Rant number 332
I really love Bruce Campbell - I love the guy.
He's not a great actor (or even a good actor really,) but he has a great on screen presence and sense of fun.
The reason I mention this of course is two simple words: Evil Dead.
A film banned for 14 years in the UK - I discovered this 'trilogy' (that isn't really a trilogy, as they have no continuity (shame on you Sam Raimi!)) in my teens and just loved them.
The original film was (and still is) fantastic - and truly groundbreaking. Made on a minuscule budget (and netting nothing for those who created it for the love of it) the film still has some shocks to this day (tree rape anyone?) and a lot to say for itself.
The sequels too are truly fantastic in a different way. The second film particularly blurs the lines between comedy and horror with some truly troubling set pieces such as the scene where Ash(Bruce) laughs manically along with a lamp, a dead moose and various other pieces of furniture. Its also hilarious however - everyone loves the possessed hand gags and chainsaw based one liners.
The reason I'm rambling about this fantastic movie is simple:
They're remaking it.
Oh dear.
It could be great I suppose - but it won't be Evil Dead as it is: cheap and dirty and an evident triumph against adversity. It'll be a fan-boys vision 'making it their own (shit)' with a big budget because its a safe bet to make a remake.
They've also announced a remake of Carrie - which (give or take the embarrassing backwards walking goof in the closing scene (backwards cars - they really should shot it again)) is also a really fine example of horror on a budget that can really creep under your skin and give you the willies.
It also teaches everyone a valuable lesson: Do not - whatever you do, fuck with the quiet creepy girl (a trope well used in Japanese horror particularly.)
You can then add this to the other remakes that have taken place over the last 10 years: Nightmare on Elmstreet, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003,) Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3d (2013,) Friday the 13th, Halloween, Halloween II, Dawn of the Dead, The Hills have Eyes, Last House on the Left, The Crazies, Fright Night, I spit on your grave, House on Haunted hill, The Thing and doubtless more I've forgotten (or blocked out) and realise quantifiably that they really are trying to take just about anything successful and rehash it.
I've seen most (but admittedly not all) of the above movies and I can tell you one thing they all have in common - they are nowhere as good as the films they fight so hard to emulate.
They all exaggerate the points wrongly, they think they know better, they rely on CGI and they generally loose a lot in translation.
This isn't my only problem with them though. What bugs me most of all - is that they are too bloody easy.
Its a simple fact of life that its easier to steal an idea - than to start from scratch. As such, studio execs and money men absolutely love them - because they are almost guaranteed to get previous fans in - if only to condemn.
The big problem with that of course - is that truly original ideas get left behind - which via one of the longest and most articulate digressions of all time (short of Tristram Shandy (look it up)) brings me eloquently to my point.
There is so little originality in modern horror films it makes me want to cry!
We seem to be stuck in a massive rut of new ideas as far as horror films go. Wes Craven did great justice for us with 'Scream' in the 90s which brought a new spin on the slasher flick. Unfortunately, it then spawned a load of copycat slasher films (I know what you did last summer/Urban Legend etc.)
Then there was another strike of minor originality with 'The Blair Witch Project' in 1999. I can't say I liked it (all I remember is being bored confused and disgusted at all that snot!) however, it was a new idea - which has inspired many of the modern ideas. 'Found Footage' is currently big business and is cheap as chips to make comparatively speaking.
Look at 'Paranormal Activity' and sequels: infrared camera, some cheap magic tricks, some reasonable actors and the money rolls in. Its all cheap scares and jumps - but its what people have come to expect.
Then there are similar 'documentary' style horror like the frankly perplexingly awful 'The Last Exorcism.'
Then - after a few more years (2004) - some genuinenesses burst onto the screen with 'Saw' a film with a small budget but with a clever concept and some great ideas. With its brilliant ideas and intense and intelligent plot - this film birthed once again many copycat - such as 'Hostel,' 'The Collector,' and of course 'The Human Centipede.' One idea duplicated, twisted and bare faced copied all over again - I'm not great fan personally - these films lack soul.
The thing is, its now been 8 years since that last stab of genius - what is happening to original horror?
In the underground scene - some nice ideas (such as the very disturbing 'Frozen') have come and gone mostly unnoticed (you really should watch it though - its creepy.) If people won't fund the original ideas - we aren't going to get to see them.
The closest to a new idea in years is 'The Cabin in the Woods' - which is just a rehashing of several other peoples great ideas. I won't give anything away to those of you who haven't seen it however I will say that its disappointingly similar to the films its supposed to be pastiching and has a ridiculously inane plot and ending.
It seems that we need to rely on foreign films (particularly the Japanese, Italians and Koreans) are the only people to be relied on for new ideas - crossed fingers we'll be seeing something soon.
Rant over.
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