Directors and fame
07-06-2009, 03:14 AM
You bring up some very, very good points as well. True, I don't really care about Spielberg's work, but then the mainstream/critical audience sees him as a legend. It seems to me almost every genre has someone who even the stuckup critics like, be it drama, romance, comedy, scifi (If Ridley Scott still did shit 
), but not really horror, at least not consistantly.
You do have an interesting argument in "would someone who doesn't care about horror, care about hypothetical horror director?". It is true that horror has the stigma of being a genre that you either love or you hate, but on the other hand it had an even larger stigma until the late 60s/early 70s, that all or most horror was basically for kids... Black Christmas and TCM changed that. If there was something revolutionary made to make horror a big and consequently more accessible thing again (Like say The Orphanage, on a larger scale), it might perhaps get more recognition... But then at what cost?
I do believe horror films, as tame as they were "back then", were more accessible to more general audiences, so if they somehow became accessible again, they might run the risk of "losing their edge" in order to appeal to the crowd (Sort of like PG-13 rated ones today, but a different change to make their themes less intense as opposed to just being "toned down" in general). Along the same vein and perhaps backing up the point a little, comedy might be losing just a little bit of steam with more edgy stuff coming out. Superbad was big for a good bit, but The Hangover, which is supposed to be a good bit more vulgar is getting more comedy fan acclaim whilst (It looks like) less critical praise.
On a less related note; I think I may disagree about horror being harder to be original with, there has been a lot done, but there can also be many things that still can be done. IMO horror is one genre that a lot more can be done with, as opposed to less. Moreso than romance, comedy or drama, horror can exist in several different worlds, both paranormal and supernatural. All the while, horror can easily mingle with the real world (Unlike a lot of scifi), which can make it easier to generate unique ideas.
), but not really horror, at least not consistantly. You do have an interesting argument in "would someone who doesn't care about horror, care about hypothetical horror director?". It is true that horror has the stigma of being a genre that you either love or you hate, but on the other hand it had an even larger stigma until the late 60s/early 70s, that all or most horror was basically for kids... Black Christmas and TCM changed that. If there was something revolutionary made to make horror a big and consequently more accessible thing again (Like say The Orphanage, on a larger scale), it might perhaps get more recognition... But then at what cost?
I do believe horror films, as tame as they were "back then", were more accessible to more general audiences, so if they somehow became accessible again, they might run the risk of "losing their edge" in order to appeal to the crowd (Sort of like PG-13 rated ones today, but a different change to make their themes less intense as opposed to just being "toned down" in general). Along the same vein and perhaps backing up the point a little, comedy might be losing just a little bit of steam with more edgy stuff coming out. Superbad was big for a good bit, but The Hangover, which is supposed to be a good bit more vulgar is getting more comedy fan acclaim whilst (It looks like) less critical praise.
On a less related note; I think I may disagree about horror being harder to be original with, there has been a lot done, but there can also be many things that still can be done. IMO horror is one genre that a lot more can be done with, as opposed to less. Moreso than romance, comedy or drama, horror can exist in several different worlds, both paranormal and supernatural. All the while, horror can easily mingle with the real world (Unlike a lot of scifi), which can make it easier to generate unique ideas.
âThe Fright Night remake is a film which taps into the audienceâs deepest rooted fears, such as those of vampires throwing motorcycles at them. I dread the thought of a vampire throwing a refrigerator or a deskjet printer or... Iâd better stop before I give myself nightmaresâ
![[-]](http://talkhorror.com/boards/themes/dim/collapse.png)