"During The Great Depression, movies were about 25¢, making them a perfect pastime for troubled Americans. The average weekly attendance for the movies was around 60-90 million people, with many using films as a means to forget their hardships if only for a few hours."
The film studios knew their audiences much better then than now. They knew audiences wanted escapist narratives in the Depression time, so they gave it to them.
I can totally agree. It does feel like the studios were more in tune with their audiences back then considering the stats. It’s super interesting to see how different it was compared to now!
Terrific article. The great thing about horror is that there are so many sub-genres, that there is something for everybody. I do like what is called 'elevated' horror(even though I find that term to be pompous) or maybe call it art house horror(which might just be as snooty) The problem that it is running into is that often time the writer/director tries to get too clever with the narrative and for those types of films to work for me the point of view character has to be someone I can relate too or find likeable and the story has to be engaging. I often find myself turning off movie safter twenty minutes just because I'm too bored with what is going on. Also, I think these elevated horror movies are starting their own tropes. For example ' lets shock the audience by killing a baby or child'... yawn that ship sailed along time ago. You are not doing anything new.
You’re completely right. And yeah, “elevated” horror is unfortunately all I knew what to even call that genre… LOL.
The writers and directors trying to be too clever is exactly right. These films can get boring if they’re not an interesting character at the center of it. And yeah… they’re also definitely starting to overplay their own tropes as well!
Really interesting. I guess I should give Skinamarink a second chance. I got maybe ten minutes into it once.
For me, Men was very scary, with its female character who was constantly surrounded by creepy men keeping an eye on her. The birth-birth-birth scene was such a cringe inducer, ha!
I get you! When I looked into it, both Skinamarink and Men were in a tug of war when it came to audience’s reactions. Lots of people seemed to be either you love it or hate it when it came to them. It really all depends on the person!
It’s interesting to see the swings of what people want to see. I agree with slow-burns: they are fantastic IF the story is moving forward and there’s a good payoff. In your face slashers are also fun. I like both, deeper and slower horror and more traditional monster stories. Not a big fan of blood and guts tbh, so for me, whether it’s slow or fast, as long I enjoy the story, I’m in.
Completely agree Skyla with your take on Men and how the movie tried to layer on too many metaphors, too many deep topics to make us think, that I found it extremely slow and asking myself what the hell is this about? I do love elevated and the typical OG slasher horror movies in equal measure but when done right like Get Out, elevated horror can 100% be a banger.
Can you define what you mean when you say elevated horror? You list some potential characteristics. But I don’t get what you mean. I know what people cite as examples. Babadook. A meditation on motherhood and grief, according to Scream 5. I love reading about the genre, but I also like clear definitions of terms that do heavy work in the writing.
This is so true. I love that horror is keeping practical effects alive, and the results speak for themselves. The sense of passion and fun in horror compared to much streamer fare these days is pretty striking too.
"During The Great Depression, movies were about 25¢, making them a perfect pastime for troubled Americans. The average weekly attendance for the movies was around 60-90 million people, with many using films as a means to forget their hardships if only for a few hours."
The film studios knew their audiences much better then than now. They knew audiences wanted escapist narratives in the Depression time, so they gave it to them.
I can totally agree. It does feel like the studios were more in tune with their audiences back then considering the stats. It’s super interesting to see how different it was compared to now!
It helped that the studios weren't under ownership by conglomerates in those days- they called more of their own shots.
Terrific article. The great thing about horror is that there are so many sub-genres, that there is something for everybody. I do like what is called 'elevated' horror(even though I find that term to be pompous) or maybe call it art house horror(which might just be as snooty) The problem that it is running into is that often time the writer/director tries to get too clever with the narrative and for those types of films to work for me the point of view character has to be someone I can relate too or find likeable and the story has to be engaging. I often find myself turning off movie safter twenty minutes just because I'm too bored with what is going on. Also, I think these elevated horror movies are starting their own tropes. For example ' lets shock the audience by killing a baby or child'... yawn that ship sailed along time ago. You are not doing anything new.
You’re completely right. And yeah, “elevated” horror is unfortunately all I knew what to even call that genre… LOL.
The writers and directors trying to be too clever is exactly right. These films can get boring if they’re not an interesting character at the center of it. And yeah… they’re also definitely starting to overplay their own tropes as well!
As a massive horror fan thank you for sharing this
Thanks for reading! Sharing the love of horror is what it’s all about 🔪❤️
Really interesting. I guess I should give Skinamarink a second chance. I got maybe ten minutes into it once.
For me, Men was very scary, with its female character who was constantly surrounded by creepy men keeping an eye on her. The birth-birth-birth scene was such a cringe inducer, ha!
I get you! When I looked into it, both Skinamarink and Men were in a tug of war when it came to audience’s reactions. Lots of people seemed to be either you love it or hate it when it came to them. It really all depends on the person!
It’s interesting to see the swings of what people want to see. I agree with slow-burns: they are fantastic IF the story is moving forward and there’s a good payoff. In your face slashers are also fun. I like both, deeper and slower horror and more traditional monster stories. Not a big fan of blood and guts tbh, so for me, whether it’s slow or fast, as long I enjoy the story, I’m in.
Yes! I absolutely love all kinds of horror, but the slow-burns definitely need to put in some work for it be memorable for me.
Completely agree Skyla with your take on Men and how the movie tried to layer on too many metaphors, too many deep topics to make us think, that I found it extremely slow and asking myself what the hell is this about? I do love elevated and the typical OG slasher horror movies in equal measure but when done right like Get Out, elevated horror can 100% be a banger.
I’m writing a slasher short story with a twist this weekend, if you like I can ping it here once it’s done?
No idea how it’ll turn out.
Can you define what you mean when you say elevated horror? You list some potential characteristics. But I don’t get what you mean. I know what people cite as examples. Babadook. A meditation on motherhood and grief, according to Scream 5. I love reading about the genre, but I also like clear definitions of terms that do heavy work in the writing.
This is so true. I love that horror is keeping practical effects alive, and the results speak for themselves. The sense of passion and fun in horror compared to much streamer fare these days is pretty striking too.