In the past ten years we have seen a flood of horror films hit the theaters, and for one reason or another, only a handful ended up being worth watching. For some reason Hollywood seems to like to make a great beginning and middle of a movie, only to limp across the finish line in a way that ruins the entire experience. It seems to be a continuing occurrence in the horror genre. Along with that we have to sit through terrible remakes of iconic films. Now, I'm not saying all the remakes are bad, but most of them are terrible. Oh, and who thought it was a good idea to let Rob Zombie make movies?
Independent Horror has been a great alternative to big Hollywood films, as they seem to deliver where Hollywood just can't. But beware, not all independent films are created equally. I've sat through many a film that looked like someone's high school senior project. Those are hours of my life that I'll never get back. But it's worth it because sitting through bad films I have found a lot of great horror films by watching trailers. And when you're in the video store reading the backs of DVD cases, the description may sound good, but the film falls flat. It's a process of trial and error.
Which brings me to the point of this post. The Horror community needs to support grassroots film makers. These people has a dream and a passion for the genre, and the could very well help to usher in a new era in horror films. But how does one support grassroots horror? Glad you asked!
In the days of social media and tablets and smartphones supporting things and causes has never been easier. Thanks to a great little app called Popcorn Horror, you can watch and support grassroots horror no matter where you are! This app allows aspiring film makers to post their short films and allow anyone who has the app to view them. Not only that, but there is a place for comments on the films and forums where you can join others and talk about all things horror. Now I will warn you that not everything on there is good, but in the past year or so, I have seen a lot of great short films on this app. It's worth a shot, so check it out and help support the horror community!
I agree that Hollywood has struggled with making good horror films lately. So many films have started off so promising, just to pull the rug out at the end and leave the viewers disappointed. On the other hand, grassroots and independent films have had great concepts and stories, but the lack of funding causes their film to fall flat of what it could have been. Perhaps someday, if we continue to support Grassroots horror, there will come a time when brilliant independent film makers will have the ability (whether through funding or better technology) to create a film worthy of its concept. I hope that we begin to see better horror films in the future, films that bring back the love of the genre and restore our hope in the movie-makers.
ReplyDeleteNice photo by the way. Your eyes are quite convincing.