Where Are Horror Movies Going?

With Jordan Peele killing it — as well as films such as ‘It,’ and ‘Hereditary’ — the horror industry may be undergoing a massive overhaul. Staff Writer Karim Noorani projects where the industry is going

(Us / Universal. Photo Illustration by Nathan Graber-Lipperman)

Warning: this piece contains light spoilers for Hereditary. Therefore, we advise you read at your own discretion!

We all remember Charlie’s death scene in Hereditary. That is kind of ironic considering it had nothing to do with a knife-wielding slasher, demonic possession, or cringe-worthy gore — all classic tropes associated with the horror genre.

And yet, anyone who watched the movie in theaters could tell you the pure shock and terror experienced from that scene is inimitable. It was horror. Maybe not the kind we had come to expect from film, but it scared people, something that is becoming increasingly difficult to pull off as the genre nears 125 years of existence in cinema.

Scaring people has become the horror genre’s biggest challenge and opportunity. While rom-coms, dramas and teen romance movies have tapered from popular culture in recent years, horror has stuck around. People always seem willing to pay for a good adrenaline rush, even if it comes from cheap jump scares. Pull it off well enough and you can bundle acclaim and ticket sales (think: Get Out and A Quiet Place).

But this game isn’t like superhero flicks. A big-budget company like Marvel can’t dominate the horror industry. Rights to franchises are valuable, but the effect of characters such as Anabelle and Jigsaw lessens over time. With the exception of a few iconic films, horror movies aren’t rewatchable, and their sequels become predictable. There’s only one tried-and-true recipe for success: innovation.

For the greater part of the 21st century, mainstream Hollywood horror has been like Jackson Maine from A Star is Born — vigorously trying to recreate its glory years. Yet they just didn’t realize the industry had passed them. The fifth remake of Texas Chainsaw might draw in avid fans for one flick but did not signify the future of the genre. There’s only so much carnage a chainsaw-wielding pyscho can commit before viewers become desensitized and bored by the concept. Same goes for A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Child’s Play, Poltergeist, and the numerous other scary-movie franchises that have seen remakes over the last twenty years.

None of them have lasted.

While Hollywood was busy churning a quick buck, the real innovation in the industry was done by independent ventures. The Blair Witch Project (1999) and Paranormal Activity (2007) popularized found-footage movies on minuscule budgets. Saw (2004) turned an 18-day filming into the third-highest grossing horror franchise of all time. Numerous other films such as You’re Next (2011) and It Follows (2014) garnered substantial acclaim and revenue by subverting genre tropes with tight resources.

Putting a finger on the typical horror movie-goer is difficult given the genre’s eclectic offerings. But one thing is for certain: they will not tolerate staleness. Everything from iconic franchises to trendy subgenres have finite lifespans. Some may linger due to their cult followings, but every horror fad comes to an end at some point — at least until mainstream Hollywood decides enough time has passed for a shitty B-level remake.

There is no recipe for a good horror film, and any production company who thinks they’ve found it has already lost its magic. Continuity is disaster for movies meant to frighten. Enough excitement for a sequel is a godsend. The longest running horror franchise still making sequels: The Conjuring, which has taken three-year gaps between films and is still only approaching its third part (albeit with multiple spinoffs).

(Gabriel Byrne, Toni Colette, and Alex Wolff star in ‘Hereditary’ / A24)

The horror industry wasn’t always like this. In fact, the 20th century was quite the opposite with a few heavy hitters saturating the entire market. It was like the Jurassic era of horror and likewise unsustainable. For the average movie-goer, the convoluted death-and-revival plots were hard to keep track of and wore on like a soap opera. To attract new audiences, 21st century horror had to adapt. And it has to some degree — at least enough to satiate its avid, niche audience.

But the most important question for the genre moving forward is: where does horror go from here?

Jordan Peele has hit something. We may not know the exact trade secret to his success, but he’s made horror miscible. He’s proved that people don’t just want to feel in horror movies, but they also might want to think and laugh. Now, Peele may not be attracting gory horror fans to his films, but he is capitalizing on the horror elements of Get Out and Us to generate interest.

Come for the psychological horror and leave feeling enlightened is my mantra for Peele’s films. It sounds silly, but the former Key & Peele star has substantiated this model. Get Out doubled as an allegory on racial objectification and slavery while mixing elements of eerily suspense and subtle fourth-wall comedy. Us commented on America’s opportunity gaps and inner dark-side while sprinkling moments of action and Winston Duke’s dad jokes. It also didn’t hurt that both films picked especially diverse casts.

Similar to Charlie losing her head in Hereditary, what we’re seeing from Jordan Peele is a jolt of the system. He’s certainly at the forefront of the horror remodel, but we’re seeing massive-scale experimentation in the industry with examples such as A Quiet Place, It, and Annihilation. Best of all, big-budget studios seem willing to stay out of the production and simply finance the ideas. Filmmakers can finally flesh out their one-off ideas and iterate to the next without worrying about the future of their movies.

So, where is horror going?

If we’ve learned one thing about 21st century horror, it’s that we shouldn’t ask mainstream Hollywood about its future. They are the old lady upstairs too busy fixing their makeup to notice the crime. But, for all we know, Jordan Peele is the butler in the corner who might have seen something.

Karim Noorani is a Senior Creative at UNPLUGG’D , a movie junkie, and an avid NBA fan. You can follow him on Twitter here.