Compare and contrast

Michelle Addie
Freshman Comp.
Professor Blydenburgh
October/28/13

How many people can say they love horror movies? Not many these day mostly because it’s lost its edge and originality. Everything is a remake these days just another classic that is chewed up and spit back out. Why on earth would you want to remake classics for example Carrie? It sickens me so much that horror movies today are worse than they were ten years ago let me go into detail as to why that is . Let me first start with my favorite Old Horror Movies. The old horror movies are so much more realistic and creepy they just have this eerie feeling behind them that has your hair standing up. Fear is such a great emotion. Why because it reminds us that we are alive nothing is better than feeling alive and fear makes you feel just that. The older films usually have darker color schemes older music and no special effects. The older films are usually in black and white which gives it a certain ambiance that just brings it altogether makes it really hit home for true horror fanatics like me. Night of the Living Dead is one of the most known black and white horror films and to this day it still scares the crap out of its viewer’s it is definitely one of the best horror films out there . If you watch older horror movies you’ll notice that most of the props are handmade they use life like props such as animal blood guts limbs. It keeps the viewer’s believing that what they see is real. The creativeness was amazing there are so many different scary creatures monsters ideas that these directors came up with. The movie “The Thing” I mean how can you even come up with something so weird and out of the ordinary. I respect the creativeness of the older horror generation very much hopefully one day I can make a movie on the same scale. Today’s Horror Movies don’t have the same originality. Most of the horror movies today are just remakes of the older ones. They use special effects which is computer animated graphics. This is where they take a scene and use a computer to make up some of the parts that they wish to enhance without using props like blood and guts. New horror movies are to explicit for my taste always trying to push the envelope of shock with the sex scenes or killing of children or babies basically anything that will have the viewer’s cringing in their seats . In a way I guess that is what they are supposed to do I myself can do without. Not only that but nowadays anyone is allowed to direct a horror movie and most are really cheesy low budget that waste your time and money. I know because I’ve made it my mission to watch every horror movie ever made. There are many similarities in the two old and new horror movies. Many of the older directors are still producing horror movies today or they are collaborating with new directors that are remaking there movies. Rami was the director of the original “Evil Dead” collaborated with Bruce Campbell (who actually played the character Ash in the original) in remaking the new “Evil Dead”. It ended up being an amazing remake a few differences but for the most part that same story line just updated. This is something that many directors are doing today movies like ”Carrie”, “Halloween” , “Last House on the Left”, “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”. Those are all movies that have been remade. Even though they are remaking the same movies doesn’t mean they are always the same or always as good. I’ve watched all of the remakes I listed in the paragraph above and I have to say that some were better left alone. Old horror movies are classics and you can’t remake a classic. You have way too much to lose when doing so. I give props to the directors that take the plunge because that takes a lot of balls. The one thing about old and new horror movies that’s different too is the special effects. Today they use computer graphics which in most cases can be a good thing, but when you’re talking about the horror movie genre you got to remember most of these films are very low budget so the computer graphics being used end up looking so bad it can ruin the entire movie. I say stick to the old stuff fill balloons up with pig blood and guts and stick them in an outfit and stab that or make your own props but the more real the better. Older horror films also have that older sound quality that although is worse than todays it works for the movies because there is something very creepy in the static and feedback you get from bad sound quality. And the bad film quality too with it looking dark and washed up it gives it sort of an antique look that helps more than anything. Director Rob Zombie knows this if you watch any of his films you’ll notice that is exactly what he goes for. In the movie “The Devils Rejects” the film looks as if it has water spots and tears sometimes it even jumps and in the sound you can hear static it helps the feel and vibe. So in less words if your deciding to rent a few movies for your Friday night date and the theme is horror , my advice is go for the classics the ones you’ll end up loving and respected and keep your from sleeping for a few nights. They are the ones you know will have you on the edge of your seat screaming no but begging for more, for trying to turn away in fear but your curiosity getting the best of you. Go for movies like “The Exorcist”, “Evil Dead”, “Suspiria” or “Nosferatu”. Those are the films that are fresh original and creative. These movies are the best for the best so if you believe you deserve the best than these are for you. If you want cheesy lame over played horror movies then rent the new “Lost Boys” or “Last House on the L eft”.