Last semester, my professor for my critical thinking class had a brief discussion on movies that he watched when he was younger, and how they were more subtle then the ones in today’s society. He specifically referenced “Dracula” from 1931, and how that wasn’t nearly as gory as movies like “Friday the 13th” for example. Flash forward to last weekend when my friends and I watched the movie “Don’t Breathe,” a twisted horror movie that, with the exception of the ending, was a very solid watch. One of the movies greatest charms however, compared to most other modern horror movies, was its reliance on suspense, buildup, and made you afraid of what was coming next rather than gracing the screen with blood, guts, and shock for the sake of shock. Coming out of this movie really made me think why most movies, and all of pop culture today, are so focused on the explicit, rather than the implicit.
When I watch movies like Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” or Ridley Scotts “Alien,” I get horrified, truly horrified, not because of excessive gore, but because of the fear of the unknown, not knowing what will happen next, or when the monster or killer will jump out from behind the curtain (in a manner of speaking) creeps me out. While explicit horror, mainly found in slasher films, is amusing and scary in its own right, it gets to a point that we as a culture become desensitized to what’s actually happening on screen, and nothing really scares the audience anymore. There are only so many movies where the teenagers get picked off one by one in horrific ways, each one more gruesome then the last, before the formula gets stale. Even in other movies, such as the “Human Centipede,” a movie that serves to shock the audience on premise alone, once you get past the vile concept, the rest of the movie becomes less horrifying and more disgusting and revolting (and not in a fun way either).
Looking at the gradual evolution of horror movies as a whole, jumping from “Frankenstein” and “Dracula” to the monster movies of the 1950’s, it makes sense that horror movies would gradually become more and more explicit, shocking and thrilling a new generation, but after the 80’s, it seems that the only way Hollywood and the horror movie has been getting by is through cheap scares and re-hashing plots and movie franchises. Every now and again there will be a new and innovative movie, such as “The Blair Witch Project,” which became a phenomenon, but even so those techniques and styles of storytelling eventually become bland as well. Horror movies become less and less about telling a story and actually scaring audiences and more about how far they can push conventional boundaries before it gets an NC-17 rating. And the most baffling part? These movies still draw in money, not an incredibly large amount, but money nonetheless.
My only guess as to why that is, it because audiences aren’t in it for the genuine thrill, but for the superficial, how visually unappealing a movie can be, rather than how terrifying a horror movie can be. Horror movies are almost borderline parody, which is sad, considering some of the best movies ever made are horror movies. With movies like “Don’t Breathe” however, I have some renewed hope that the once great horror genre can return to its roots, and genuinely frighten audiences across the world once again.
