As horror fans, we take what we can get these days. Most theatrical releases are less than original, and if we even see them at all, odds are the majority of us go in with our expectations low. Though there have been exceptions recently (the fantastic “You’re Next” comes to mind), mainstream producers seem to target a very specific audience for a quick cash grab, either in the form of the all-too-popular remake, or the monotonous sequels that (most of) us die-hards are neutral of anyway.
In this day and age, the bottom line is profit. This almost always means sacrificing the budget of the film and capitalizing in earning more revenue than it took to produce the picture in the first place. The easiest way to achieve this, or so it would seem, is the found-footage genre of horror. Though Cannibal Holocaust is usually noted as the “first” in this series, it was The Blair Witch Project that catapulted this style into the mainstream psyche and left an almost constant string of successful “do-it-yourself” motion pictures in the memory of the movie going audience.
With this fact virtually undisputed, it is without question that big business filmmakers are aware of the fact that the horror audience is growing tired of the found-footage films. As excited as we were for films like Cloverfield, [REC], and Paranormal Activity, the magic has worn off, so to speak, and we are all left asking each other the same question: what next?
20th Century Fox has come close to answering that question for us in the upcoming release of the Matt Bettinelli-Olpin directed Devil’s Due, coming to theatres January 17, 2014. The trailer itself has generated some buzz in the horror world, yet mostly for how it reminds us of The Devil Inside and feels reminiscent of Rosemary’s Baby. Yet they have taken things quite a step further, and by navigating through the official movie website, you will arrive at a tab under the title of “Convert”...
In this day and age, the bottom line is profit. This almost always means sacrificing the budget of the film and capitalizing in earning more revenue than it took to produce the picture in the first place. The easiest way to achieve this, or so it would seem, is the found-footage genre of horror. Though Cannibal Holocaust is usually noted as the “first” in this series, it was The Blair Witch Project that catapulted this style into the mainstream psyche and left an almost constant string of successful “do-it-yourself” motion pictures in the memory of the movie going audience.
With this fact virtually undisputed, it is without question that big business filmmakers are aware of the fact that the horror audience is growing tired of the found-footage films. As excited as we were for films like Cloverfield, [REC], and Paranormal Activity, the magic has worn off, so to speak, and we are all left asking each other the same question: what next?
20th Century Fox has come close to answering that question for us in the upcoming release of the Matt Bettinelli-Olpin directed Devil’s Due, coming to theatres January 17, 2014. The trailer itself has generated some buzz in the horror world, yet mostly for how it reminds us of The Devil Inside and feels reminiscent of Rosemary’s Baby. Yet they have taken things quite a step further, and by navigating through the official movie website, you will arrive at a tab under the title of “Convert”...
Needless to say, the move is already stirring up controversy. It seems like religious groups and the general movie going public is up in arms with this statement, and in my hometown of Columbus, Georgia, a petition has already been circling Facebook to stop the local Carmike Cinema from showing the film (this has happened once here already and was successful in preventing Rob Zombie’s The Lords of Salem from showing locally).
Whatever the opinion of this particular publicity stunt, it’s refreshing to see something different out there. The simple fact is that promoting this movie as a literal tool to gain converts to the Satanic religion has horrified the general public. And isn’t that exactly what “Horror Movies” are supposed to be doing?
Whatever the opinion of this particular publicity stunt, it’s refreshing to see something different out there. The simple fact is that promoting this movie as a literal tool to gain converts to the Satanic religion has horrified the general public. And isn’t that exactly what “Horror Movies” are supposed to be doing?
L.A. Gore has been writing professionally for many years, with his articles appearing in numerous publications including Bibliotheca Alexandria, Waters of Life, Pangaia, Witches and Pagans, Playgrounds and The Circle. He has spent most of his life studying ancient and modern religion, and most of his work thus far represents his findings. He is a self-proclaimed horror movie fanatic, with over four hundred in his personal collection. A few of his personal favorites are Hellraiser, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Phantasm, Suspiria, Return of the Living Dead and Dead Alive. |