Horror films in the spotlight (again)
It was another good weekend for horror. The new film "Silent Hill" opened in the number one spot at the U.S. box office, taking in over $20 million, with "Scary Movie 4" coming in at number two with $17 million in its second week of release. These box office successes come on the heels of several other critically panned but profitable horror hits such as "Cabin Fever," "Wolf Creek," "Hostel," and the "Saw" series.
Seems like we're going through the latest wave of horror popularity, and the media is taking notice. ABC's "Nightline Online" today features a story on the increasing level of violence in these films accompanied by a video piece called "Hollywood Blood Lust," which marks the debut of their new 'videocast' feature.
Obviously, the title "Hollywood Blood Lust" could be more accurately titled "America's Blood Lust," as both pieces reinforce the fact that the movie studios only continue to make these films because they're popular with viewers, especially the youth market. There's a bit of cursory analysis of what societal factors may be causing the renewed interest in the genre with the obvious blame going to terrorism and the war in Iraq. This is clearly a convenient and lazy conclusion. The fact is that every few years there's another resurgence of interest in horror, and with the advancement of effects technology, and filmmakers looking to ratchet up the shock-factor, each new wave of movies appears to be more graphic and violent than the generation before (with the recent wave of Japanese remakes being a notable exception). And every few years another round of shallow reporting attempts connect the popularity of these films with the breakdown of society.
This type of sensational fear-based journalism satisfies the same "Blood Lust" for adults as the movies do for their kids.
Seems like we're going through the latest wave of horror popularity, and the media is taking notice. ABC's "Nightline Online" today features a story on the increasing level of violence in these films accompanied by a video piece called "Hollywood Blood Lust," which marks the debut of their new 'videocast' feature.
Obviously, the title "Hollywood Blood Lust" could be more accurately titled "America's Blood Lust," as both pieces reinforce the fact that the movie studios only continue to make these films because they're popular with viewers, especially the youth market. There's a bit of cursory analysis of what societal factors may be causing the renewed interest in the genre with the obvious blame going to terrorism and the war in Iraq. This is clearly a convenient and lazy conclusion. The fact is that every few years there's another resurgence of interest in horror, and with the advancement of effects technology, and filmmakers looking to ratchet up the shock-factor, each new wave of movies appears to be more graphic and violent than the generation before (with the recent wave of Japanese remakes being a notable exception). And every few years another round of shallow reporting attempts connect the popularity of these films with the breakdown of society.
This type of sensational fear-based journalism satisfies the same "Blood Lust" for adults as the movies do for their kids.
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