Are Horror Films Starting To Reflect Worldwide Concerns?

By Author: David James
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From individual escapism to international anxiety, the horror genre seems to breaking more and more into the mainstream. In the past a horror fan would be referred to as an oddball, even a possible weirdo, with censorship laws always being in question. The argument against feeding the hungry imagination of a violent generation.

Everyone remembers the likes of Scream (1996) right back to Sigourney Weaver in Alien (1979), when the hero of a traditional horror would either fall at the hand of their pursuer or come back fighting to slay the horrifying beast. But are those days over? In recent times it seems to be more about worldwide disaster against all of humanity. Be it a shift in climate to a deadly epidemic, these scenarios seem to bring the cast together, fighting united against a sole enemy. A mirror image of recent times or simply a co-incidence?

Scary has always been an ambiguous term. No one would see a rated 18 about stock shares falling in price so is this the means for output. The fears of the nation on big screen, changing from that fiend in the dark to massive climate shifts, plagues and invasions.

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... likes of The Day After Tomorrow (2004) and 2012 (2009) reflect what could be the sinking economy. In these cases the big bad guy is not a scary monster from the planet X or even a crazy axe wielding murderer but nature itself. Or even arguably ourselves, through human error sparking a literal wave of mass destruction.

But that's not all. The likes of virus' and disease in the headlines seem to be sparking films such as District 9 (2009) and Monsters (2010), showing the world facing extinction at the mutation of a virus or sickness. Not to mention spinoff series appearing such as Frank Darabont's The Walking Dead (2010) portraying such a post apocalyptic event for what could be a drawn out series.

In summary, it would appear that horrors films can be seen as a barometer of the public mood. In good times they reflect the national mood by focussing on the individual, whilst in times of national disquiet they feature threats to whole communities, countries, or even the planet. When we finally pull|drag ourselves out of the current economic malaise we may see a shift back to the good old days of small town horror. For now it might be best to leave the light on and carry on checking beneath the bed.
About Author:
David James writes on products, trends and more for the UK gift retailer Find Me A Gift, home to novelty gifts, Christmas gifts and beyond. Find out more at http://www.find-me-a-gift.co.uk/