15 Horror Franchises That Helped Define the Face of the Genre
Steve Barton
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Texas Chainsaw Massacre:
I honestly believe it was the pure grit of Tobe Hooper’s original Texas Chainsaw Massacre that enchanted audiences. I also think it is what kept them coming back. You never know exactly how far a TCSM film go. But it’s in our nature to find a way to know, so we seek these films out, and we watch them, whether we’ve heard they’re amazing or complete trash. Perhaps it’s longtime loyalty to a brand that once left us stunned and repulsed. Perhaps it’s something darker, and more sadistic within us that keeps our eyes affixed. Regardless, we’re still here, supporting a franchise birthed 40 years ago. The first two films are great crowd pleasers, the 2003 remake is quite enjoyable, and if you’re up for nothing more than intense violence, checking out The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning may be worth your time.
Evil Dead:
People love to associate Evil Dead with riotous comedy. But that’s not an entirely accurate association. The first Evil Dead did deliver some laughs, but it’s also scary as shit. Seriously, watch that one night, around two AM, when your family is out of town and there’s not a single light alight in the house. It’s still a little chilling. Fede Alvarez’s remake is also a frightening affair, completely doing away with the laughs. That’s an intense fucking movie, to be blunt about it. But here’s the beauty of it all, the two films sandwiched between the original and the remake, Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness, are loaded with hilarious material. It’s a pressure alleviator, if you will, and when you look at the franchise as a whole, it works perfectly. Sam Raimi is a true mastermind, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Jaws:
The film that changed the way we look at oceanic surroundings… Jaws was something that can never again be duplicated. It can be mimicked, it can be mocked, but the terror that this film – and a sequel or so – instilled in masses is something almost unheard of, and we may never see it again on film. The one thing that the Jaws pics have that many others do not, is quality character examination. Aside from that final stinker, Jaws: The Revenge, every Jaws film prior placed huge emphasis on the characters. In the first festure Brody, Quint and Hooper were this completely polarizing trio – and we cared deeply for each and every one of them. In Jaws II we felt Brody’s anxiety, fear, and anger, and we were able to sympathize with a number of the youngsters on the boat (Doug Fetterman still holds a special place in my heart). The last thing we wanted to see out of Jaws 3 was the death of Mike Brody or Kay Morgan. These were characters we cared for, and that shark was the ultimate nemesis to all we cared about… and feared on a very real and primal level.
Paranormal Activity:
There were found footage films that turned heads before the arrival of Paranormal Activity. The most famed of which would probably be Cannibal Holocaust and The Blair Witch Project (there’s also an early underrated flick out there by the name of The Last Broadcast which makes for an entertaining viewing experience). However, Paranormal Activity officially made a trend of the handi-cam flick. After PA1 exploded at the box office everyone, their mothers, their mothers’ brothers, and their mothers’ brother’s cousins wanted in on the success. It’s been nothing but found footage after found footage since, and most of these movies owe gratitude to Oren Peli who truly did make this subgenre certifiably cool. While I enjoyed the first three Paranormal Activity pics, the fourth, and The Marked Ones were what I would consider letdowns. But there’s still time to turn things around.
Scream:
Scream, while adored by legions, doesn’t get the level of respect it deserves. The simple fact of the matter is this: Prior to the release of Scream, slasher movies were not only dead, they’d decomposed into nothing but mushy piles of sticky mess and hordes of maggots on the hunt for something still edible. But beyond slashers, horror itself was struggling on its own death bed. People weren’t rushing out to theaters to see horror films. Half of the quality genre pieces to see release in the ‘80s up through the mid-90s never even made it to the big screen. Horror was approaching extinction, and originality was a dismissed notion altogether. Until Kevil Williamson wrote one of the wittiest scripts in history. And Drew Barrymore sacrificed her onscreen life to snag the attention of casuals. And Wes Craven turned out his best film since the first Nightmare pic. And Neve Campbell drove any a teenage boy to not-so-dry dreams. Slashers are cool once again, and horror isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and that’s because of Scream. Thanks Mr. Craven, and Mr. Williamson. I hope you truly understand what you’ve done for horror. If only you’d taken a little more time with Scream 3…
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Categorized:Lists
