few thrills and chills, it doesn't mean that it is a horror movie. Horror films need supernatural goings on for goodness sake! They need monsters, creatures, ghosts, ghouls, zombies, werewolves, vampires or at least an unnatural abomination of some description that has not come from outer space - that's 'sci-fi thriller' people! They are often quite bloody, although they certainly don't have to be, in fact some of the scariest horrors that I have ever seen really didn't have a lot of blood in them at all.
Back in the day, when you saw that something had the tag 'horror' attached to it, you knew that you were in for some pretty fucking weird shit. Classic and provocative movies like The Evil Dead, The Exorcist, The Shining, Rosemary's Baby and An American Werewolf in London are terrific examples of excellent horror movies because they are movies that will keep you up at night, and that really is the purpose of horror isn't it? They're movies that you don't forget about in a hurry because you can't. They earned their horror tag through and through.
I am not sure why thrillers are being marketed as horror so often now, in general horror movies draw far smaller crowds, and slapping a horror label on any film always means that I am going to go to the cinema alone to see it because everyone else thinks that the film is going to frighten the pants off them. Boo, stop scaring people away with inaccurate genre categories! Half the time I leave the cinema feeling really underwhelmed by things that have been marketed as horror, I go for a genuine scare and to experience something really left of centre and I get...well...meh!
Many films that are marketed as horror movies belong in the same category as films like Don't Breathe, Get Out and Creep, which are really 'psychological thrillers with a twist.' Unfortunately there is no specific genre for that, so they often get incorrectly classified and marketed as horror, and it really annoys me.
When I think 'horror' I think of Cronenberg, DePalma, Romero, Argento and Wan. I think of all of the times that my stomach turned, my pulse quickened, my pupils dilated and my senses were shocked. I recall the times that I lurched out my seat in fright and was grossed out by some unnatural visualisation; now that's horror people! And if you are going to label your movie a horror, you had better bring me some of that shit or else just call it what it is, a thriller!
Back in the day, when you saw that something had the tag 'horror' attached to it, you knew that you were in for some pretty fucking weird shit. Classic and provocative movies like The Evil Dead, The Exorcist, The Shining, Rosemary's Baby and An American Werewolf in London are terrific examples of excellent horror movies because they are movies that will keep you up at night, and that really is the purpose of horror isn't it? They're movies that you don't forget about in a hurry because you can't. They earned their horror tag through and through.
I am not sure why thrillers are being marketed as horror so often now, in general horror movies draw far smaller crowds, and slapping a horror label on any film always means that I am going to go to the cinema alone to see it because everyone else thinks that the film is going to frighten the pants off them. Boo, stop scaring people away with inaccurate genre categories! Half the time I leave the cinema feeling really underwhelmed by things that have been marketed as horror, I go for a genuine scare and to experience something really left of centre and I get...well...meh!
Many films that are marketed as horror movies belong in the same category as films like Don't Breathe, Get Out and Creep, which are really 'psychological thrillers with a twist.' Unfortunately there is no specific genre for that, so they often get incorrectly classified and marketed as horror, and it really annoys me.
When I think 'horror' I think of Cronenberg, DePalma, Romero, Argento and Wan. I think of all of the times that my stomach turned, my pulse quickened, my pupils dilated and my senses were shocked. I recall the times that I lurched out my seat in fright and was grossed out by some unnatural visualisation; now that's horror people! And if you are going to label your movie a horror, you had better bring me some of that shit or else just call it what it is, a thriller!
GET OUT
Release Date: 2017
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 104 mins
Here is another perfect example of a thriller being marketed as a horror movie. Get Out is most certainly a terrifically gripping and highly entertaining thriller, but in my books it is not really a horror movie. There is definitely something eerie and unnatural going on in Get Out which does set it apart from other thrillers, but labelling it a 'horror' is a stretch. So, don't be misled by the horror genre stamped all over this film, it is actually just a really intriguing thriller that will keep you guessing and wondering right up to the last moments.
Chris goes to his girlfriend Rose's house to meet her parents for the very first time. Chris is unsure about how they will react to their daughter being in an interracial relationship, but Rose assures him that he has nothing to be worried about. Over the course of the weekend, Chris becomes increasingly concerned about the motives of Rose's family after a string of odd and unnerving occurrences.
Jordan Peele (better known for his work on the comedy TV series Key and Peele) wrote and directed the script, and it is a tremendously fresh and intelligent body of work. The cast here is solid, especially Daniel Kaluuya who portrays Chris with loads of sincerity. He is very well supported by Allison Williams (fresh out of Girls), Catherine Keener, Jim Hudson and Rod Williams.
There is an alternate ending to Get Out that can be viewed on Youtube, and although it is worth checking out, I preferred the cinematic ending.
FINAL SAY: Now you're in the sunken place.
3.5 Chili Peppers
Release Date: 2017
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 104 mins
Here is another perfect example of a thriller being marketed as a horror movie. Get Out is most certainly a terrifically gripping and highly entertaining thriller, but in my books it is not really a horror movie. There is definitely something eerie and unnatural going on in Get Out which does set it apart from other thrillers, but labelling it a 'horror' is a stretch. So, don't be misled by the horror genre stamped all over this film, it is actually just a really intriguing thriller that will keep you guessing and wondering right up to the last moments.
Chris goes to his girlfriend Rose's house to meet her parents for the very first time. Chris is unsure about how they will react to their daughter being in an interracial relationship, but Rose assures him that he has nothing to be worried about. Over the course of the weekend, Chris becomes increasingly concerned about the motives of Rose's family after a string of odd and unnerving occurrences.
Jordan Peele (better known for his work on the comedy TV series Key and Peele) wrote and directed the script, and it is a tremendously fresh and intelligent body of work. The cast here is solid, especially Daniel Kaluuya who portrays Chris with loads of sincerity. He is very well supported by Allison Williams (fresh out of Girls), Catherine Keener, Jim Hudson and Rod Williams.
There is an alternate ending to Get Out that can be viewed on Youtube, and although it is worth checking out, I preferred the cinematic ending.
FINAL SAY: Now you're in the sunken place.
3.5 Chili Peppers
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