I am not sure if this is just me or not, but I have noticed a trend in indie horror filmmaking, where many directors seem to be trying to one-up each other in the amount of splatter, gore and violence they can include in their films. I have also noticed this trend when it comes to violence against women in particular. The indie film world is rife with films depicting women being chained up and tortured.
At conventions and festivals, and on social media, I hear filmmakers saying things like, "Dude! You're not gonna believe how extreme my next film is going to be. The gore is going to be off the charts!"
My first thought when I hear or read this is, "Yawn." Now, don't get me wrong, The Horror Nerd IS a gore hound, and I love a great gore/splatter/exploitation film, but I also like a GOOD film. Slapping together a film where yet another generic female victim is being dismembered doesn't really excite me. I don't understand this seeming competition to see who can make people puke the most. In the end, to me, writing and acting, even in a gore/exploitation film, still mean something.
Again, I realize there is a market for these films, and this is simply one Horror Nerd's humble opinion, but as a lover of film, I think that we're at risk of having entire sub-genres of films being diluted with weak films, just because some filmmakers want to be know for how extreme and edgy they are.
Let's also not forget that in order to do great gore scenes, you need great makeup and great effects, which ultimately requires a decent budget, which often does not exist. So we end up with a mediocre film with weak effects. Granted, this definitely NOT always the case. I have seen some low-budget films that had amazing effects, but that's because the filmmaker was concerned with making a decent film, and not just with seeing how many ways they could carve up a human being.
I've said this before, and it really is my mantra when it comes to movies. Just give me a good film. I know that indie filmmakers struggle with budget, and people who don't show up on time, and all sorts of other challenges, but I still maintain that with enough caring and thought, it's possible to make a good film on a low budget. Let's stop trying to out-do one another with the "extreme"!
-The Horror Nerd
At conventions and festivals, and on social media, I hear filmmakers saying things like, "Dude! You're not gonna believe how extreme my next film is going to be. The gore is going to be off the charts!"
My first thought when I hear or read this is, "Yawn." Now, don't get me wrong, The Horror Nerd IS a gore hound, and I love a great gore/splatter/exploitation film, but I also like a GOOD film. Slapping together a film where yet another generic female victim is being dismembered doesn't really excite me. I don't understand this seeming competition to see who can make people puke the most. In the end, to me, writing and acting, even in a gore/exploitation film, still mean something.
Again, I realize there is a market for these films, and this is simply one Horror Nerd's humble opinion, but as a lover of film, I think that we're at risk of having entire sub-genres of films being diluted with weak films, just because some filmmakers want to be know for how extreme and edgy they are.
Let's also not forget that in order to do great gore scenes, you need great makeup and great effects, which ultimately requires a decent budget, which often does not exist. So we end up with a mediocre film with weak effects. Granted, this definitely NOT always the case. I have seen some low-budget films that had amazing effects, but that's because the filmmaker was concerned with making a decent film, and not just with seeing how many ways they could carve up a human being.
I've said this before, and it really is my mantra when it comes to movies. Just give me a good film. I know that indie filmmakers struggle with budget, and people who don't show up on time, and all sorts of other challenges, but I still maintain that with enough caring and thought, it's possible to make a good film on a low budget. Let's stop trying to out-do one another with the "extreme"!
-The Horror Nerd
RSS Feed