Reinvigorating a Genre

"There are certain RULES that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie." — Randy, "Scream."

Throughout the years, horror films have maintained a similar formula, but they've undergone some significant changes. It is a genre that has taken a big step backwards in recent years.

I have always been a fan of horror films. In fact, in college, I wrote a communications paper on the evolution of slasher films. I love the genre, but I haven't loved what it became.

In the 1970s and 1980s, horror followed a familiar pattern. In some ways, they were strict morality tales. If you transgressed, you died in a gruesome fashion at the hands of some kind of supernatural monster.

In 1996, the genre got a shot in the arm with "Scream." I noted that "Scream" is one of the most important films of the 20th Century because of how it revitalized the horror genre. It acknowledged the almost absurd rules and formula of the genre, while twisting it somewhat and following the formula anyway. It launched a somewhat golden period that infused black humor and winking nods to the audience as part of the genre.

But somewhere along the line that changed. Now, horror films have devolved into two predictable categories. First, we have "torture porn." This is best exemplified by the "Saw" franchise, which isn't really interested in scares as much as it glorifies graphic violence and torture as entertainment. This is not only distasteful, but it seems to be a very distressing commentary on our society. This is something Kevin Williamson eluded to with his dialogue in "Scream 4."

The second category is the found footage craze, best exemplified by "Paranormal Activity." It relies on cheap scares, the illusion of what's not seen, and is very cheap to make and produce.

The problem is, neither of these really does a lot to enhance the genre. In fact, they both share a commonality that is found in the lack of thinking needed to watch them. Both types of films are predictable in their own ways.

That's what makes "The Cabin in the Woods" such a breath of fresh air for the genre. It's a high-concept film in a genre that's been through a cycle of being dumbed down. It is, hopefully, a game-changer.

"Scream" ended up being a film of significance because it re-ignited the genre when it seemed on its last legs. It's on its last legs again, in my opinion, but only time will tell if "Cabin" is the start of something new or just a fun film that's swimming against the tide.