The Horror

It seems that the latest trend in Hollywood is horror movies though I can't fathom why.

From Jason Vs Freddy to Michael Keaton's latest, White Noise, there's been an increase in horror films, for better or worst. Usually, it's because of one successful (i.e. money-making) movie that everyone tries to capitalize on. For example, both X-Men and Spider-Man are responsible for the latest superhero movie craze.

Remember back in the late 1990s, when disaster films were the big thing? That was for two reasons: a.) Twister made a lot of money, and b.) it was nearing the end of the century, and we were all in our y2k-mode. I can even understand why superhero movies are popular since they give us hope and courage during these times of Osama and Saddam in the same way that the original superheroes were symbols of hope during the Depression and World War II.

(I could even understand if disaster films were popular again, because the sad truth is that we're living in a disaster film what with the devastating tsunamis, floodings, and mudslides.)

But horror films? If I feel the need to become scared, I just turn on the local news. There's no real reason why I should shell out the five to ten dollars to see a movie about an imaginary friend who kills. And why are talented actors like Robert De Niro, Famke Janssen, and Elisabeth Shue in "Hide and Seek" anyway? Did director John Polson blackmail them into it?

My point being that not only is there no real good reason for the flood of horror movies, but none of them look any different than any horror movie that has come before them. Of course, there's Stephen king's new television movie, Riding the Bullet.

"Maybe it will be fresh and original while being scary," he said sarcastically after discovering that King's Kingdom Hospital is as scary as ABC's According to Jim. Well, According to Jim is scary in its own way...