Does a horror movie have to be scary to be good

Does a horror movie have to be scary to be good Feb 6, 2018 3:27:18 GMT

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Post by Salzmank on Feb 6, 2018 3:27:18 GMT

Feb 6, 2018 3:09:08 GMT tresix said:

Feb 2, 2018 21:09:58 GMT Salzmank said:

But what if it were still a quality movie?

The entire Universal monster series, for example?

Or The Haunting?

Or The Innocents?

Or (here Salzmank lists a huge number of movies ad infinitum)…?

But those are scary movies.

Well, irrespective of your or my personal thoughts, I can assure you that the majority of fans and viewers do not consider, say, Bride of Frankenstein to be scary. Or even Frankenstein or Dracula—especially not a monster-mash like Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. Fun? Absolutely. Good movies? Yes. Scary? Nope. They weren’t particularly scary to audiences in the ‘30s or ‘40s, we know from the then-contemporary reviews (Drac and Frank notwithstanding), and they’re not scary now.

I don’t find The Haunting particularly scary, but I recognize the quality of Robert Wise’s direction and the first-rate performances. I find The Innocents creepy, yes, but not scary (which my online dictionary defines as “causing fear”). I love M.R. James’s short stories, but I’m not afraid of bed-linens. (Kudos to anyone who gets the reference.) Etc.