Thursday, April 29, 2010

Then their career just stopped...Part 1

I love horror films. Just love them! From the German expressionism circa 1919 to some of the stuff they release today. A Nightmare on elm Street is probably the film that started my love for the genre so needless to say I am totally looking forward to the remake of the 1984 classic.

I find horror films so rich with subtext, as it is more about the message than the actual events. Films like "The Last House on the Left" tend to be so difficult to watch as it appears to just be gratuitous violence dripping with disdain. On closer inspection you will see that above it all the movie challenges the audience to make a decision on what is right and what is wrong. How far must one go for revenge before it becomes more than just an eye for an eye?
As I do more research into the world of the horror genre I learn more about the filmmakers and the time they were made. Two films in particular really amaze me and its surprising to find out that the films at the time of release were received so badly that it ended the directors careers.

The first one 'Freaks' was a Tod Browning masterpiece. It is also the film that started the whole killer-crawling-on-the-floor-with-a-knife scene that is ever so popular in zombie films.

At the time the film about real life
circus freaks was too much for the audiences to handle but now the film is classified as one of the all time horror greats. I tend to agree and I am glad that it achieved the cult status it deserves unfortunately the director could not be around to enjoy the praise that he so deserved.

3 comments:

KenPaul66 said...

I'm not sure how I feel about all these remakes of horror films from the 80's. You really can't improve on the 1984 version of Nightmare On Elm Street.

Supatube said...

I tend to agree with you but i still watch it none the less.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.