The Horror Cycles

I'd say there was a slump from the mid-80ies until SCREAM cam around. Then came the self-aware phase which resulted in another slump that lasted until the end of the 90ies when the genre was revived by BLAIR WITCH and SIXTH SENSE.

In my early years here at the Corner I did a column that served as a retrospective on the films generated during that horror "slump" between the late '80s and mid-'90s. I always saw this period as a desperate time for studios trying to catch "the next big thing" by creating cheesy horror icons that fell flat on their faces. Potential franchise ideas that crashed and burned.

With the exception of the 10 year ( or so ) drought begining in the late 80s, I believe that horror has consistantly enjoyed positive phases ...

Going back to 1960 ( where I believe modern horror began ), we had two landmark horror films in PEEPING TOM and PSYCHO ... These two films, along with an entirely new set of filmaking rules, opened the floodgates to what could be put to film .... Filmakers such as HG Lewis and George Romero pushed the envelope and created a new direction ...

The early to mid 70's was awesome, and by the late 70's, we had a nice sub-genre in that there were big budget films being made with decent celebrity talent ... THE SENTINEL, EYES OF LAURA MARS, ALIEN, THE CHANGELING as examples ... Of course, there were the blockbuster horror films of that era, such as THE EXORCIST and THE OMEN ... and in addition to the large scale films, we still had great low budget fare such as PHANTASM, HALLOWEEN and TOURIST TRAP ..... and of course, there was the foreign market, with Dario Argento picking up where Mario Bava and Hitch left off ....

Let's see ... the early to mid 80's was the time of the slasher film, which is a favorite to many fans ... It was then that we got films like FRIDAY THE 13TH, NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST, THE PROWLER, MANIAC, MY BLOODY VALENTINE etc ... Great era ..

After that is when horror slipped ... There has always been the good film, however, it was slim pickings and there was a definite drop-off ...

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, THE OTHERS and SUMMER OF SAM while all very different, each breathed new life into what had become a very stagnant scene .... And most recently, the booming Asain horror market has introduced a new era .... RINGU, THE EYE, DARK WATER, AUDITION, TALE OF TWO SISTERS, KAIRO are some the the best horror films in the past 20 years ...

And while I have no problem with remakes, the current trend is somewhat troubling because what has always made horror unique and exciting is how it pushed the envelope and gave us something new ...

Wow, what a bunch of rambling ... In getting back to the topic, I think that the moral of the story is that horror will always be here, especially with cretins like us egging it on ...