Stop me if you've heard this one before, but I'm just really, really sick of a lot of the stuff that Hollywood has doled out endlessly in recent years. These days, it seems like all we get are superhero movies, Star Wars and the Fast and Furious films. Of that latter franchise, I've seen a grand total of one movie. Seriously, what keeps people coming back to them? It's a complete and utter mystery to me, but clearly I'm in the minority since it's currently a nine-movie series with no end in sight. Or is it just that they always gross eleventy billion dollars in China? It just seems like it's been same old, same old for eons at the multiplex. The message that needs to be gleamed from this particular intro paragraph: Superhero fatigue can't come soon enough for this reporter.
First and foremost, I wouldn't be surprised in the least bit if we see a lot more true-life styled horror in the upcoming years. The movie Don't Breathe really was a refreshing film to come in the wake of all the ghost movies that dominated the scene for a few years, as while it was somewhat out there you could definitely see something like this happening in the real world. Generally speaking, I'm tired of movies that focus on demons, ghosts and possessions. Going by reactions that I see online, I'm not alone. Focusing more on sickos that could actually be in our own backyards is likely to be the next wave that comes along, and I for one welcome it.
While found footage movies aren't quite the rage they used to be, there are still plenty of them to come down the pike every single year. I don't see them going anywhere. While we're pretty much done with the tried-and-true "documentary film gone wrong" approach, there is still some fun to be had with this little subgenre and you have technology to thank for it. I can see a few movies popping up in cinemas and all the various online outlets in the not-too-distant future that take concepts like YouTube shows, Facebook Live and Periscope and just go batshit crazy with the idea of something going horribly wrong. Much like the slasher movies of yesteryear, there is definitely ways to keep found footage movies off life support as long as you throw in a few creative wrinkles to the formula.
Time for a really out-there prediction. Someone asked me recently when the next Friday the 13th movie was getting released, and my answer was "probably never." Watching Paramount try to get that thing going is like watching a fine-dining chef trying to slow roast a piece of beef jerky. Same thing goes for Nightmare on Elm Street. However, due to the success of Stranger Things and retro-styled horror...I now see a possibility that these legendary stalwarts of horror could make a comeback. Just imagine if some fine scholar at Netflix saw the possibility in doing more Jason or Freddy episodes, shot to look like '80s movies and with themes and special effects mirroring that period. I actually don't think it's too far-fetched.
Speaking of the online giants, I also think we're going to get a lot more foreign imports. While I wasn't a huge fan of Veronica, I'm clearly one of the few horror fans who wasn't, and there's a vast untapped globe out there just ripe for the picking. These companies need content, after all. The downside of this is that this is probably going to lead to another prolonged period of remakes at some point, since there is a pretty sizable chunk of people (including a lot that I talk to in person) who don't watch to watch movies with subtitles. That's not to say that I won't watch them, but forewarning. Remakes-a-coming in roughly five years or so.
The return of GOOD M. Night Shyamalan with Split set off a whole heap of possibilities in my mind. Once the sequel is released (which will really be a lot more of an action film than a horror opus, admittedly), it remains to be seen if Mr. Night can maintain his newly-found mojo. If he can, you can prepare yourself for your fair share of imitators just like everyone copied the "twist" post-Sixth Sense. The result? More heady horror, and a quality uptick. I promise not to give Shyamalan the Lick Ness Monster Curse this time, and once again sincerely apologize for possessing the dreaded reverse Midas touch that is my opinion.
I've focused entirely on the good possibilities thus far. Of course, not everything can be good. I actually do feel that a lot of the bad trends in horror are pretty much played, as we're not seeing story-free torture porn films anymore and virtually every major horror movie of the past has been remade already. However, the remakes we do get are gonna suck, as every time that a big Hollywood company touches something else they effectively strip it of everything that made it cool in the first place. This doesn't just include the foreign movies that get the fresh paint of coat, either. This new Suspiria? You heard it here first, it's gonna be awful. Same goes for the upcoming Twilight Zone reboot, as the atmosphere of the Rod Serling original just can't be topped.
Of course, this is all just my $.02 and I could be way off. Going by my past performance record, that's probably a much more accurate expectation and we'll probably be seeing a lot of giant monster movies, or something. One thing is certain, though: No matter where it goes, I will always look forward to more from my favorite genre, and I will always vote with my wallet whenever I get sick of the same old shit! And with that off my chest, get ready for next week as I tackle my Ten Favorite Horror Films of All Time. With pictures.
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