Blood and Gore at the Cinema
April 14th, 2010 . by adminThe Horror Film genre has evolved over the years as the technology in film making has advanced. Special effects have completely changed the way we view movies and deliver levels of realism that were never before possible. Just because the special effects have improved doesn’t necessarily mean that the things that scare us have changed that much, it just means that the presentation is much better than ever. Many of the classic horror films have have been remade over the years.
For fans of the horror genre there are a quite a few sub-categories that each have a different appeal. Monster movies are the ones that center around a hideous villain, exemplified by the Frankenstein monster, the Wolfman, and Count Dracula. Since then there have been countless variations and remakes based on those themes, in fact vampire movies appear to have become a sub genre of horror films.
Slash and gore movies are another sub-category of horror films that appeared within the past 20 years with the archetype being Friday the 13th, which spawned numerous sequels. Other horror movies in this category have spawned multiple sequels as well. Movie franchises like Halloween, Saw, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Scream are some of the best examples of this type of film which focus on a lone killer that murders his victims in the most gruesome ways imaginable.
A mash up of the supernatural monster and the slasher movie is the basis of one of the most popular horror films. A Nightmare on Elm Street, introduced us to Wes Craven’s supernatural killer, Freddy Krueger. Not only were there several sequels to this film, but even the cross over film Freddy vs. Jason, which pits the slashers Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees (from Friday the 13th) against one another.
Coming to theaters soon is another addition to the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The new movie isn’t a sequel, but rather a remake of the original, so the plot should be familiar to everyone who has seen the original, but it should be interesting to see what can be done with the new movie, especially with the advancements made with special effects.