Saturday 2 December 2006

American Horror (Not!)

I don't know what it is, but American movies just cannot do horror properly! (To borrow from Scott Adams' blog: BOCTAOE(*))

At the moment, I've just watched Saw and Saw II. These movies are, basically, slasher flicks. American horror movies are all just slasher flicks! One by one, people are stalked and killed off! There is no real horror, just scares as something jumps out at people, and random death.

Now, Japanese movies on the other hand... I give you Ringu (no, I do not acknowledge the American version. Bad American versions of other culture's products is a blog post all of its own), and, more importantly, Ju-On. These movies have one key extra factor: atmosphere. There's a build up of tension that the Americans just can't manage to capture. Compare the creeping horror of Sadako and Kayako with the plodding Jason or Michael Myers.

American horror can make you jump. Japanese horror can make you afraid to have the lights out...

(*) But Of Course There Are Obvious Execptions... although I can't think of any off the top of my head. Anyone?

Oh, just remembered one! Se7en! But even that is trying to be a lot more psychological thriller than pure horror.

2 comments:

Suzanne Lanoue said...

Try "Psycho", "The Birds", the original "Amityville Horror" and "The Exorcist"....all American.
For good current horror you have to watch "Supernatural" on TV.

Jamas Enright said...

Does this mean all good horror movies (and I conceed that they are good horror movies) were in the past? That America can't cut it anymore? (Certainly the recent remake of "Amityville Horror" was just boring.) It also demonstrates that the line between horror and psychological thriller is very blurry.

As for Supernatural... Monster-of-the-week does not horror make, but some episodes show potential...