The Worrying Deteoriation of Horror Movie Quality

Considering the fact that I have no idea how to start a blog – I thought that I’d start with something I’m passionate about. Horror movies have made up the bulk of my childhood nightmares (and I have had some disturbing nightmares), and are probably the reason why I can’t sleep for more than four hours a night – yet my 17-year old, socially awkward self can’t seem to get enough of them.

However, the lack of originality and creativity in recent years is a disappointment to me, and the majority of horror fans over the age of 15 – we used to have classics like ‘in the mouth of madness’ and ‘the shining’, which, sure, made no sense and confused watchers more than anything, but were original and creative! They had a genuine element of scariness to them despite their non-convincing prehistoric CGI tricks and never failed to have me cowering under my covers by the time I got to bed. Their casts were always stellar, with just enough satire to keep it entertaining, but not enough comedy to dismiss the horror elements, and didn’t constantly use cheap tricks like jumpscares to manipulate the audience into thinking the film was actually scary even if it wasn’t ; in the words of Chris Stuckerman, ‘Jump scares do not scare. They startle. Being startled is not the same thing as being scared. Being startled is like getting pinched — the pain is sudden and sharp, but you forget about it immediately. Being scared is like getting stabbed in the gut and having the blade twirl up your intestines like spaghetti — the pain is — quite uncomfortable.‘ . I mean, movies that have a terrifying element to them are much more likely to stay with a person, than something that lacks a storyline and forces the chemistry. A movie that makes no sense, can always be saved by dialogue and chemistry between the characters, but both are something that more recent films seem to lack.

There are only a few films that have been released in the last few years that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed, and that would be Hereditary, Zombieland, Get Out (although it’s more of a thriller than anything) and Don’t Breathe. Although, in the defense of recent movies, I haven’t really kept up with many, given all of the GCSEs and A level exam stress.

Anyways, let me know in the comments below if you have any movie/blog suggestions, criticisms or if you have differing opinions. I hope my writing style and layout improve soon, as I get a little more used to writing informally but just bare with me, while I try and find my voice (and yes, I am speaking to my total of zero followers at the moment).