The Jaded Horror Fan – Foreign Affairs
Steve Wood
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When exactly did the US market lose the fight against foreign movies? Was the US ever king in the first place? Those questions are debatable and there is no right or wrong answer, but the thing I’m sure we can all agree on is the fact that movies made outside of the MPAA’s guidelines are better than those made within. With a few exceptions here and there.
The term “foreign movie” tends to scare away a lot of people, mostly due to the fact of equating “foreign” with “non-English speaking.” So many people are missing the boat when it comes to, in a lot of cases, very high quality horror only because a little bit of reading is involved. Then again, those made in the UK can, and have, shine just as bright as their European or Asian counterparts.
I’ll take a chance and say that the US started losing the battle somewhere in the early 2000’s. Once the new millennium hit, that’s when we really began to see the “pussification,” as George Carlin once said, of US-made horror. There were a few movies that tipped the scale in our favor, but to this day we’re failing miserably at generating anything groundbreaking, whether it be in terms of originality or controversy. That said, I won’t be talking about horror prior to the 2000’s.
Foreign horror could be split up into multiple genres and categories, but I’ll be focusing on the type which didn’t have a wide release here in the States. In some cases (the best cases) there was no release here whatsoever. So let’s talk about horror based on region, and for my money, Spain is where it’s at.
Here is a little breakdown based on country or region:
Spain/South America:
The Spanish have a knack when it comes to telling a great story and setting up an amazing atmosphere. The visuals due to their countryside don’t hurt either; most every movie I’ve seen filmed in Spain has been beautiful. In other cases, they develop some of the best makeup effects I’ve ever seen. Movies like REC and REC 2 highlight this when speaking of blood/guts/violent makeup. See any of Guillermo Del Toro’s Spanish language films if you want atmospheric or beautiful makeup. Some good flicks to check out would be The Skin I Live In, Kidnapped, and Sleep Tight.
France:
The French style of horror filmmaking could best be described in one word – realism. Some of the most grotesque violence I’ve ever seen has come from this country. They aren’t shy with the blood and make sure to show every brutal detail. While the horror they produce might not have the best storytelling, the visuals more than make up for that. Some good ones to check out would be Inside, Frontier(s), High Tension, Martyrs, Trouble Every Day, Calvaire, and one of my personal favorites being La Horde. You can’t really go wrong with the French; just be prepared for tons of gore.
Scandinavia:
Probably the most diverse region in terms of horror, and probably because I’m including Sweden, Norway, and Finland. Many of my personal favorites come from this part of the world, and they’ve never really let me down whenever I come across a new release. It also doesn’t hurt when the actors used are some of the prettiest people out there, at least in my opinion. Still, though, the Spanish have the best women, period. One area where these guys differ would be the vast tonal differences in their films. We have something like Dead Snow, which is awesome, but at the same time very stupid and just a gore fest, or Trollhunter which could be considered as one of the more absurd found footage flicks out there, but very good at the same time. Then we have Let the Right One In or The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; both are pretty heavy in terms of tone, but also very well done at the same time. Others to check out would be Wither, Cold Prey (1 and 2), and for the sheer shock value – A Serbian Film (not from this region but close enough).
UK and Australia:
The most acceptable of all foreign film simply because we speak the same language, although sometimes a bit hard to understand if you’re dealing with some Cockney guys over in England, but all the same really. I won’t speak too much on releases coming out of these two regions as we get most of them in theaters, or if we don’t, they hit VOD rather quickly. Some of the more recent gems coming from Australia would include Wyrmwood and The Babadook. They’ve had many awesome releases over the past decade and a half and I’m sure will continue to have a strong presence in the genre. Some others to look out for would be Wake Wood, Dog Soldiers, Outpost, Cockneys vs. Zombies, and Armistice.
Asia:
My least favorite in every way. First of all, I hate anime and everything revolving around it, so the fact that most Asian horror uses comical effects really bothers me. I’ve seen all the biggies like The Ring or Ju-On: The Grudge, but that’s where my liking ends. When the effects aren’t comical, the violence is more in line with torture porn, something I’ve mentioned a couple of times as not being interested in. Movies like the Guinea Pig series or damn near the entire revenge genre are a bit too much for me. I’ve tried on numerous occasions to get though some of the staples in (primarily) Japanese horror, but I just couldn’t do it.
If anyone has anything to say regarding my general summarizing of different regions, please comment below. Also include some recommendations of movies I know I’ve left out since I can’t remember everything.
Categorized:News Retrospectives
