Horror is a genre of franchises.
At least in the mainstream, anyway – when we think of big horror movies, we tend to think of those that have led to a stack of sequels, remakes, re-imaginings, and whatever else they can come up with. Horror lays claim to some of the longest-running and most-populated franchises in movie history – from Friday the 13th to the Hombre Lobo series, there are too many huge, decades-spanning series to count.
And I think that’s something that earns the genre and especially these franchises a lot of derision. Just take a look at the (unfairly) dreadful reviews for the latest Insidious movie; so many of them revolve around how spent the franchise feels, how pointless it is to make yet another story in this series.
But I actually have to admit these remakes, sequels, and new versions of horror movies are some of my favourites of the genre – and, I think, horror is the genre that most earns the right these extensive franchises. Because horror is so reflective of the circumstances that it’s set in, the cultural fears that surround the story’s creation in both time and place, new versions often reflect a really different set of fears, and a fascinating new approach as a result. You can go from the original Halloween exploring the fear of a shattered suburban safety in the seventies to the remake getting into the nature vs nurture debate around dangerous children in the mid-noughties; same basic story, but the different cultural context makes them really interesting comparison pieces.
Not to mention the fact that horror creates superfans like no other genre does, and there’s nothing I love more than getting to watch those superfans have a crack at a new version of the stories that they grew up loving. Samuel Bayer, who directed the actually moderately interesting Nightmare on Elm Street reboot, focused on turning Freddy Krueger into the boogeyman he really wanted the character to be when he watched the movies growing up, and he’s far from the only one-time fan to take a shot at a new iteration of the franchise (Rob Zombie’s Halloween being perhaps the most notable example). Coming from that place of fandom and genuine love for the series, and approaching it with an understanding that only someone who started as a fan has, makes for movies that often, to me, feel like they’re coming from a place of real love, and that’s an instant bonus for any movie for me. Because these series span so many decades, people can grow from fans to creators in their own right, and what that brings to their movies is uniquely endearing.
I’m certainly not defending some of the crappier, more cynical remakes of the last decade or so (Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I am looking at you), but I really believe that horror’s unique approach to franchises is one of the things that keeps me interested in the genre. What’s your opinion on horror’s huge franchises? Do you enjoy what they offer, or would you rather see more new releases? Let me know in the comments!
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By Lou MacGregor
(header image via Orange County Register)
No But Listen 